The article stated:

By coincidence? Maybe, maybe not.

One of the 'newbies,' Otto, from Costa Rica,to the LQ forum switched from Microsoft to Linux / Ubuntu and gave the reason as, 'due to the Pandemic.'

Well the amount of people on the forums here is quite large since the last few times I came asking for help.

I would guess that Microsoft's reputation sank even more due to philanthropic efforts by Gates.

My adventure with Linux that started due to intent of avoiding Windows 10 is going great so far. There are too many good points Linux has over Windows that I would have to spend quite some time typing it all out - now that I am to certain extent comfortable using it as a main OS. And in regards to games and few other programs, Wine does the job and virtual machines complete any tasks that Wine can't handle.

No need to turn on Windows anymore. Cool stuff.

Linux and open source developers are amazing people. If any of them runs into this post - thank you very much and may all the best come your way

There probably would be at least some truth in the argument that more people are downloading Linux distro's (like Ubuntu) because a lot of people have lost their jobs, and want to extend the useful life of their machine(s) and don't have the money to buy Windows licenses. But it's also true that if you buy a new PC, chances are, Windows will be pre-installed on it, and depending on the country (particularly countries outside of Europe), it's likely the population at large knows little to nothing about Linux, or that it even exists in the first place. So it's hard to move to a system you don't know even exists to begin with, and aren't even looking for to begin with. Particularly since a lot of the major PC manufacturers that do actually offer Linux pre-installed would only do it if you explicitly asked for Linux, or only on particular lines. At the end of the day, most people don't care about the operating system, as long as their machine does what they want it do (so why are they going to care about what OS is pre-installed by the manufacturer in that case?).

So I'm with cynwulf in post #4, it doesn't mean "the year of the Linux desktop" is just around the corner, or even just on the horizon. Personally I don't care if it ever comes or not, as I don't use Linux "because it's cool". I like the freedom and flexibility it gives, and Windows will never be able to give me what Linux does. And I like being "different" to the "average joe", as I have no interest in being just another sheep...

So is it worth switching from Linux to Windows?

I think people just buy computer with system installed on it. If what author claim would be true then in shop would stay side by side computers with Windows and Ubuntu. So a buyer has a choice. I think that a more realistic scenario would be that Microsoft will buy Canonical.

Edit: In business terms questions is how long Microsoft will tolerate us?

I hear people who like to praise Apple as if they're godsend repeat that. I don't believe it. I worked in a help desk where people had problems with their Macs and Apple devices just like people did with PCs/Androids. This also leaves out the fact that people have to learn how to use MacOS. Nobody is born knowing how to use all GUIs despite Apple's seemingly tender affection for their UI/UX—which btw, Linux can also emulate.

Without actually using it, one will never know. I can readily say that having the right distro in use will enable anyone to use their system just as easily as they think Macs are. As for power settings and the like, it's the same no matter what OS you have. I've seen it.

Purism's PureOS already caters to real, legitimate privacy features embedded into their distro that IMO, surpass anything Apple claims to provide. And obviously, beats anything Google can mutter up. There's a guy in Ubuntu that's also trying to come up with an Ubuntu variant that specifically works on Chromebooks. I am now the one who is optimistic.

I have little faith in Apple and their practices much like I do with Google. Linux works and it proves its worth by being more than just functional—it's respectful.

I wonder if macOS will see a raise now that M1 laptops are miles above any ultra portable or 13" laptop.

It's hard to justify buying anything in small form factor when MacBook Air is $999, faster than anything in 13" category, fanless, doesn't get hot even in long semi-demanding tasks and battery lasts 18 hours lol.

Windows is probably great. Can't tell, I do not use it. Two big issues with it I'm aware of, both serious enough to drop the idea.
First, security. If operating systems were to have certified as vehicles do before they are allowed to the public highways then Windows would not be allowed to be connected to the internet. The damage Windows pwned computers do is huge. And nowadays with fast internet connections people do not notice their computer is hijacked. My computer is clean, they say. Clean my foot.
Second, privacy. There is no need to read the whole privacy statement that comes with Windows, just start reading it and you'll see soon it is not acceptable.

i bought i7 1 month before M1 premiere. ok guys thank you i will try

I still recall having to meet with one of the UNIX admins at the University I was working at so he could judge whether it would be okay to let my little ALR 386/2 running Coherent connect to the systems he managed so I could send/receive email as a uucp leaf node (saved me a bundle on long distance dial-up charges). Then America Online came along and it was a free-for-all with "Make Money Fast" and the "Cantor/Seigel Green Card" spam. At least back then, Windows systems had to connect via dial-in so they couldn't do quite as much damage.

So - an OS with 80%+ market share which has users who can't wait to double click on not_a_virus.exe and grant admin privileges shouldn't be allowed on the internet, but OS which leaked it's memory for 2 years if you accessed webpages through https is somehow allowed? More over, if Linux had even 20% market share, there will be people who would gladly run sudo not_a_virus.sh.

I disagree with you on this and actually think it's a very stupid point of view.