2021 Linux Milestones: From Stallman's Return to Edge and Steam Deck

1. Richard Stallman Returns

In March 2019 the founder of the Free Software Foundation, Richard Stallman, resigned after controversial remarks, but at the LibrePlanet event he announced his return as a board member (not as chairman), provoking both support and opposition among developers and organizations.

2. Arch Linux Introduces an Installer Script

Arch Linux, traditionally installed via command line, now offers the archinstall script on newer ISO images, guiding users through a semi‑automated installation process.

3. Microsoft Edge Arrives on Linux

After more than a year of testing, the Chromium‑based Microsoft Edge browser reached a stable Linux release in 2021, giving Linux users another mainstream browser option and synchronization across platforms.

4. Rise of CentOS Alternatives

Red Hat’s shift from stable CentOS to rolling‑release CentOS Stream in 2020 prompted the emergence of Rocky Linux and AlmaLinux, both aiming to fill the gap left by traditional CentOS for enterprise users.

5. Steam Deck Launch

Valve released the handheld Steam Deck, which runs a custom SteamOS based on Arch Linux, signalling strong support for Linux‑based gaming on the desktop.

6. Anti‑Cheat Engine Officially Supports Linux

Epic Games added full Linux support to its Easy‑Anti‑Cheat service, improving compatibility for popular multiplayer titles such as Fortnite and Battlefield on Linux via Steam Play/Proton and Wine.

7. GNOME 40 Release

GNOME 40 introduced a major UI overhaul, including a horizontal three‑finger swipe layout, marking a significant departure from the previous GNOME 3 series.

8. Kernel 5.15 Adds Native NTFS Support

Linux kernel 5.15 includes a native NTFS driver, replacing the slower FUSE‑based NTFS‑3g solution and improving read/write performance on shared NTFS partitions.

9. Linux Turns 30

The Linux kernel celebrated its 30th anniversary in September 2021, marking three decades since Linus Torvalds announced the project as a hobby during his university studies.

10. Linus Tech Tips’ 30‑Day Linux Desktop Challenge

YouTuber Linus Sebastian documented a 30‑day experiment using Linux as his daily desktop, highlighting both successes and setbacks such as a failed Steam installation on Pop!_OS.

11. Linux on Apple M1 Macs

The Asahi Linux project made notable progress in 2021, enabling Linux to run on Apple’s ARM‑based M1 hardware, with improvements that will benefit other distributions.

12. Windows 11’s Indirect Impact on Linux

The release of Windows 11 may drive users of unsupported Windows 10 machines to consider Linux as an alternative, echoing past migrations after Windows XP’s end‑of‑life.