Introduction
If you’ve ever watched a programmer in a movie or on YouTube, chances are you’ve seen a black terminal window with green text. More often than not, that computer is running Linux. But why? Is Linux really better for programming, or is it just a stereotype?
Linux is one of the most widely used open-source operating systems. Linux and programming are so closely connected that most developers will eventually interact with it, even if they don’t use it as their main operating system. In this article we will explore why people think programmers use Linux and shine the light on some of the real reasons why this little penguin is popular within the programming crowd. And as a bonus we’ll try and discuss whether a beginner should switch to this OS.
Why people think programmers use Linux ?
Most people think Linux is used by programmers because they want to look different or just to brag about their ability to execute complex command-line commands and know their way through a terminal. But this can’t be farther from the truth Let’s take a look at some reasons why most programmers use Linux .
How Linux gives you more control
Linux is built with the intention to give the user complete freedom and control over their device, and that’s where it shines it doesn’t hold your hand like other OSes like Windows does for example. In the contrary with Linux you are free to do whatever you want even break the system if you want to experiment. Another aspect of freedom is the freedom to use whatever hardware you want for example if you have an older computer running any one of the latest or even reasonably old versions of Windows on it , but Linux offers you many lightweight distributions that can maybe even run on a potato.
Why Linux Powers Much of the Internet
Why Linux skills are highly sought after because the majority of servers run on Linux. Major cloud providers such as AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure offer Linux as the primary operating system for many workloads.
How Learning Linux makes you a better programmer ?
You might think it’s unrelated but yes learning Linux makes you a better programmer. The concepts learned while getting familiar with Linux are helpful outside of Linux and applicable to everyday programmer problems. Let’s take for example shell commands if you plan on programming and doing it competently and efficiently without wasting time you should get used to to the shell commands they allow you to execute complex and time consuming tasks 10x faster with a few keystrokes. for example to find a file by it’s name inside a directory in Linux you don’t have to to click on any buttons or even deal with windows wonky file manager search bar, all you need to do :
ls | grep File_name
This is just scraping the tip of the iceberg there’s many other skills Linux offers.
Should beginners switch ?
Let’s get straight to the point, the answer is YES. Why? If you’re interested in what Linux offers , the best way to start learning is not to plan for you transition and every single detail. The best way is spin up a linux virtual machine instance and throw yourself into the chaos , or better install Linux on your own computer and start figuring stuff out by reading blogs , the wikis and forums. You’ll learn far more by breaking things and fixing them than by watching ten hours of tutorials.
Conclusion
Linux isn’t magic. It won’t instantly make you a better programmer. But it gives you the tools to understand how software interacts with the operating system. That understanding is one of the reasons Linux remains such an important part of the developer world.
What made you switch to Linux? Or if you’re still using Windows or macOS, what’s stopping you from trying Linux? Let me know in the comments.
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