5 Reasons Why You Should Try Linux
Have you thought of using Linux as your operating system? If you are a beginner to Linux, this article is for you!
Linux operating systems are Unix like operating systems based on Linux Kernal. Linux got its name from Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux Kernal, and Unix (Linus+Unix).
I never felt that the naming issue was all that important, but I was obviously wrong, judging by how many people felt. I tell people to call it just plain Linux and nothing more. ~Linus Torvalds~
Here we briefly discuss five facts that will encourage you to try out Linux.
1. It’s free to use
Both desktop and server Linux operating systems are freely available on the web to download and use. Unlike Microsoft Windows and Apple macOS Operating systems, you do not need to purchase a license to use Linux operating systems. On the other hand, most of the Linux software is free to use under the GNU General Public License.
2. It’s secured and reliable
Linux is comparatively more secured than Windows operating systems. Traditional viruses that attack windows environments won’t execute in Linux systems since the difference in their environments. It doesn’t mean Linux systems are immune to viruses. There are about 40 viruses that can harm Linux systems, while there are more than 10,000 viruses for Windows. Linux servers are reliable in terms of their stability which does not require restarting for years. Linux developers are used to releasing updates regularly which makes it more stable and secured.
3. It’s fast
Linux is running on most of the world’s fastest supercomputers. Linux can boot up faster than Windows because of the design of its kernel. Linux has a monolithic kernel while Windows is having a microkernel. On the other hand, Linux outperforms Windows with its backward compatibility since it’s essential for the existence of Linux.
4. It’s having plenty of distros and software
There are almost 600 Linux distros available on the internet while 500 of them are in active development. Some of the Linux distros come with an essential set of software, making them ready to use just after installation. There are all necessary software like office packages (LibreOffice), image editing software (Gimp), email clients (Thunderbird), partition managers (Gparted), torrent clients (Transmission), web browsers (Firefox), IDEs (Atom), Music players (VLC), 3D animation (Blender) and much more are available for Linux.
5. It’s Open Source and has a large community support
One of the main advantages of Linux is its open-source nature. Which means the source code is available for everyone. Anyone willing to develop it can contribute. It’s fully customizable and perfect for programmers. There are lots of programmers in the community ready to support your Linux questions. So you will not need to hire an expert to find an answer. And the community is huge.
* Bonus
The Android operating system is also a modified version of Linux Kernal. So that you may already be a Linux user. If you are having a fear of testing a new OS on your computer, there are still ways to try it out without installing. You can install it in a virtual environment like installing inside VirtualBox. Distros such as Ubuntu allow you to try it out in a USB stick as a bootable device (Ubuntu live USB). You can see some of the popular Linux Distros here.
Linux is everywhere. Enjoy!
