Why use Linux?

An operating system not only helps you operate your computer / mobile, but it also affects your efficiency and productivity. Difference factors affect how your operating system makes you more productive, one being how familiar the operating system is to you. This familiarity however can be gained with another operating system as well. The other factors include speed and reliability of the operating system. A slow and unreliable operating system will make it difficult for you to use your computer in a productive manner. Unless you are using a computer with old / outdated hardware, speed should not be an issue as well. 

Microsoft Windows

Most people are only aware of Microsoft Windows, as it not only comes pre-installed on most of the newly purchased computers but also because it supports installation of major productivity software which you might want to use such as Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop, Corel Draw etc. Although Microsoft recommends at least 2GB RAM for Microsoft Windows 10 operating system, it may not be enough in the long run. If you just want to use your computer for web browsing, then any affordable computer will be enough for you. However, if you want to ensure that you're as productive with your machine as possible, then following system requires should be ensured:

1. CPU: Core i5 or Ryzen 3 processor
2. RAM: 8GB or 16GB (16GB recommended for flawless computing)
3. Disk Space: At least 128GB SSD (for operating system) with 500GB or more HDD (for storage)
4. GPU: 2GBor more (if you want to do graphics intensive tasks)
5. PSU:500 Watt or more (80 Plus recommended)
6. Motherboard: TPM and Secure Boot support if you want to install Microsoft Windows 11 instead

If your computer specifications are less than what is mentioned above, then your computer will still run just fine (at least for the basic tasks). But it may become slow over time. This is where Linux can help. 

Why Linux?

Linux is an open-source monolithic kernel designed by Linus Torvalds. Learn more about Linux on this page. Many open-source operating system use Linux kernel and these operating systems are called Linux distributions. These operating systems may be designed for different purposes for example, Ubuntu, another Linux distribution is designed for everyday use while some Linux distributions are specifically designed for servers and even IOT devices. Linux distributions can be installed on almost any hardware whether it is a computer, mobile, server, workstation and much more. Although you can run Linux distributions on any hardware, it does not mean that you can settle for any Linux distribution as they all have their own philosophy, different functionality and use cases. It also does not mean that any Linux distribution can be used as daily driver on your home computer. 

First you have to find a suitable Linux distribution for yourself, which you can do while checking details about most Linux distributions on DistroWatch. Linux distributions may have unique advantages, but they also come with their own disadvantages for example most Linux distributions prefer open-source drivers over proprietary ones. Still most Linux distributions can be a great choice for you if you are willing to learn something new. The following are some of the advantages of using Linux distributions instead of Microsoft Windows:

1) Speed and Reliability

Some Linux distributions are designed for speedy computing even on old / outdated hardware. These Linux distributions may come with desktop environments such as XFCE, LXQT, LXDE or even just windows managers such as i3, Awesome etc. These Linux distributions will not only run perfectly find even on 10 years old or more hardware, but also perform significantly better in low specification machines compared to Microsoft Windows. 

Unlike Microsoft Windows, most Linux distributions are community projects and therefore open-source. These Linux distributions focus on specific goals and try their best to achieve them. Any bug found in the kernel or operating system may be fixed much faster than Microsoft Windows making it more stable. Additionally, Linux has small market share and it is usually not targeted by hackers and viruses. 

2) Privacy Control

It is not a surprise to anyone that your online activities are being recorded by giants such as Google, Apple and Microsoft. however, your offline activities are also not private on Microsoft Windows or macOS because these operating systems use telemetry to gather different types of data from your computer. This data may include your activities, personal information, work habits and much more. Since Linux is open-source, anyone can look at the code and find out if they are being tracked in any way. This is why most Linux distributions become less privacy invasive. Linux distributions have few or zero telemetry by default. The few telemetry options will usually be about gathering information about system errors rather than your private data. 

3) Choice

Microsoft Windows and macOS are just one operating system. You may jump between its different releases but the most recent one will have the most features. You can do little to nothing to change your experience on proprietary operating system. Whereas there are thousands of Linux distributions with different package managers, user interfaces and much more. While Ubuntu is more comfortable for macOS users, Linux Mint will be more welcoming to Microsoft Windows users. Some Linux distributions can even run on less than 512MB RAM. Puppy Linux is one great example. Regardless, most Linux distributions will require much less hardware specification to run compared to Microsoft Windows. It will most likely run just fine even if you do not have an SSD. Furthermore, you can check release cycle of each distribution to find out how fast you are going to receive updates. 

4) Customization

You cannot customize Microsoft Windows and macOS that much. While all you have to do is select one desktop environment of a Linux distribution and check all the customization options available for it. Some desktop environments give you options to customize your desktop environment while others use system extensions to change it. All desktop environments and Linux distributions have different methods to customize your operating system to your liking. Some Linux distributions also come with their own customization giving them a distinct look and feel. 

5) Easy to Use

Those days are long gone when you needed to check documentation on how to install and use a Linux distribution. Now-a-days, most Linux distributions are not only easy to install, they are also easy to use. All you need is some time learning how your operating system works and that would be enough. Linux distributions have GUI applications to make it easy to use your operating system. You do not need to open command line to do everything. There are some Linux distributions which require you to go through documentation before installing and using these operating systems. You should note that these Linux distributions are not targeted on desktop users. 

6) Alternative Applications

As stated above, major productivity software may not run on any Linux distribution. You can still install them using Wine software, which runs Microsoft Windows applications on a compatibility layer. Still, you won't get the same experience as you did on Microsoft Windows. Alternatively, you can check the applications available for Linux distributions. These applications not only run nicely on any Linux distribution, but they are also great alternative to proprietary software. Most of them are also freely available to you on not just Linux distributions but also on Microsoft Windows as well. If you did not like any Linux distributions for some reason and switch back to Microsoft Windows then you can still use these applications, so your precious learning time with these applications may not suffer. These software include Blender, Kdenlive, LibreOffice and many more. You can find alternative open-source applications on AltertiveTo website. 

7) Gaming

We all know that Microsoft Windows is the go-to operating system for most gamers. Linux distributions can also run games as well as Microsoft Windows. Some games even perform better in Linux distributions. As for those games not available for Linux distributions, you can use Proton to run them. Linux usually requires much less computing power to run so your games will have more resources for better performance. As for Linux native games, they definitely perform much better due to OpenGL and Vulkan APIs. 

8) Community

All Linux distributions have strong community willing to help new users. Major Linux distributions such as Ubuntu, Fedora, Linux Mint etc. have their own forum. If your Linux distributions don't have a forum then you can still ask for help on Reddit. 

Conclusion

Linux is a great platform which can be your favorite among current major operating systems. It just depends on if Linux distributions work for you. If you only use your computer to browse internet then Linux can be a great option for you. If you are willing to learn something new and explore free alternatives for your productivity work then Linux can still be best option for you. If not, then you can always go back to Microsoft Windows. You will never know unless you give it a try.