This is new, it wasn't like that last year. But this year? People who have SteamDeck, saw it works, and then went and installed Linux on their own devices.
All else being equal I do prefer the F/LOSS alternative - and even pay extra for it - but I am not against paying for an obviously-superior proprietary alternative. The real question has always been "Do the F/LOSS alternatives to this proprietary Windows-only software suck badly enough that dual-booting the nightmare that is Windows is the lesser evil?", and in a lot of cases my conclusion has been that the preferred option is to... not use any version.
To give a concrete example: FreeCAD is basically unusable, and Fusion 360 is the obviously-superior proprietary alternative which doesn't run on Linux. Do I want to design my own 3D-printable parts badly enough to deal with Windows so that I can use Fusion 360? Ehhh, I think I'll just stick to mostly printing ready-made assemblies I download off the internet. Would I pay €10 / month for a hobbyists Linux version of Fusion 360 (which is free for Windows and macOS)? Heck yeah, zero doubt!
> I have no meaningful influence over the products I buy in the supermarket
I have talked to staff at small markets to stock items that give me reason to shop there more often. It is amazing what people will do for regulars.
> or my apartment building's elevator programming
Hacked elevators many times. You can buy elevator operator keys for most cities on ebay. Look for pentesters keychains.
> or the entertainment cluster of modern cars.
I have jailbroken or replaced systems like these more times than I can count.
> FreeCAD is basically unusable
I use FreeCAD to make things all the time, and it is easy to hook up automation tools and scripts to. It has come a very long way in the past couple of years.