Introduction
A lot of people love Linux due to its ease of use, great compatibility with almost any hardware and because it's free and open-source!
Linux is not only powering almost 90% of all cloud infrastructure but more people decide to use Linux over Windows or macOS to power their desktop setups or laptops.
If you're a developer or system administrator there are a lot of tools that you can find handy and when it comes to multitasking you can customize the distro of your choice to match your exact needs.
There are a lot of reasons why you should choose Linux and I will try to list some of them and explain why Linux can be the perfect platform for you.
- Linux is free and it's open-source
- It's secure.
- Offers great customization
- There are a lot of distributions that you can use
- It's reliable
- It's user friendly (although sometimes it can be very picky about who its friends are)
Usage
There are a lot of ways to use Linux or take advantage of its powerful features. You can have any Linux distro like Ubuntu and you can also have it as a dual boot setup with your Windows OS as well. If you like the terminal you can also configure Linux as a subsystem on your Windows 10 PC. The Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL2) is a Windows 10 feature that enables you to run native Linux command-line tools directly on Windows.
You can find more information about WSL2 here:
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install-win10
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/wsl2-faq
You can run Linux in a VirtualBox or any other virtualization software solution that you prefer as well. In this way, you can quickly spin up a new instance of Linux when this is needed for testing or to have a development environment before pushing code to production.
Why you should use it?
I believe that Linux offers a lot of features and tools that can speed up your daily tasks and also improve your skills while doing so. You can easily install it on almost any hardware including old desktop computers or even on single board computers like the Raspberry Pi. Additionally, Linux has all the applications that you're most probably using right now with your current OS so you're more than welcome to give it a try.
Conclusion
I would like to know if you're using Linux (feel free to share which distro) and why you've chosen to use it. When was the first time you've used any Linux distro and how Linux helps you to complete your daily tasks and long-term projects? Also let me know if you're using WSL2, running Linux as a virtual machine, dual-boot or just using Linux on your PC or laptop.
That's all folks
Support
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Top comments (120)
Making Mars the second planet with more computers running Linux than Windows.
:D
Yes,
I use arch btwGentoooooooo
I also tried gentoo for a while, I liked it but I couldn't stand waiting for programs to emerge because I only had one laptop.
I have been planing to give it a try for a long time!
Can you share your experience with it?
epsi-rns.github.io/system/2019/01/...
And this is also done in Gentoo.
epsi-rns.github.io/desktop/2018/08...
It looks pretty good!
Well that's not true: we've only got like 2% market share of personal machines.
gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share...
But for me, gosh. I've got 2 Linux laptops. Ones just hooked into my TV (ever run i3wm on a 65in TV?)
The other is used for development. Both run a Debian derivative. I run a personal server at home off of ubuntu (honestly just for configuration consistently with my other machines)
Then a couple Pi's sitting around doing menial tasks for me..
Thanks for sharing! I have my raspberry connected to my TV. The reason is my TV is not smart and I use the raspberry with Kodi and using it to Mirror my phone screen to easily watch some youtube videos or watch movies whenever I have time to do so.
I was like ... eh ... what, that isn't true too when I read that. But I just recently realized there is no editorial process on dev.to so anyone can post any statement without facts backing it up, so here we go 🤠 I remember starting to hear about how next year might be The Year of Linux on the Desktop, winning normal folks over, way back in 2000. People (magazines, really) started shutting up about it before 2010 realising that this never materialized and never will. The closest Linux has been to being deployed on every desktop computer is ironically Windows and the WSL. Quite the irony in the end 😁 I started using Linux in 1999 (RH6) to free me from the shackles of the buggy Windows 98 SE. I never stopped using Linux, but two decades later I have gone full circle and I am now back on Windows to get away from the buggy GUI software on Linux 😂 Still mainly running all my tooling in the WSL2, of course ❤️
I believe that people should take advantage of both Linux and Windows if they can speed up their daily tasks or to create more content and use any software that is not available for Linux or Windows. Generally speaking, people should not choose to give up on any of both but maybe learn how to not to fully depend on any of them.
I hope that the number of people will increase in time! People are having fun and they really enjoy using Linux! I have so many friends that were so negative about Linux, but when I showed them how easy is to use it and that most of the apps they use are also available in Linux at least they changed their mind about Linux!
That's not my experience! Lol my friends either already are into it, or were like "oh no, that's that system for computer geniuses" and refuse to give it a chance.
But that's really cool you got some of your friends to at least check it out!
I hope they didn't lie to me just so I can stop showing them how cool Linux is! :D
I asked my partner to try out Linux on her new desktop, and if she doesn't like it. I will just install windows for her.
Thus far she managed to do all tasks she normally would.
That is great! I really hope she finds Linux user friendly! As mentioned in the post Linus it's user friendly (although sometimes it can be very picky about who its friends are) :D
Sounds like my kind of setup! I dual boot my main PC with Windows 10 and Arch, and use Ubuntu via WSL on the Windows side. What sort of menial tasks are you automating with the Pis?
So one of them is hooked up to my 3d printer as a receiver so I don't have to keep popping an sd card in and out of both my computer and my printer.
This may seem controversial, but I like Ubuntu because it WORKS. I started learning dev on Win10, but the buffering and loading drove me insane. I thought my computer may be slower, so I tried out Ubuntu and everything worked quickly. Yes, there is a learning curve. Yes, you have to be willing to learn more about what you're doing. But the effort has paid off, esp when I started learning/working with servers.
After I got enough bills paid to finally buy a new computer, I started working windows again, as surely my new machine would handle it with ease...
And it still freezes all the time...
Also, "wsl is an abomination" so something someone said to me a while back, and I am inclined to agree.
Virtually every (or mostly) non-consumer computers run some sort of Linux (or BSD) like operating system on servers, supercomputers, voice assistants, rocket ships, you name it but it depends on how you define what a Linux operating system is. Is it an operating system with the Linux Kernel or Linux and Free (GNU) software? Could you define Android as a Linux operating system because it uses the Linux Kernel.
Could I define Android as running Linux? Yes. If it runs the Linux kernel it's a Linux machine. What diese would it be?
What about if you run the Linux kernel on Windows? Or you swap the Linux kernel for a BSD kernel in an Linux operating system? This is why officially, you would say GNU Linux and not just Linux. GNU tools are a part of the GNU Linux package otherwise Linux would just mean a boring free kernel made by some Sweden college student. It’s also the ecosystem and other things that make it GNU Linux.
Finnish. Linus Torvalds is a Finn from Finland. But yeah, GNU/Linux.
May I ask if Linus Torvalds is being recognized (in Finland) as one of the people that have made Finland popular? Accept my apologies if you're not Finn the same as Linus.
No idea. I'm Norwegian :)
That is a valid point. If you think about it Linux powers basically everything around us. Also, some ATMs use Linux, I've seen a lot of them booting with the Windows 7 screen but still, Linux is also helping.
Once I learned Linux, I couldn't go back to Windows not matter how hard I tried because it was too uncomfortable and limiting for me to use it the way i used linux, it just didnt click the same way linux did.
That's the same way I feel after trying Linux for some time. I just love it!
EVERYTHING can be done with some commands and EVERYTHING can be customized to the SOURCE! I just cant stand having to install things manually anymore or have to deal with a laggy and heavy interface because i can literally just change MY WHOLE DESKTOP INTERFACE with some commands! I dont like something? I just change it!
MacOS is also veeery damn nice, but i still cant stop using Linux all the time, it's just amazing
I agree with you! It's just once you try Linux you get to understand that you really enjoy being able to customize your environment, especially via the command line. I agree that macOS is also really good, once you get used to the different keyboard layout, scrolling and shortcut commands of course.
Linux is that one kind of thing that looks horribly intimidating at the first time, but once you learn it, it can be extremely simple to use.
I agree with you. I remember my first experience with it was using Linux Mint and I spent several minutes doing some random stuff at work, before realising it was not Windows :D
My first time was with lubuntu, it looked weird and did weird things but it was EXCESSIVELY FAST, i started reading and reading more about it and turned out i became a fan of it, started exploring the linux world and tried a thousand distros and desktops and when i tried windows 10 back, my disgust was inmeassurable, everything was so broken and weird and unstable and it suddenly became a pain to use, now i only use Void Linux (Musl edition) with open source software exclusively and not because i am a FOSS purist but because it's just better for my needs!
It does feel weird when you get to use it for the first time, but with time you understand why so many people use it and why so many companies rely on it. I've tried a lot of distros, for example, a few weeks ago I bought a new laptop for my niece and it came with pre-installed OpenSuse and I feel bad I needed to replace it with Windows but I spent some time browsing around before going forward.
I've gone back and forth between Linux and Windows for years. Mostly because I enjoy working in linux, but my professional life has often demanded I use Windows for specific software.
I'm now at a place where I can be more free with my tech decisions and after several disastrous Windows updates that caused me to lose several days worth of work I finally decided that I was just going to switch over full-time to linux.
I spend 99.9% of my time in Linux now and it's the happiest I've ever been. I keep a laptop with windows on-hand for the times I need it. I'll just boot it up, connect over VNC and do whatever windows stuff needs to happen.
No one else knows how to use my computer because I've customized the hell out of it, but the ability to easily adjust things to meet my needs and the comfort that comes with knowing the next system update isn't likely to wipe out my network or announce itself with a BSOD while I'm in the middle of a meeting.
This sounds so like me! I also keep my Windows laptop just in case I need something out of it. I'm also planning to move the Windows OS to an Intel NUC and then install Linux on the laptop as well, perhaps a distro I haven't tried!
I've thought about going the NUC route, but I have a laptop that's not in use much and it's got some pretty decent specs so my boss and I decided not to spend the money.
I've stuck with Ubuntu so far only because it's so ubiquitous that I can hunt down information on any topic easily and its what I know and since I'm using it as my daily driver for work, consistency and stability are all I need from my distro. The bells and whistles don't matter too much to me because it can all be customized regardless of the distro.
I've been doing some work with raspberry pis and I've been thinking about exploring different distros there. It's always fun to keep exploring.
I agree that the NUC will require some extra cash to spend. I also enjoy the fact that you can easily access any information about Ubuntu and if you run into an issue this is already been discussed, troubleshoot and resolved in the community as well.
I have an old (2005ish) laptop running puppy linux out of a usb stick as a side project...
Oh, and I run Ubuntu on my tablet...
That's really cool! Can you share more info about your experience with the tablet after you switched to use Ubuntu on it?
I didn't entirely switch to Ubuntu, as I prefer Android on my tablet, but yeah, installing Ubuntu is a kinda cool weekend project.
I actually installed Ubuntu within a Terminal Emulator and used the Bash terminal for installing a vnc sever (TigerVNC in this instance). I then installed a vnc client on android and used it to actually interact with the GUI. So far I got not-terrible performance. I managed to install LibreOffice and Firefox. I am planning to try Visual Studio Code for ARM soon, too...
Trust me, it isn't exactly a productivity workhorse or anything. It's good for show-offs and bragging rights, you know...
Thanks for sharing more details about it! I would love to try Ubuntu on a tablet or phone for a few days and have fun with it!
Sure! Go for it!
Yes! I'm a big Linux fan, I use it everywhere. In my full-time job, for my side projects, for my personal laptop, and on my raspberries!
Thanks for joining the discussion, Bobby! I can say that I'm using it everywhere I can. At the moment all of my laptops are running Linux (I also have raspberry).
I love Linux, the community is so kind compared to the Windows community.
Lol that depends. Ubuntu community? Pretty friendly. Arch community? Pretty toxic.
There are always some negative or even toxic people, we can't escape this, but compared to the Windows community (more often because there is lack of response when you seek for a solution) it seems to be a lot better experience.
That is so true! This is probably one of the key points on why you should try Linux! When you install it you join an awesome community that is always there to help you out!
Yes I am using Linux(currently Fedora). I have chosen it for checking compatibility of my software(as I have tested on Manjaro and Ubuntu), I use Fedora in WSL2(rootfs) and as well as in a VM. The first distro I ever tried to install(but failed) was Lubuntu!
Thanks for sharing this with us. I never personally tried Fedora but with the recent CentOS news I read a lot about it and why people use it in the first place.
If you are a type of person who likes somewhat stability (like that of Ubuntu) and cutting edge (like sort of Manjaro!)then you must try it, it's just awesome!
A lot of people recommend Manjaro and it seems like it's definitely worth trying it
As of beginning last year I run fully on Linux. The last PC to switch was my desktop. Which I used for gaming. I just got tired of the windows updates, and data lost I've had because of windows updates.
Do you still like gaming and if so do you just use a console? At the moment my Windows PC is way too old to run any new games, but I can still run some cool and old games whenever my nephews are here.
I was 14 when I first started using linux. That's 19 years ago now. Ubuntu 4.10 when it was green in the gills. Spent several late night learning the command line, pushing proprietary graphics drivers... When X showed the desktop finally in all it's glory, I was hooked. It was my first PC I built with my cousin's help. I don't even remember the hardware. My next rig was an opteron 165 that I put under water with a 1A-Cooling kit (still works, eheim pump, brass/copper construction of the CPU block). 1.8ghz out of the box, pushed close to 3.3ghz like butter. Ran Ubuntu dual booted with windows XP. Those were the days.
This is amazing! Do you still use Ubuntu or you've chosen another distro?
I use Slackware.
I don’t know who said this but it’s true::
Install Debian you learn Debian
Install Red Hat you learn Red Hat
Install Gentoo you learn Gentoo....(on and on and on...)
Install Slackware you learn Linux...!!
I believe that Slackware is more UNIX like.
I use Linux for web development , but virtualized as in WSL2 built into WIndows 10.
It handles Docker much better and stable then windows and I can still use my IDEs like Phpstorm and VsCode and also use GUI Tools on the Linux side like GIT Kraken or Chrome with X-Server in own window .
Works like a charm and I love it .
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