Strategy for Expanding the Linux User Base
Strategy
The Linux desktop market share is around 3%.1 Here it is a strategy to grow it in three stages:
Use FOSS in schools (to avoid being locked into proprietary software);
Use Linux in schools (since we are no longer locked into proprietary software);
Sell hardware with Linux installed (now that people are used to it because of schools and education).
Discussion
The first stage is beneficial because it not only helps to spread Linux, but also promotes the adoption of Free and Open Source Software. This is a necessary step for the overall advance of user respecting technology. It is not a dream scenario: some European countries are already starting to ban and not use US proprietary software, such as Microsoft and Google.2
The second stage is the easiest and most complex at the same time. Linux works well on desktop, and some distributions have official support. But, which distro? How to choose? Do we need an official Linus distro?3 We are not trying to answer these questions here, but to raise the issue.
Note that the third stage is the strategy Google uses with Chromebooks for ChromeOS. In a few years, compared to the 30 years it took Linux to reach 3%, ChromeOS has currently surpassed Linux in market share. Of course, to sell Linux hardware, you need compatible devices. In this respect, System76 and Tuxedo are interesting companies because they have devices and a Linux distro they develop. This can lead to some innovation, for example, PopOS by System76 features its own desktop, Cosmic, which is being rewritten in Rust.
For Germany, see Microsoft Office 365: Banned in German schools over privacy fears and Microsoft Office 365 banned from German schools over privacy concerns. For Denmark, see Denmark bans Gmail and Co from schools due to privacy concerns and Schools in Denmark look toward open-source solutions after DPA bans Google Chromebooks. For France, see France says non to Office 365 and Google Workspace in school. For a general discussion, see The Troublesome Case of Using Google in European Schools.↩
For a discussion about an official distro, see Why don't more people use desktop Linux I have a theory you might not like.↩