The open-source operating system Linux has recently hit another milestone, with the first release candidate of version 7.0 now freely available for download. Offering support for a huge new range of hardware systems and upgrades to file systems and peripherals, this version is already making digital waves. While still alien to the masses more accustomed to the Windows/iOS wars, Linux has made significant progress recently, and 7.0 looks to continue on this trajectory.
What is Linux?
Originally started in 1991, Linux has never been in the mainstream like its main competitors, Apple and Microsoft. The basic idea of the software is that it’s designed by users for users, as the ultimate expression of a free, open-source, and user-customisable operating system. Anyone can download and modify their own version of Linux, and entire communities are born around specialised systems and tools for specialised uses.
Developed by Finnish programmer Linus Torvalds, Linux was originally little more than an experiment and personal project. Over time, the purpose of Linux changed, reflecting Torvald’s growing disillusionment with how the bigger operating systems did business. To Torvalds, software development is about being open and honest, and sharing projects and workflow for the betterment of the whole. While Linux can be individualised and sold, its purpose is open contribution and the creation of a platform of transparent software development.
The Potential of Linux 7
Linux 7 isn’t a revolutionary leap forward; it illustrates another step in Linux’s gradual move towards adoption by the common user. For years, Linux has been used by many major companies as a backing infrastructure. This has come so far that, as of 2026, 72.6% of Fortune 500 businesses rely on Linux to some extent. This technology reaches out even further into more than 96% of the biggest web servers, with similar success in public cloud work environments.
Yet, despite the success that Linux has had in backing technology, it long lagged as a user-friendly operating system. It was seen as impenetrable for many, but this might no longer be the case. The current operating system is primed for Linux, thanks to what Windows and iOS do and don’t do in many cases.
If all you need your operating system for is simple and streamlined entertainment, the classic big two operating system lines can be fine. If you’re into social media or getting involved in iGaming experiences like Slingo games online, for example, you won’t need anything more than Windows or iOS. Titles like Slingo Cash Eruption and Book of Slingo already work perfectly on even far more limited smartphones and tablets, so they play on mainstream computers similarly without issue.
The problems tend to start arising when you’re looking at more complicated software. Apple platforms, for all their advantages, are notoriously limited when it comes to in-depth customisation. While Microsoft has traditionally been better on this front, recent developments in Windows 11 continue to introduce bugs and slowdowns, and limit the customisation experience. Linux has neither of these issues, as a platform that holds user choice as an inseparable ideal for the OS as a whole.
Linux 7 won’t usurp the dominance held by iOS and Windows, but it will prove another step towards the viability of the OS in the public eye. If you’re frustrated by the issues of the other operating systems, it’s a platform worth exploring, especially as each version grows increasingly user-friendly. If nothing else, it might force the evolution of Apple’s and Microsoft’s product lines to avoid stagnation and better target user needs in the future.
