Why I Switched To Linux And Why You Should Too
Switching to Linux is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
In this story, I will talk about why I switched to Linux and why you should do the same.
Let’s start!
What is Linux?
Linux is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution.
- Wikipedia
Basically, just like Windows and macOS, Linux is an operating system.
In fact, one of the most popular platforms on the planet, Android, is powered by the Linux operating system.
Linux Distrubions (Distros)
Linux isn’t like Windows or Mac OS X.
For example, Microsoft combines all the bits of Windows internally to produce each new release of Windows and distributes it as a single package. If you want Windows, you’ll need to choose one of the versions Microsoft is offering.
Linux works differently. The Linux operating system isn’t produced by a single organization. Different organizations and people work on different parts. There’s the Linux kernel (the core of the operating system), the GNU shell utilities (the terminal interface and many of the commands you use), the X server (which produces a graphical desktop), the desktop environment (which runs on the X server to provide a graphical desktop), and more.
Why are so many distributions?
Because they all have different pros and cons! For example, if you want to feel the Linux, but still don’t want to go too technical, you can choose Ubuntu or Ubuntu-based distros like Pop!_OS.
Or if you want to go really technical and want to control every little package in your system, you can use Arch or any Arch-based distro like Garuda.
There are of course more distros out there, but I won’t be explaining them all here since it would take forever.
What distro am I using?
Right now, I use Pop!_OS. Mostly because I want to get used to Linux and just want a fast and easy solution.
Pop!_OS is based on Ubuntu. It’s literally Ubuntu but with some extra features and less performance problems.
Why did I switch from Windows to Linux?
Because it’s cool. Just kidding.
I switched to Linux mostly because of the customization and performance.
Most of the Linux distros are highly customizable. You can change everything you see if you know how to do it.
Also, Linux is very small and performant, meaning that you can run it on your grandma’s laptop with no problem at all.
My system is high-end, but still. Linux performs a lot better than Windows and I sometimes even get better performance in games.
Should you switch to Linux?
Absolutely.
See, you don’t have to switch to Linux fully. You can just run it on a Virtual Machine, or dual-boot to just try it out. I just went all-in and removed my old OS., but you of course don’t have to do it like me.
In my opinion, everyone should have tried out Linux at least once. Trust me, switching to Linux is pretty fast and easy. It’s even easier than switching to Windows or Mac.
A few days ago, I switched 3 distros in 2 hours without losing any data. Crazy right?
Programming on Linux
This is the best part of Linux.
Programming on Linux is awesome. You can install any tool you need using a few commands. For example, I installed Elixir and Erlang in less than a minute.
The same process took more than 10 minutes on Windows.
You can also navigate between many different files pretty fast using the terminal.
In general, when using Linux for technical reasons, you will find yourself spending a lot of time using the terminal. Just how it should be.
Gaming on Linux
Believe me or not, but gaming on Linux is actually good. It’s of course not as good as Windows, but it's getting better every day.
I personally managed to run 90% of the games I play with no problem at all.
Linux gaming is an important topic in the Linux community, and as I said, it's getting better every day.
I really think that gaming on Linux will become as good as Windows very soon.
Pros of Linux
Now let’s see an actual list of pros of using Linux. The pros list is pretty long, which I think is pretty good, haha.
1. Open Source
As it is open-source, its source code is easily available. Anyone having programming knowledge can customize the operating system. One can contribute, modify, distribute, and enhance the code for any purpose.
2. Security
The Linux security feature is the main reason that it is the most favorable option for developers. It is not completely safe, but it is less vulnerable than others. Each application needs to authorize by the admin user. The virus is not executed until the administrator provides the access password. Linux systems do not require any antivirus program.
3. Free
Certainly, the biggest advantage of the Linux system is that it is free to use. We can easily download it, and there is no need to buy the license for it. It is distributed under GNU GPL (General Public License). Comparatively, we have to pay a huge amount for the license of the other operating systems.
4. Lightweight
Linux is lightweight. The requirements for running Linux are much less than other operating systems. In Linux, the memory footprint and disk space are also lower. Generally, most of the Linux distributions required as little as 128MB of RAM around the same amount for disk space.
5. Stability
Linux is more stable than other operating systems. Linux does not require rebooting the system to maintain performance levels. It rarely hangs up or slows down. It has big up-times.
6. Performance
Linux system provides high performance over different networks. It is capable of handling a large number of users simultaneously.
7. Flexibility
Linux operating system is very flexible. It can be used for desktop applications, embedded systems, and server applications too. It also provides various restriction options for specific computers. We can install only the necessary components for a system.
8. Software Updates
In Linux, the software updates are in user control. We can select the required updates. There a large number of system updates are available. These updates are much faster than other operating systems. So, the system updates can be installed easily without facing any issues.
9. Distributions/ Distros
There are many Linux distributions available in the market. It provides various options and flavors of Linux to the users. We can choose any distros according to our needs. Some popular distros are Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian, Linux Mint, Arch Linux, and many more.
For beginners, Ubuntu and Linux Mint would be useful and, Debian and Fedora would be good choices for proficient programmers.
10. Live CD/USB
Almost all Linux distributions have a Live CD/USB option. It allows us to try or run the Linux operating system without installing it.
11. Graphical User Interface
Linux is a command-line-based OS but, it provides an interactive user interface like Windows.
12. Suitable for programmers
It supports almost all of the most used programming languages such as C/C++, Java, Python, Ruby, and more. Further, it offers a vast range of useful applications for development.
The programmers prefer the Linux terminal over the Windows command line. The package manager on the Linux system helps programmers to understand how things are done. Bash scripting is also a functional feature for programmers. It also provides support for SSH, which helps in managing the servers quickly.
13. Community Support
Linux provides large community support. We can find support from various sources. There are many forums available on the web to assist users. Further, developers from the various open-source communities are ready to help us.
14. Privacy
Linux always takes care of user privacy as it never takes private data from the user. Comparatively, other operating systems ask for the user’s private data.
15. Networking
Linux facilitates powerful support for networking. The client-server systems can be easily set to a Linux system. It provides various command-line tools such as ssh, ip, mail, telnet, and more for connectivity with the other systems and servers. Tasks such as network backup are much faster than others.
16. Compatibility
Linux is compatible with a large number of file formats as it supports almost all file formats.
17. Installation
Linux installation process takes less time than other operating systems such as Windows. Further, its installation process is much easy as it requires less user input. It does not require much more system configuration even it can be easily installed on old machines having less configuration.
18. Multiple Desktop Support
Linux system provides multiple desktop environment support for its enhanced use. The desktop environment option can be selected during installation. We can select any desktop environment such as GNOME (GNU Network Object Model Environment) or KDE (K Desktop Environment) as both have their specific environment.
19. Multitasking
It is a multitasking operating system as it can run multiple tasks simultaneously without affecting the system speed.
20. Heavily Documented for beginners
There are many command-line options that provide documentation on commands, libraries, standards such as manual pages and info pages. Also, there are plenty of documents available on the internet in different formats, such as Linux tutorials, Linux documentation project, Serverfault, and more. To help beginners, several communities are available such as Ask Ubuntu, Reddit, and StackOverflow.
Cons of Linux
Now let’s see an actual list of cons of using Linux. The cons list is short compared to the pros list, which again is pretty good.
1. Gaming is still not perfect
Gaming on Linux is an interesting topic. But it’s still not ready.
2. Hardware support
Linux hardware support is pretty good, but not perfect. You might have trouble with your hardware.
3. Apps don’t always work perfectly
Some apps might cause some trouble on Linux depending on your distro.
Final Thoughts
I tried to explain the pros and cons of Linux without being too biased. I hope this story helped you and you’ve learned something new today.
Let me know if you decided to switch to Linux!
And that’s it. Thanks for reading this story!
If you liked the story, make sure to let us know in the comments, and feel free to ask me anything you want.
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