Ten Reasons that You Should Switch to Linux

While one of the oldest operating systems, especially if you trace its roots all the way back to the Unix operating system, Linux has only lately been getting any attention, and for the wrong reason. It has only been getting this attention because of the whole Windows Vista fiasco, so here is an article focusing on the positives of why you should use Linux, rather than the negatives of why you shouldn't use Vista.

1) Linux is free. Linux is free not only by price, but also free as in freedom. This means that anybody may use it for any reason, whether commercial or for home use. Anybody may see or modify the source code, and anybody may distribute his or her modified source code. Plus- it's free! If you have a working internet connection to download a disc image, you never need to pay a cent to run or update your software. A little-known fact: the name of the most popular Linux distribution (Ubuntu) was derived from the Bantu word for cooperation, sharing, focusing on human relationship- which is all part of the philosophy of open-source software.

2) Linux will run on your old hardware. I put this as number two because it goes along well with number one. You will never, ever have to upgrade you hardware in order to run your operating system. Why do you think that Linux is about even with Microsoft Windows as percent of the netbook market? Netbooks have very little ability to run powerful applications, but Linux is so scalar, as will be mentioned later, that it can easily run on the slow processors and small amount of RAM that is standard in a netbook. Just the other day I installed Jaunty Jackalope, the latest version of my favorite Linux distribution, on a computer from 2002, and it ran perfectly.

3) Linux is practically virus-free. I put this here because I think that again, this goes along with the free thing. This is pretty much the one reason why I switched to Linux, though today I could give you a million reasons why I am sticking with it. You will never need to buy antivirus software on Linux, or remember to update it, or have your computer run slowly because it is running. A common misconception is that it is dumb to not run antivirus software even if you are using Linux or Mac OS X. Not so. Linux has a built-in security against viruses, even if somebody chose to write one, which is very unlikely to happen. This security lies in the fact that whenever you do anything that could cause a system failure or hurt the computer in another way, the computer calls for the system password to make it happen. On Windows, any software can do anything. On Linux, software can only do things with your permission, and even then, you will know what it is doing. Be happy! You're safe.

4) You have very easy access to tons of other free software, the vast majority of it using the same definition of free as does Linux. This means that you never have to surf the web looking for that critical download or buy anything else. When you install a Linux distribution, it is complete with all the software that you need: word processor, web browser, chat engine, clients, widgets, whatever. And everything else is only a click away, in the vast catalogs of free software that come built into your Linux distribution. And because they are all open source, you don't have to worry about any of them having that virus that you still might be paranoid about. (Believe me- I was paranoid about that for months after starting to use Linux.)

5) Linux is friendly to other operating systems. If you want to try Linux, but not necessarily use it as your sole operating system, you don't have a problem. Most Linux distributions, by default, will search for other operating systems when they are being installed. If they find one, they will give you an option to install along side it, so that at boot you get a choice of which operating system you want to boot into. This is a perfect opportunity to learn a new operating system at the same time as keeping your old operating system for the sake of security. I don't worry- it won't be long before you remove Windows :) (As it happens you can even do this on a Mac.)

6) In addition to being nearly immune to viruses, Linux is extremely secure. In this sense, I mean that it is secure from hackers and from information stealing. It is extremely unlikely that a person would ever be able to get into a computer or system that is running Linux without the owner's consent. Furthermore, Linux has a built in firewall, called iptables, meaning that you don't need 3^rd party software to use as a firewall. Of course, there is lots of firewall software in the repositories in case you ever feel like monitoring intrusions on your computer or modifying what can be modified.

7) Linux has a very scalar difficulty level. I have met extremely not tech-savvy people who use it, but I also know computer experts who use it because of what can be done at higher levels. It is so flexible that it is possible to do almost anything that you need to with the GUI, graphical user interface, or with the terminal, the tool for which Linux is so famous. This terminal can be programmed to do almost anything, which is what makes Linux so great when you know how to script.

8) Linux is user friendly, even at the higher difficulty levels. This may seem contradictory, but it's really not. This is because Linux was made by the people who use it. Therefore, while it may not be familiar, it is easier once you have used it for quite a while. For example, does it really have to be ctrl-c to copy? No. In many situations, Linux uses the d key instead. It's easier because it uses less motion, but harder because it's not familiar. Try it for a while and you'll see: Linux is far more user-friendly. For more on this, see here, where the theory was originally suggested.

9) Linux is standards abiding. One of the problems with Windows dominating such a huge portion of the operating system market is that while it doesn't abide to the standards set out by various hardware and software manufacturers, that is seen as everyone else's fault. This is because Windows has become the standard. However, if the standards are eventually adopted by everybody, those running Linux will be ready, because Linux already abides by those standards. In essence, Linux is a polite operating system.

10) This one is my favorite, and the reason why I will never stop using Linux. Linux is infinitely customizable. One of the reasons for this is that the GUI is separated from the operating system, meaning that you can be running your favorite Linux distribution, whatever that may be, while having it look like whatever you want. You can also download premade GUIs. Some of the most common include KDE, which looks a lot like Windows Vista and 7, or the one I use, Gnome. That one looks a lot like Mac OS. There is software that allows you to have widgets everywhere, or you could go with a simple Mac-like dock. Whatever you want your system to look like or do, there is certain to be some way to do that.

So- that's all for now folks. These are my top ten reasons for using Linux, but there is plenty of other information out there on the subject. I just recommend that anyone who does plan to make the switch do a lot of research first on the subject.