Hi, today I want to share a few reasons for why you should check out Linux, especially if you are a programmer:
Open Source ๐ง
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.Security ๐
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.Programmer friendly ๐ฉโ๐ป
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.Choose your distribution ๐จ
Linux offers a wide range of distributions, like Linux Mint, Ubuntu, Debian,โฆ 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.Resource friendly โก
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:
What do you like most about Linux? Have a nice day!โ๐
Top comments (41)
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 You don't need to run an outdated version because you don't want to purchase an upgrade license.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.
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.
If it is broken you have to fix it. No magic restart.
Window Manager. So many options, but there is focus follows mouse, workspaces, and middle mouse clipboard.
Hi Jesse, thanks for sharing! Yes window managers are great, I like using the mouse less. And while fixing stuff you learn a lot. ๐๐
Iโm not a fanboy.
I use daily a laptop with Linux (Arch BTW) and one with Windows 10. Sporadically I use my sisterโs MacBook.
I love the Apple screens and looks;
I love Linux, it rocks! Itโs 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 donโt have time to tune pulseaudio, blaming the hardware that isnโt โLinux friendlyโ.
I think thereโs no perfect S.O. and maybe itโs better this way.
That's true for everyone a different OS suits better cause the needs are different. It's great that we have the choice. ๐
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.
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.
Hi Miller, yes it's great that you can fit it to your needs! ๐
My reason is only one: no virus
Not true
That's a good reason ๐, at least linux is less targeted than windows
Hi Kevin, you are welcome! ๐ ๐ I'm happy to hear that you are enjoying Linux! The more you get to know it the more you will love it. ๐๐ง
Luckily Microsoft has put Linux into Windows with WSL ๐
Didn't check it yet, is it better than a Vm?
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.
That is great, thanks for sharing!๐
I don't have a Windows PC, so I cannot check as well ๐
But at least Docker for Windows prefers WSL over running a VM.
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 ๐
Each of them have something different to offer and everything boils down to our use cases ๐
Sure everyone can pick it's fave there is no one size fits all. ๐ง๐
Real reasons
But yes, I had to deal with a lot of things, like
Yes, Linux can cause some extra effort depending on what you need it for.
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.
Hi Matthew, hm if you need windows you could try a Vm or a dual boot. :)
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.