I'm using openSUSE since version 10.0, and for me it is the perfect OS. I can't stand the constant tries to shove products down my throat and to prevent me from changing settings, both of which is being done extensively by Windows and macOS.

I do! It's free, and so is the plethora of free software! It runs better than Windows, particularly on old machines. It comes without Cortana etc which is nice when kids are involved.
We inherited some machines for free, which I repaired, but had no OS...so they all run linux rather than paying for Windows licenses.

Reasons why most programmers prefer Linux to windows and why I use Linux:

-Linux Is free
-linux Is scalable,it can be used on any device ,old or new with the latest version,it brings old computers to life
-Linux has a easy learning curve with the GUI and CLI

-Linux is portable

-Linux is open source,with thousands of distributions from different programmers across the world ,I can also contribute if I have the knowledge of C language and the kernel

-Linux is secure ,with thousands of distributions from different countries and different programmers, it can never be hacked but windows can

-Linux has more performance than windows ,no doubt.
That's why alot of people install antivirus and some security softwares but Linux comes with alot of tools to battle viruses ,malware and hackers
When you start using Linux, you'll enjoy it.
The reason windows is widely used is because of its popularity ,Linux is now used widely by developers /programmers world wide According to stack overflow survey last year

one more simple reason:

• you cant go wrong with developing on the same OS that the application runs on in prod.

I have been a longtime on again, off again Linux user from the last 90's. After my MacBook Pro starting reaching its end of life, I tried Linux again. For the last two years I have been using a System76 laptop with POP_OS and recently switched to Manjaro. Why do I use Linux? It is not privacy, per se, but the fact that I wanted to use a system that was less proprietary, and more cross platform. My switch to Linux has been a great choice for web development. It is stable, fast, and fun to work with.

I use Linux because I have the freedom to change or do anything I want with it.
Installing Linux can breath new life into a old computer destined for the garbage.
I can use one CD to install Linux on all of my desktops, laptops, and servers free of charge. The advantage to using Linux outweighs any disadvantage more than any
other operating system by a long shot.

I use macOS and linux, I really love a lot of things about macOS but Apple is slowly chipping away at those things. Linux isn't really special but the community is huge and there is a distro for everyone whether you want a pen-test focused one or an ultra minimal one or a secure one etc. Being well used means that the general underpinnings are pretty secure.

On top of there being a great distro for nearly every niche, there is a huge variety of potential customisations that are often extremely easy to set up, like icon themes.

I have been a regular Linux user since November 1995. I found a minicomputer running an old version of UNIX while I was an undergraduate student in the late 1970s and a few years later in 1982 I had an opportunity to use UNIX every day instead of either timesharing on a mainframe computer, or even more frustrating, submitting batch jobs and await their completion. Receiving output, whether in printed or visual form was difficult with the mainframe systems, so to use UNIX was a pleasure.
By 1985 I switched jobs, working for a computer manufacturing company. I was fortunate to work in their telecommunications organization, matching my previous job experience, and that put me in immediate contact with UNIX software. Within 7-8 years I was regularly hearing about Linux software, so I followed it until I had an opportunity to get my hands on it.

Personal computers were still fairly expensive in those days, so I had to wait patiently for the right opportunity. In 1995 a friend of mine was passing around CDs containing an early version of Linux. That made me even more interested, so I looked for a good deal and finally found a personal computer. It didn't have Linux pre-installed, but I made sure that it had "compatible" hardware, and then I bought a book that also contained a copy of Slackware Linux and installed it.

Restrictions were still in place because Broadband networks were still a couple of years away. In 1999 I got Broadband available in my home and from then on I was able to download my own systems and I have used predominantly Linux ever since, with an occasional BSD or VxWorks, or whatever other OS I can freely download and try out, but my daily driver, including right now, is a laptop with Linux - today it's a Dell Inspiron 5558 with a dozen or more distributions, some on hard disk, others on removable USB drives and portable sticks.

I only use other systems today when I'm testing them or away from my own system.

I'm a web developer and I use Arch on one laptop and Pop_OS on another one. My needs are fairly simple. I need a text editor/IDE and a web browser or three. I use my TV or my phone for videos and social media. With Linux I can install only the basic stuff that I need. I can set up pretty much any laptop less than 10 years old with the tools I need to develop in about an hour or less.

I feel like Windows is just way too complicated, because it is meant to be general and work for everyone. The people who need Windows either are hardcore gamers or they have to use Windows-specific software for work or school.

I use Linux since 2009, and I've already tried a lot of different distro, including Slakeware Server, Mandriva Desktop, CentOS, Fedora, OpenSuse, Debian, Ubuntu, Linux Mint and other Linux used in Network Devices, like Mikrotik. Linux desktop (and mobile) are very good to install packages and make complex things, (for example, when you need install and configure some web server, or email server or even compiling and updating the Kernel). Nowadays I am using Ubuntu 20.04 LTS to do everything I need, including to to work developing personal softwares, bash scripts and work as freelancer with web developer to other people.

• I feel like I own my devices: I can change whatever I want, because I use 100% free open source software; if I want to, I can change it
• I can fight for my moral values: I have the feeling that consumerism and capitalism are eating the world; many people can't afford to pay for an Apple device or a Windows license, so they don't get access to the same education as people in rich countries get.
• Linux makes me pro-active: if I'm not happy with the software, I give feedback or modify it myself; I don't wait anymore passively so that other people (Windows or iOS devs) fix my issues
• I am not being spied on all the time

Yep! I just published a new article on DEV about my journey from Windows to Linux:

I also wrote about the Linux terminal a few weeks ago:

Linux Terminal: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet

Mauro Garcia ・ Jan 25 ・ 15 min read

#linux #terminal #beginners

Among many reasons why you should at least try Linux:

• Is free and open-source
• Is fast: There are many "minimal" options for those who can't afford new hardware.
• Is fully customizable: There are endless customization options through different desktop environments or window managers.

You may consider not using Linux if:

• Your work depends on specific proprietary software that is not available on Linux
• You want to play games that don't run on Linux.

I am using Linux for the last 3 years because it is faster than Windows 10. As a computer science student, I do a lot of coding and for me, Linux is a much better platform for writing a piece of code of any programming language, there is no need of setting programming environment for each and every IDE's like in windows 10, just install the compiler/interpreter of language and run where you want.

I use Linux in My laptop as well as desktop. I started with Linux 20 years ago because I liked its philosophy and there is no copyright violation, no cost, and it serves my purpose completely.
I am not technical person so I can not contribute but I speak and popularise it.