There are a few different factors. I think the biggest is that the lifecycle for windows 10 is ending. Microsoft is pushing the upgrade, but 11 has Recall which is essentially AI spyware. Many folks are trying to push Linux instead of upgrading when support is fully cut off
This is the top answer, but it’s missing one key fact: Windows 11 mandates a TPM chip, a secure cryptographic processor that (amongst other things, both good and bad) allows an OS to verify that its boot files haven’t been tampered with.
A lot of old computers don’t have this chip, making this the first Windows edition in many years where the upgrade process isn’t smooth and painless. Rather than throw away their still perfectly fine computers to buy a new machine they don’t need, for a dubious “upgrade” they don’t even want, a lot of users are choosing to switch to Linux so they can keep their current PC while still enjoying software and security updates.
It also helps that the Steam Deck has introduced a bunch of people to Linux, plus Valve’s extensive investments into WINE/Proton (software that allows you to run Windows programs and games on Linux) means that for the first time, running Linux doesn’t mean limiting your library of usable apps. At this point Linux even runs many games better than Windows due to lower overhead, and most things will run without issue so long as they don’t rely on kernel-level rootkits for anti-cheat or DRM (and kernel access is being restricted in future Windows updates after that whole CloudStrike fiasco, so that will likely stop being an issue either way).
There are a few different factors. I think the biggest is that the lifecycle for windows 10 is ending. Microsoft is pushing the upgrade, but 11 has Recall which is essentially AI spyware. Many folks are trying to push Linux instead of upgrading when support is fully cut off
This is the top answer, but it’s missing one key fact: Windows 11 mandates a TPM chip, a secure cryptographic processor that (amongst other things, both good and bad) allows an OS to verify that its boot files haven’t been tampered with.
A lot of old computers don’t have this chip, making this the first Windows edition in many years where the upgrade process isn’t smooth and painless. Rather than throw away their still perfectly fine computers to buy a new machine they don’t need, for a dubious “upgrade” they don’t even want, a lot of users are choosing to switch to Linux so they can keep their current PC while still enjoying software and security updates.
It also helps that the Steam Deck has introduced a bunch of people to Linux, plus Valve’s extensive investments into WINE/Proton (software that allows you to run Windows programs and games on Linux) means that for the first time, running Linux doesn’t mean limiting your library of usable apps. At this point Linux even runs many games better than Windows due to lower overhead, and most things will run without issue so long as they don’t rely on kernel-level rootkits for anti-cheat or DRM (and kernel access is being restricted in future Windows updates after that whole CloudStrike fiasco, so that will likely stop being an issue either way).