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Anja
Anja

Posted on • Edited on

5 reasons for Linux

Hi, today I want to share a few reasons for why you should check out Linux, especially if you are a programmer:

  1. Open Source 🐧
    Linux is completely open source, its free and you can have a look at all of the source code. If you want you can become part of the Linux developer community and contribute to it with your own code. If there are any issues, these normally quickly get fixed because of the high number of people involved.

  2. Security 🔒
    Compared to Windows 10 Linux is a safer Operating System. Also there are only few attacks on Linux anyway, because only about 2% of the users use Linux on their Desktops or Laptops.

  3. Programmer friendly 👩‍💻
    Linux is made for programmers by programmers and you dont need to tinker around that much to get developer related applications/IDEs etc. running. You can decide when and which updates you want to install.

  4. Choose your distribution 🎨
    Linux offers a wide range of distributions, like Linux Mint, Ubuntu, Debian,… so you are able to choose the one that fits best your needs. Also you have a lot more customizability options than on Windows, like for example for your user interface.

  5. Resource friendly ⚡
    Linux can use less resources than other Operating Systems and runs on new and old computers. On my desktop I have Windows and Linux and my PC is more silent running on Linux.

If you want to get started with Linux, check out my video:
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What do you like most about Linux? Have a nice day!☀😎

Top comments (41)

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jessekphillips profile image
Jesse Phillips
  1. Free an in royalty. You don't need to run an outdated version because you don't want to purchase an upgrade license. No need to use weird docker tricks, you can use VM without licensing.

  2. Minimal Resources. For the primary desktop this is not much of a concern 50 Gig to host the OS, who cares. But docker instances under 50 MB, VM un 1Gig, now we're talking.

  3. If it is broken you have to fix it. No magic restart.

  4. Window Manager. So many options, but there is focus follows mouse, workspaces, and middle mouse clipboard.

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anja profile image
Anja

Hi Jesse, thanks for sharing! Yes window managers are great, I like using the mouse less. And while fixing stuff you learn a lot. 😊👍

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nicolaerario profile image
Nicola Erario • Edited

I’m not a fanboy.
I use daily a laptop with Linux (Arch BTW) and one with Windows 10. Sporadically I use my sister’s MacBook.
I love the Apple screens and looks;
I love Linux, it rocks! It’s my preferred s.o. I love that I can customize everything to my liking (and I hate it same time); I love shell, and packets manager. And more more other things.
BUT, my work station runs windows (with WSL2 BTW)! Why? Because I need to power on it and be productive; I need to attach my third monitor and it works at right resolution out of the box; I need to swap my cabled headphones with Bluetooth ones, the new one arrived today, and they connect and works out of the box. Sometimes I don’t have time to tune pulseaudio, blaming the hardware that isn’t “Linux friendly”.
I think there’s no perfect S.O. and maybe it’s better this way.

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anja profile image
Anja

That's true for everyone a different OS suits better cause the needs are different. It's great that we have the choice. 😊

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psiho profile image
Mirko Vukušić

Customizability, privacy, price, community. Bottom line, Linux is really the last OS that's really "yours". Installing Win or MacOS lately, after years in Linux, just clearly shows how little control you have on those OSs and it's ecosystems. You can't even get rid of Crash Candy easily, not to mantion Ads and privacy issues.

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anja profile image
Anja

Yes that's true, once you used Linux for a while and switch back to windows or MacOS you notice the lack of control a lot.

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macorreag profile image
Miller Correa
  1. You choose the desktop environment you want and change it whenever you want.
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anja profile image
Anja

Hi Miller, yes it's great that you can fit it to your needs! 😊

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mzaini30 profile image
Zen

My reason is only one: no virus

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crimsonmed profile image
Médéric Burlet

Not true

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anja profile image
Anja • Edited

That's a good reason 😊, at least linux is less targeted than windows

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Sloan, the sloth mascot
Comment deleted
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anja profile image
Anja

Hi Kevin, you are welcome! 😊 🙌 I'm happy to hear that you are enjoying Linux! The more you get to know it the more you will love it. 😊🐧

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jehrhardt profile image
Jan Ehrhardt

Luckily Microsoft has put Linux into Windows with WSL 😉

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anja profile image
Anja

Didn't check it yet, is it better than a Vm?

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dhruvgera profile image
Dhruv Gera

WSL 2 is loads better in terms of performance as well as resource usage as compared to traditional VMs. Cold boots in 1-2sec and there is barely 50-60MB of RAM usage at idle!
Plus, you get all the benefits of linux and not make your main OS lag, it's heaven for people like me who have to use both OSes for various purposes.

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anja profile image
Anja

That is great, thanks for sharing!😊

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jehrhardt profile image
Jan Ehrhardt

I don't have a Windows PC, so I cannot check as well 😉

But at least Docker for Windows prefers WSL over running a VM.

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prakh_r profile image
Prakhar Yadav

I have always admired Linux for being so customisable and at the same time making almost everything possible to do. Personally I started off with Ubuntu and have loved it since. It has been a pleasure to use Windows too since they now have WSL.
But recently I have shifted to Mac and its pleasant to work with because... well, it just works 😄
Each of them have something different to offer and everything boils down to our use cases 🙃

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anja profile image
Anja • Edited

Sure everyone can pick it's fave there is no one size fits all. 🐧🍎

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patarapolw profile image
Pacharapol Withayasakpunt • Edited

Real reasons

  • Low resources. Very safe on older PC's. Never touch the half of 8-GB RAM.
  • Customizability. Feeling like a true PC owner.

But yes, I had to deal with a lot of things, like

  • Hardware not working, or not perfectly; including WiFi
  • Software support. Many well-done softwares aren't made for Linux. Maybe there aren't enough users using Linux.
  • Even if it supports Linux, it may support only some makes of Linux, like DaVinCi for CentOS, with a specific hardware.
  • Not every desktop environments (and window managers) are equal. They varies in UX.
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anja profile image
Anja

Yes, Linux can cause some extra effort depending on what you need it for.

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matthewpchapdelaine profile image
Matthew Chapdelaine

I've always had problems getting WINE to work on Linux. I want to run .exe files on Linux. I don't want those kinds of limitations.

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anja profile image
Anja • Edited

Hi Matthew, hm if you need windows you could try a Vm or a dual boot. :)

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matthewpchapdelaine profile image
Matthew Chapdelaine

I agree that VirtualBox is better than Wine. I have Windows 10 working as a VM in Linux Mint. Thank you, Anja.
Oddly enough, your name escapes my lips when I'm tired. I thought it was random nonsense. Anja is emotionally satisfying for me to say out loud.