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2 ITG030 state of linux
Eric the IT Guy edited this page 2026-08-19 12:22:47 -05:00
Table of Contents
episode airdate recorded status short_title full_title description summary guest guest_title guest_links headshot youtube_url youtube_id fireside_player slug tags topics_to_avoid
030 2026-09-29 prep State of Linux The State of Linux in 2026 with Michael Tunnell | The IT Guy Show 030 Michael Tunnell of TuxDigital and Framework joins me to take the temperature of the whole Linux ecosystem in 2026: the desktop, hardware that finally works, distro churn, and immutable everything. Michael Tunnell and I take the temperature of Linux in 2026: the desktop, hardware, distro churn, and where immutable is actually going. Michael Tunnell Senior Marketing Manager for Linux at Framework, founder of TuxDigital
https://michaeltunnell.com/
https://tuxdigital.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeltunnell/
host.png itguyshow-ep30-state-of-linux
The IT Guy Show
Guest
Linux Desktop
Open Source
Hardware

Abstract

Every year somebody declares it the year of the Linux desktop, and every year the rest of us roll our eyes and go back to work. But something did shift. You can buy a laptop with Fedora already on it. Immutable distros went from a curiosity to something your coworker actually daily drives. And the distro churn that used to define the hobby looks different when the hardware underneath finally cooperates.

Michael Tunnell has had a better view of that shift than almost anyone. He founded TuxDigital, hosts This Week in Linux, and reaches a few hundred thousand people a month talking about exactly this. He also took a job running Linux marketing at Framework, which means he went from covering the ecosystem to standing inside a hardware company that bet on it.

So this one is two Linux nerds taking the temperature of the whole thing. Where the desktop actually stands in 2026, what changed about hardware, whether immutable is the future or a detour, and what each of us thinks is coming next.

Hook

Every year somebody calls it the year of the Linux desktop. This year I want to actually check. Michael Tunnell has watched this ecosystem from the outside for a decade and now works inside a hardware company that bet on it, so he is the right person to ask.

Agenda

Introductions

  • Who are you?
  • What do you do?
  • What do you do for fun?
  • The TuxDigital-to-Framework move: what does it look like from inside a hardware vendor after years of covering them?

1. Where the Desktop Actually Stands

  • Forget the slogan. What measurably changed in the last two or three years?
  • What still breaks for a normal person on day one?
  • Gaming as the quiet driver. How much of the shift traces back to Proton and the Steam Deck?
  • Is the "year of the Linux desktop" framing even useful anymore, or is it holding the conversation back?

2. Hardware Finally Got Good

  • The long stretch where Linux was something you installed on hardware that did not want you there
  • What changed: vendors shipping it, firmware landing upstream, drivers arriving before the hardware does
  • Framework's angle, and what it costs a company to actually support Linux rather than tolerate it
  • Where hardware support is still genuinely bad in 2026

3. Distro Churn

  • Is churn a symptom of a healthy ecosystem or a tax on new users?
  • What actually differentiates distros now that the hard parts are mostly shared?
  • Where does someone new even start, and does the answer change if it came pre-installed?
  • The consolidation question: are we heading toward fewer, bigger distros?

4. Immutable Everything

  • Atomic and image-based desktops went mainstream faster than I expected
  • Who is it genuinely better for, and who is it worse for?
  • The tinkerer's objection: does read-only kill the thing that made Linux fun?
  • Where I am with this personally, since I am moving my own infrastructure onto bootc and a git push
  • Does the desktop version of this idea end up in the same place as the server version?

5. Where It Is All Headed

  • What each of us thinks is real in the next two years versus what is hype
  • The thing you are most optimistic about
  • The thing that worries you
  • What one change would move the needle most for Linux adoption

Wrap Up

  • Where to find Michael, TuxDigital, and Framework
  • Final thoughts and key takeaways

Closing

  • Like / Subscribe
  • Next:
  • Sign-off: on behalf of my guest, Michael Tunnell, and myself, Eric the IT Guy Hendricks

Keywords

Michael Tunnell, TuxDigital, This Week in Linux, Framework, Framework Laptop 12, state of Linux, year of the Linux desktop, Linux desktop 2026, Linux hardware support, distro churn, immutable Linux, atomic desktop, Fedora Silverblue, bootc, KDE Plasma, Proton, Steam Deck, open source firmware, repairable hardware

Links

Blog Post

Draft. Rewrite from the transcript after recording.

Every year somebody declares it the year of the Linux desktop, and every year the rest of us roll our eyes and get back to work. But I wanted to actually check, so I asked someone with a better view of it than I have.

{{< episode >}}

A few things worth carrying away from this one:

  • Hardware is the thing that quietly changed. Not the desktop environment, not the package manager. You can buy machines now where Linux is the shipped option, and that reframes the whole adoption conversation.
  • Distro churn looks different from the inside. We got into whether it is a healthy signal or a tax on new users, and what actually differentiates a distro now.
  • Immutable is not just a server idea anymore. Michael and I come at atomic desktops from different angles, and I brought my own bootc migration into it.

Social Posts

LinkedIn

Draft. Rewrite after recording.

Every year somebody declares it the year of the Linux desktop. This year I wanted to actually check.

For episode 030 I sat down with Michael Tunnell, who founded TuxDigital, hosts This Week in Linux, and now runs Linux marketing at Framework. He has watched this ecosystem from the outside for a decade and now works inside a hardware company that bet on it.

A few things you'll pick up:

  • What actually changed about the Linux desktop, and what still breaks on day one
  • Why hardware is the quiet story, and what it costs a vendor to really support Linux
  • Whether distro churn is a healthy signal or a tax on new users
  • Where immutable and atomic desktops are genuinely better, and where they are not

[PASTE YOUTUBE URL]

#Linux #OpenSource #LinuxDesktop #Framework #SelfHosting

Twitter/X

Draft. Rewrite after recording.

Every year somebody calls it the year of the Linux desktop. For 030 I actually checked, with Michael Tunnell of TuxDigital and Framework: what changed, what still breaks, distro churn, and whether immutable is the future. [PASTE YOUTUBE URL] #Linux #OpenSource

Bluesky / Mastodon

Draft. Rewrite after recording.

Every year somebody declares it the year of the Linux desktop, and every year we roll our eyes. For 030 I sat down with Michael Tunnell of TuxDigital and Framework to actually take the temperature: the desktop, hardware that finally works, distro churn, and immutable everything.

[PASTE YOUTUBE URL]

#Linux #OpenSource #LinuxDesktop #Framework

YouTube Ad

  • Final URL: [PASTE YOUTUBE URL]
  • Display path 1: IT-Guy-Show
  • Display path 2: Linux
  • Short headline: The IT Guy Show
  • Long headline: Is It Finally The Year Of The Linux Desktop? We Actually Checked.
  • Description: Linux, homelabs, and open source for the people who actually run the infrastructure.
  • CTA: Watch Now

Production Notes

  • Recording once for two shows. This episode and Fedora Podcast 061 ("Framework Laptop 12 Meets Fedora") come out of the same session. Keep the Framework product detail on the Fedora side and keep this conversation on the ecosystem, or the two episodes will overlap.
  • Michael pitched the Fedora episode himself and had already agreed in July to a State of Linux episode here, with the caveat that he has been swamped and needed no rush. Confirm the shared recording date works before promising either air date.
  • He is a professional broadcaster with a large audience, so this is a good crossover opportunity. Worth asking whether he wants a reciprocal appearance.