Linus Torvalds still sees opportunities for a Linux desktop

Despite a very small share of the desktop market, Linux guru Linus Torvalds still sees opportunities for the open source operating system. Despite this, Torvalds is not yet ready to announce the ‘year of the Linux desktop’.

Torvalds spoke about the developments surrounding Linux at the LinuxCon conference. Although Linux can be seen as the most widely used operating system thanks to the mobile market, Torvalds expressed disappointment at the lack of success in the desktop market, which is still dominated by Microsoft Windows. Torvalds shouted to the audience during his keynote that he “still wants to conquer the desktop”, ZDnet writes.

According to the Linux guru, the cause is not in the Linux kernel. The problem is said to be rooted primarily in Linux’s surrounding “infrastructure,” presumably referring to the myriad of distributions and projects attempting to conquer the desktop. Although Torvalds said that he still believes the desktop market can be conquered by the open source operating system, he has not yet dared to announce ‘the year of the Linux desktop’, a promise that has been made by many individuals and parties for years. but has never been redeemed.

Torvalds expressed his desire in kernel development to make the ever-expanding kernel smaller and faster, partly due to the emergence of less powerful hardware, such as the Raspberry Pi. According to Torvalds, manufacturers of embedded systems are forced to opt for leaner older kernels or their own “outdated, lousy software.”

A panel discussion also discussed rewriting outdated code in order to get clearer and more compact code in the kernel. Torvalds said that kernel development for the ARM architecture is getting better and better, partly because developers work together better.