Is this the year of Linux on the desktop?
David Heinemeier Hansson (DHH), the guy behind Ruby on Rails, thinks so. He ditched macOS and Windows for Linux with his custom setup called Omarchy.
He says modern OSes have become “too polished, too locked down, and too bloated.” And honestly, he’s not wrong.
I tried Linux years ago at university, and some years later a grey Monday. It was rough, unpolished, and definitely not for me.
But this time, with Omarchy, it’s different. For the first time, I actually want to give it another go.
Maybe if I’m not the only one thinking this way, could this really be the year of Linux on the desktop?
I tried Omarchy for a few hours and immediately saw the appeal. It feels raw, direct, and under my control.
But my brain hurts. There are shortcuts for everything. Forget one, and you’re staring at a black screen wondering what you broke.
What stood out: – Super fast, even the installation. – Minimalist but powerful. – I barely use the Start menu anymore. These days I launch everything with quick shortcuts using PowerToys, and Omarchy fully embraces that style. – You type half the time, Google the rest.
Moving windows between virtual desktops is insanely fast. No fancy animations, just instant switching. I liked it so much I replicated it in Windows 11 using AutoHotKey and by disabling animations. Not quite the same, but close.
Why I’m not switching (yet)?
I don’t have a separate drive for Linux (which is needed for Omarchy), and I’m not ready to give up Windows 11. I still depend on Microsoft 365, Teams, and Office, and those are subpar on Linux. My work lives inside Power Platform and Dynamics 365, so I need that ecosystem.
It would take about a week of tinkering and learning to fully switch. Omarchy does make that curve shorter, maybe just a few days, but I’m not ready for spending that time yet.
But I get why DHH made the jump, and for the first time, I’m really tempted to switch. It feels good and a viable replacement of Windows, especially in a time where more and more apps are now web apps.
Have you ever gone full Linux and actually stuck with it?
