215th Linux discusion: Business side

Gwenall

Dear Native Instruments,

I love your products—but I'm stuck. Supporting only Windows (and macOS) is forcing users like me into tough budget decisions.
Here’s why Linux support is not just a technical request—it’s a smart business move:

• Windows 10 support ends in October 2025, and Windows 11 drops support for many older yet powerful CPUs. This will push users toward alternatives like Linux—creating a new potential market for Native Instruments.
• Budget-conscious users (like me) must choose: Do I upgrade my NI suite and buy new instruments—or buy a new PC just to run Windows 11? If NI supported Linux, I'd spend on your software, not hardware.
• Linux users are tech-savvy and proactive. We're eager to test, report bugs, and help improve software—essentially acting as a free QA team.
• Strong community culture. Even with an "as-is" Linux release, the community would share fixes, write guides, and support each other—reducing your support load.
• Linux isn't just an OS—it’s a collaborative model. Users are often willing to help for free, just to make great tools work.

This is a shift in computing—and a chance for NI to be ahead of the curve.
I hope you'll consider the many requests on the now 215 threads of discussions asking for a Linux support.

Sincerely,

DunedinDragon

It looks to me that you're making the same mistake the previous 215 requests didn't address in that none of your points describe the MARKET opportunity which drives the decision of whether to expand into the Linux world. Everything you've stated is about the benefits to having a Linux user community, but nothing that talks about how much it would increase the market share and presence of NI products in that community to offset the considerable costs to NI of the decision to do such a thing. That's actually the "Business Side".

Dubalab

It will be more useful to go mixxx and contribute there.

Why ask NI to develop for Linux when you can contribute to make mixxx more Traktor-like?

All of these benefits you described should be a winner bet and maybe mixxx isn't better than traktor ATM since they need more contributors…

Vocalpoint

"Everything you've stated is about the benefits to having a Linux user community, but nothing that talks about how much it would increase the market share and presence of NI products in that community to offset the considerable costs to NI of the decision to do such a thing"

Could not have said it better.

I too always seem to have a recurring (and very specific) thought cross my mind whenever I see the word "business" and "Linux" in the same sentence.

The Linux community has existed for decades largely built on a "freemium" model mentality where almost any flavor of the OS is available for free due to direct community involvement and paying for anything - from anyone - almost feels like a foreign concept.

But I do wonder - if a large commercial vendor like NI - DID invest in the right time , talent and resources to tackle Linux properly AND did a bang up job of it and then introduced say - an "retail" officially supported Linux version of Kontakt for $799.00 USD - just exactly how many Linux fans would be clawing their way to the front of the line for that?

Or does the Linux community just assume that a worldwide commercial vendor like NI would simply allow that community unrestricted access to their intellectual property so they can code this stuff with no guardrails, guidelines, process or procedure and then offer it for free to the world?

When it comes to "business" and "Linux" - the question is not - where is it? The real question is - who would actually pay for it?

VP

Gwenall

Thanks for the thoughtful critiques—those are valid questions and deserve a real answer, not just idealism.

Yes, it's true that many Linux users enjoy open-source software. But the idea that Linux users won’t pay for professional tools just doesn’t hold up anymore. If the value is there, we absolutely pay.

A few points to clarify:

• Linux gaming is now a real, paying market. Valve’s Steam Deck runs Linux (SteamOS), and Steam has invested heavily in Proton, a Windows compatibility layer. This isn’t charity—it’s business. As of 2024, over 10,000 games run on Linux through Steam, and many commercial developers are releasing native or tested-compatible Linux builds. The fact that major studios are prioritizing Linux support highlights a growing and viable customer base.
  
• Big-name creative tools support Linux because there’s professional demand. Companies like Blackmagic Design (DaVinci Resolve) and Epic Games (Unreal Engine) provide Linux-compatible software not out of goodwill, but because professionals on Linux are willing to pay for high-quality tools that meet their needs.
  
• Market opportunity? It’s growing. With Microsoft tightening hardware requirements and macOS restricting freedom and customization, Linux adoption is rising—especially among creatives, developers, and power users. Native Instruments could be early in, establish goodwill, and win loyalty from a niche but committed segment.
  
• Would I pay $799 for Kontakt on Linux? I’ve already spent twice that on Native Instruments products over the years. Price isn’t the issue. What Linux users resist is the aberration of maintaining an entire operating system just to keep using the tools we love. If you offer the same powerful, reliable experience on Linux, we’ll gladly pay—just like we already have. It’s not about money. It’s about choice, sustainability, and respect for your loyal user base.

Finally, @Dubalab, thank you for the suggestion—It’s a fantastic open-source project and a real gift to the DJ community. I deeply respect what it stands for, and it’s great to see people promoting alternatives that work natively on Linux.

That said, Native Instruments’ core strength lies in its VST instruments and effects—like Kontakt, Massive, and Reaktor—not just DJ software. While Mixxx supports VST plugins under Linux, getting commercial VSTi instruments like those from NI to work reliably (via Wine or wrappers) is often a frustrating and fragile process. It takes away from what should be a fluid creative experience. Even integrating them into something like Mixxx or another DAW becomes a chore rather than an inspiration.

So while I fully support contributing to great projects like Mixxx, I believe there’s still real value in asking Native Instruments to make their tools natively available on Linux. Not out of entitlement—but because many of us are willing to pay for the same reliable, high-quality experience we’ve come to love, just on a platform we’re increasingly being pushed toward.

And more than that—tech-savvy Linux users like myself are often eager to help. Even though I’ve already paid for NI products, I’d gladly invest time and energy to support a native Linux version—not to complain, but to collaborate. That’s something unique about the Linux community: we’re not just end-users, we’re often contributors, happy to help pave the road for better support.

Linux support doesn’t need to start big. Even a limited, paid, “as-is” release would go a long way to show that we’re not invisible—and that Native Instruments is open to meeting its users where they are.

Vocalpoint

"Linux support doesn’t need to start big. "

Unfortunately - my opinion would be there is no option to not "start big" - because it WILL need to start big whether you want to accept that or not.

At the scale NI operates and IF the effort to actually do this right was mandated - you would need 50,000—100,000+ users ready, willing and able to pay $799.00 for Kontakt. Or $599.99 for Massive X or $3999.00 for a Linux Komplete.

"Price isn’t the issue"

It is easy to say you are willing to pay. The real trick is finding the other 99,999 who will too. Trust me - if a single copy of Kontakt was $799.00 USD - price WILL be an issue.

Without that large (guaranteed) user base - that is willing to pay real money - year after year, version after version like all us Windows and Mac users happily do - unfortunately that is why this remains a non-starter.

VP

DunedinDragon

There's no doubt Linux has found some monetary traction in certain areas such as web and some other specialized servers and games, but as @Vocalpoint mentions, I'm not aware of any market leading desktop personal software that has built a successful per-incident licensing model. Of course I've been away from this market for a long time so it's possible things have changed, but I have my doubts.

The very nature of the Linux marketplace has been built on customers willing to learn what pieces to use and how to get the software configured and running on a specific Linux setup. That all still harkens back to the old Unix BSD versus System V days and we all know where that market went. When you consider how many users struggle with just the complexity of working with VSTs and getting audio drivers to work on Mac and Windows as is evidenced in these pages day after day, that doesn't seem to me to be a very likely audience for adopting Linux.

Matthew_NI

We do use Linux, in very specific ways.

The OS of our hardware products, is a Linux based OS, for example.

But supporting Linux for our software products is an order of magnitude different.

As of now, the cost not just to implement up front, but then support and maintain moving forward, outweighs the likely return.

It would widen the test matrix dramatically, and all subsequent developments would take longer at a time when we're seeking to speed up (in response to valid criticism).

With regards to Microsoft dropping support for Windows 10; I suspect what we'll see is similar to that which we've seen with macOS 13/14/15 and Apple Silicon. Specifically, a dramatic shift (much faster than anticipated) away from macOS 12 and Intel. It's likely that users will upgrade software and hardware to stay current, or that users have been holding off and preparing for the day they knew would come.

We will have to consider how we handle it, either way. When a manufacturer drops support for an OS it becomes harder for us to support it. We recently moved away from macOS 12 for similar reasons. But no decisions have been made yet, and in any case I speak only for Kontakt, and not for the plethora of products at Native/iZotope/Plug-in Alliance/Brainworx.

foez

I think that given the current situation, with the only option being American computer systems, we should at least have a Linux compatible alternative. There are already many tools available and you could use them. So you don't have to reinvent the wheel as a company. Many of us have invested in your software but would love to switch to Linux.

Matthew_NI

We would in fact have to reinvent a huge number of wheels, and then commit to continuing to support and maintain them, an effort for which it isn't clear the return would justify.

foez

Windows emulation within Linux is well represented these days and is also supported by professional companies. The nice thing about it is that it is often at least as stable as Windows itself. Old versions of Kontakt run fine on it. Unfortunately, things often go wrong with newer versions. I think there is something to be gained in this direction, but those are just my thoughts.I am actually surprised that there is no hardware available on which you can load the Kontakt libraries. Because then the OS is not important and you need much less support. But I understand that these are choices that you have to make as a company. And that also applies to Linux users. Thanks for answering.

JesterMgee

Honestly, if NI felt they could make a cash grab they would support Linux. NI have zero interest in actually making things for users happiness, they are in the business off making money (like all businesses) and if the demographic won't make enough money, doesn't matter how much value you see personally, the market just isn't there and therefore neither is innovation or desire.

Gwenall

Thanks, @Matthew_NI, for taking the time to explain NI’s position on Linux support — it's genuinely appreciated to get clear, transparent reasoning straight from the team.

And thank you, @foez, I'd like to echo and build on this idea: while full native Linux support understandably involves significant engineering effort, supporting the Wine compatibility layer may be a more feasible intermediate path.

Many modern and resource-heavy Windows video games now run well on Linux thanks to tools like Wine/Proton, which have come a long way. They translate Windows system calls into POSIX-compliant equivalents, often with surprising efficiency.

From my own testing:

• Native Access 1.14 runs on Linux with Wine.
• However, Native Access 2 and Kontakt 7 currently don’t function reliably.

What could be incredibly helpful for both sides:

• Even modest codebase tweaks or build flags to improve Wine behavior (without fully targeting Linux),
• Being mindfull of not blocking Wine; e.g., through anti-debug/obfuscation mechanisms.

This way, Native Instrument could remain fully focused on Windows and macOS — but empower the Linux community to maintain compatibility through Wine, much like Valve does with Steam on Linux.

Such an approach could:

• Open up Native Instrument tool suite to Linux users without fully native support costs,
• Let enthusiasts do the testing and documentation work.
• Build goodwill in the community and maybe even attract a broader technical user base.

I understand resources are finite and priorities are real — but Wine compatibility is a potential win-win, keeping the platform Windows-only on NI’s end, while enabling broader use on the community.

Dubalab

Good luck.

nobadmojo

I am very much with the OP. I have Windows 10 on one Workstation and Linux Kubuntu on the other workstation. The only thing I use the Windows machine for is for music because Kontakt instruments wont run in Linux. I actually just updated my Win10 workstation that Windows says is not eligible for upgrade to Windows 11. Everything just works better in the Linux machine and it is by far the older machine.

I have Bitwig and Studio One in both machines. They both run native Linux installations. My Audio interface works in both machines. Both my Novation Launchpad and Nektar Panorama keyboard have Linux scripts. Used to have a S61mk1 keyboard that I sold because NI quit supporting this really nice machine. Bitwig and Studio One can freely exchange projects, and etc

but……..

Cant run anything from NI in Linux….and I made the mistake of buying several Kontakt instruments…most of which are forever stuck on Version 1 as though they emerged from the womb perfectly.

fact is that NI stuff may be too rife with ancient kludge to port over to Linux and NI is like Microsoft in that they really don't care much about their customers..everything is just a money grab…just find more ways to chop up samples and come up with 'new' instruments that never get improvements made to them. They are forever stuck on Version 1

So right now I am gonna look around for replacements to the Kontakt instruments I have…it is such a better experience running in the Linux environment. It isn't a good feeling to be stuck in Windows because of NI..I;m sorry I ever got involved..they just don't give a rip