ChromeOS put Linux on the desktop and no one noticed.
That's not really "Linux on the desktop" as its advocates imagine it. For most ChromeOS users, the Linux-y parts like the shell and the GNU toolchain are largely restricted.
Not to be overly pedantic but the "shell" and "GNU toolchain" are literally not Linux.
You're right, and I didn't mean to imply those things comprise Linux. They are, however, what most people are talking about when they say they "use Linux". GNU + Linux comprise the "desktop Linux" platform.
Well, were you expecting "Linux on the desktop" to be a giant terminal shell? Of course it was going to hide all the Linux-y stuff. That's what desktop UIs are for. Windows is "DOS on the desktop" and OS X is "BSD on the desktop".
I don't expect a giant terminal shell but I do expect the GNU corelibs, shell utilities and other open source parts of the Linux ecosystem such as systemd and X11/Wayland. The kernel itself isn't the only part of "desktop Linux" in the sense that many people refer to it in.
*Year of Linux running inside pico-processes on top of the NT kernel.
Since POTUS tweets using an Android device in the Oval Office, we can at least say 2017 is the year of Linux on the top desk.
Does Trump still use an Android as POTUS? Any info on what make, OS?
I believe it is a Samsung Galaxy 2. A quick search yielded: