That's right; the underdog of operating systems is showing that it has some staying power after being a wanna-be for decades.

• January 23 - 2.91 per cent
• February 23 - 2.94 per cent
• March 23 - 2.85 per cent
• April 23 - 2.83 per cent
• May 23 - 2.7 per cent
• June 23 - 3.07 per cent
• July 23 - 3.12 per cent
• August 23 - 3.18 per cent
• September 23 - 3.02 per cent
• October 23 - 2.92 per cent
• November 23 - 3.22 per cent
• December 23 - 3.82 per cent
• January 24 - 3.77 per cent
• February 24 - 4.03 per cent
• March 24 - 4.05 per cent

In a surprising turn of events, the penguin-powered platform, which hovered around the 2.7 to 3.18 per cent range last year, has surged ahead. In February 2024, it crossed the four per cent mark and has been maintaining its position ever since, signalling a promising future.

Now, if you're one of those tech boffins who reckon ChromeOS should join the party, then you're looking at a combined total of 6.32 per cent. It's the kind of figure that's got developers sitting up and taking notice – because, let's face it, that's a whole lot of screens waiting for some Linux love.

And before you ask, it's probably not just the Steam Deck crowd skewing the stats. Sure, the Deck's Desktop Mode might have given Linux a bit of a leg up, but StatCounter's data comes from a whopping 1.5 million websites, and it's unlikely they're all being surfed from handheld gaming gizmos.

Linux is no longer just for the tech-savvy. It's evolving into a user-friendly contender on the desktop market. Open Saucers are saying that could be the year when Linux transcends its status as a techie's pet project, although, to be fair, they have been saying that for decades.