8 reasons Why Linux is better than windows (2020)
Approximately 70 to 80% of the world’s population use Windows as their daily operating system. then goes the mac that takes the share of 9 -10% and Linux with just 2.3% of the market share in the operating system.
Windows and Mac are so popular that it has become the primary driver to run our personal and professional work because of its user interface and ease of use even for a non-techie. On other hand, if we talk about Linux-based OS, the first thing that comes to mind is its complexity.
Generally, Linux is a kernel that was initially started as an open-source project, and the people with technical skills like programmers, developers used it. OS built on the Linux kernel used terminal commands as input for almost every task. Later on, windows took a considerable role in a personal computer for the majority of people due to its user-friendly graphical interface.
But, now there are plenty of OS distributions (distro) that are built on Linux which gives a similar interface like windows. Then, why are Linux users so fewer in number?
There are many reasons such as
Fragmentation – Unlike Windows and Mac that are focusing on a single OS build, Linux has an open-source community that builds OS for a different purpose, one can be for developers, another one for the better user interface, and more.
Windows took a vast margin lead in the personal computers and people would prefer to use the same system, rather than trying out some different UI.
No big tech companies had taken a huge step in producing an OS based on these kernels.
All programs, drivers, and software are not available on Linux.
Source
Although Windows holds the majority of users and has a user-friendly interface, there are many problems associated with windows.
If you are annoyed about slow performance, lag issues in windows 10 and want to maintain your privacy – stop companies from collecting your data, you should probably switch to Linux based operating systems.
In this article, you will understand How Linux is better than windows, the reason why you should switch from Windows to Linux.
Complete freedom over your system
With Linux, You have complete freedom over your operating system. It is completely open-source, free to use, and also modify the source code. You don’t need to purchase a product/license key or any specific hardware requirement to use it which means just download and use it on your system.
Why is Linux free?
The first reason is because of the public, there are thousands of global communities that contribute to the development of Linux-based OS (distributions) popularly known as Linux distro.
Another reason, Linux is free because some companies like IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Google, and more… support the growth of software’s for commercial use, to create an operating system for a specific purpose and with different features.
Did you know, Microsoft has also started using Linux in their servers. “Microsoft Corporation has announced that it will be using Linux OS instead of Windows 10 to bring IoT security and Connectivity to Multiple Cloud environments.”
It’s not only in the freedom of monitory, but Linux also gives you complete freedom over your OS because there are no restrictions at all, unlike Windows or Mac. If you are a customization freak, you can access any part of the OS/ system data, and modify it according to your will.
You can literally do anything on Linux, only the restriction is your technical skills and imagination.
Update and Software management
System and software updates are one of the best features of Linux. If you are fed up with those continuous restarts after every windows 10 update, you should switch over to Linux. Just type a command to update your OS and it does everything in the background without even interrupting your work (This is because of the Kernel live patching ). A very few to none of the Linux updates requires a reboot.
The most impressive thing I like about Linux is that the updates are not mandatory, i.e, you can update whenever you want or run your system without updating at all. Although, I recommend you to update the latest package because the community is always fixing up issues over time and also providing security patches.
Just enter these two lines of code in terminal for system update. ( pop OS 20.04 and Ubuntu )
sudo apt update
sudo apt full-upgradesudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get dist-upgradeIf you are not used to the terminal, you can also go to Settings -> OS Upgrade, similar to other OS like windows.
According to me the best Linux distro for beginners would be the pop OS, Ubuntu, or Linux mint. You can also choose other distro’s of your choice for specific purposes.
Check out the 5 best Linux distro for beginners
Similar to the apple store and Microsoft store, Linux-based distros like pop OS, ubuntu has its own app store/ package manager from where you can download all the necessary software and applications needed for your system. And to be frank, this store is way better than the Microsoft store. It doesn’t have those unnecessary apps which no one use. Ex: if you download VLC from ms store, it’s junk; better search in google and download the VLC player from the original site.
Learn more about pop OS and Ubuntu from their official site.
Performance and Stability
Linux can almost run in any kind of computer, from the lowest end to a supercomputer. One of the most amazing features of the Linux kernel is the ability to create so small operating systems, that can be used only for a specific task (It can even run on a device with 15 MB RAM). Which means some Linux based OS can run better in the lower end systems compared to windows. For Ex: Linux can run on a small computer like the raspberry pi and give a full desktop experience.
But if we talk about high-end computers, you might not notice a significant performance boost. The stability of the Linux kernel is also unmatched because the online community is continuously working to fix those issues. There is a higher possibility for the software and drivers made for Linux to be more stable compared to windows. Because the software/ drivers are completely open-source (free to modify), the developers would have a chance to fix up any issues it might have.
Although there are some exceptions like blob drivers such as Nvidia propriety drivers. It is stable and fast but it is closed source with lockdown firmware and refusal to any assistance.
Read more: How Computer memory work? RAM vs Cache
Transparency and Privacy management
” Linux based OS is the most secure operating system available right now! “
At present, Most of the windows device is prone to spyware, malware, or some privacy-related issues and it is increasing day by day. Personal data are being collected for some marketing, advertising, and other stuff. Privacy has just become a word now.
Whereas if we talk about Linux, it is completely transparent. If you are a tech geek, you should be able to literally keep a watch on each and every task that is currently running on your system. Even if you aren’t, you can always ask someone who is, or get help from an online community or youtube.
As it is open-source, thousands of people are constantly working on the code every day, and it is very difficult for some malware or spyware to get into the system. Some of the distros like Ubuntu might collect some system usage data for their improvement ( you can also check the data sent and received from your system to their server to keep track), but it’s not mandatory and if you are not comfortable with that, just opt-out.
Terminal
Command-line, also known as the terminal is the heart of Linux. There are various Linux shells that give you full access to the features in the distro and also you can automate some of the tasks with it.
Learn more about Linux shell.
I understand that terminal is one of those features that all developers love. It reduces unnecessary clicks and gives you the real speed of working on the system. It’s all about efficiency and speed. Whereas there are numerous amount of people who consider this to be the hardest to deal with. Common users like visual interfaces and want to work on a graphical UI. For normal usage, the UI of Linux was not that good, however now it has a smooth and stable experience. If you want to altogether to quit using those commands, you can do that.
Modern Linux distro has become a great alternative to windows in terms of visual interface and animations too.
Still, If you want your work to be done with your system’s highest efficiency, I suggest you learn as much as commands you can. If you are good at using the terminal, you can even set multiple jobs just by typing a line of code. Take an example of some configuration issue or system crash, you can use these commands to fix it. There are many advantages to using a command line.
Customization
Customizing your desktop according to your liking should be available on every OS. Although you have many customizations in Windows and Mac, Linux takes it to a whole new level. You can literally customize every inch of the operating system with all new features. Like if you need a feature from ubuntu, you get many tutorials on how to apply those features in your distro.
Disk customization, themes, software’s and many other customizations are available on these OS. If you have technical knowledge of Linux development, you can even create what ever you want. You can even copy or mimic the whole mac experience in your linux device.
Did you know, a feature that was recently bought into windows known as Virtual desktop, where you can create a whole new desktop for different members or for different purposes, was actually present in Linux form in early 2000.
Check out Some amazing facts about computer you probably didn’t know
Portability
One of the important features of these operating systems would be portability. You can just install a distro in a computer then insert it into a pen drive and you are good to go. Yeah, it supports live USB, you can just insert that drive into any system and continue your work.
You can also maintain multiple Linux installations in a drive with different configurations, files, and customizations. Because all config files are stored in the user folder instead system folder. Jumping between distros is quite easy.
Here’s a guide on how to install multiple Linux distribution on a USB drive.
You can also get scripts from GitHub through which you can download all the software that’s needed and run the system in just twenty minutes. Being able to do these types of stuff is exceptionally powerful and very handy sometimes.
Learning and Community Support
This is a great platform to learn. You can just download and start using a fully functional distro with all the features you need. Later on, if you need some extra feature, just google it, find a tutorial and continue with the procedure. You can create many development tools and other software’s completely free of charge and there will be numerous people to support you.
There are exponentially larger groups of people presenting different ideas for the growth of the community. If you are a newcomer in this environment, there are a handful of people who are always to support you and help with the issues you might face. And if we talk about growth, yeah it is increasing slowly, and with the recent development in Linux gaming like proton, it should be more popular in coming years.
Check out some of the helpful Linux community for beginners.
