What's inside
Four ways to read the market
Each section stands alone. Skim the one you care about.
01 · Market & money →
How big the Linux desktop software business actually is, the distro-vs-Flatpak channel split, and the real revenue numbers projects have disclosed.
02 · What's shipping →
The categories with the most durable demand, the top Flathub downloads, and the apps people recommend again and again.
03 · The projects →
The teams behind the apps — from foundations and distros to a long tail of beloved volunteer and indie shops — with links and what makes each recognizable.
04 · Resources →
The GitHub lists, the r/linux community, and the curated directories worth bookmarking if you build for Linux.
The one-line takeaway: Linux desktop software is a small but fiercely loyal niche — most apps are free and open source, paid revenue flows through direct sales and cross-platform tools, and Flatpak plus Proton have finally made "just works on Linux" a realistic bar.