WHY I PREFER LINUX OVER WINDOWS

Introduction

We are all familiar with Windows. Most people grew up using this operating system, and most still use Windows to this day. Yes, we have Mac OS, Chrome OS, FreeBSD, Haiku OS, etc., but we'll be talking about the main two competitor OSes with completely different business models behind them (Free and Open Source vs. Proprietary).

A Bit Of History

I started dabbling into Linux back in 2022. I can't remember what went through my head to try out another operating system. I guess I stumbled upon a YouTube video talking about this operating system. I always knew Linux was a thing, but I never really put much thought into it. I remember my old highschool friend talking about "Kali Linux", because he was into ethical hacking, and took IT classes. I didn't know about "Linux distros" at first, until I started digging deeper into Linux as an alternative to Windows. Distros are basically a custom flavour of Linux. Linux is technically only a kernel (Windows uses the NT kernel), which comes with the standard GNU utilities (Written in the C programming language with some shell script components, however, some Linux kernel developers have recently been using the Rust programming language to rebuild these utilities from scratch, which has become quite a controversial topic in recent months as of writing this blog), display server, init system, desktop environment, etc.

So Why Do I Prefer Linux Over Windows?

Windows has always been the prime target for hackers and malware. Everyday, I read stories of Windows users getting absolutely violated left, right and center. Cracked games, malicious email attatchments, exploits... All of this is targeting Windows users on a daily basis. Windows makes up the vast majority of the desktop market share. If hackers want to cause the most damage, earn the most money from selling people's data, they HAVE to target Windows users. This does not mean Linux is immune to threats, heck no... In fact, Linux is the most attacked operating system in the server space. All servers use Linux. The entire internet uses Linux, and MAYBE some BSD-based operating system. But when it comes to desktop attacks, it is so rare, that most Linux veterans say they've never bumped into any Linux malware, ever. They don't even use an antivirus, because it's unnecessary. So let's cover another reason why I prefer Linux, other than it being much safer from malware. The next reason I prefer Linux, is it's so customizable, it's unreal. You can customize literally ANY aspect of your Linux distro, from the icons, to the desktop UI, to even the kernel itself! Linux is built and licensed in a way that allows you to easily modify, and distribute. But this does come with a warning - Linux DOES NOT hold your hand at all! You are fully responsible for anything that breaks, and it's up to you to fix those problems. Some people just reinstall Linux if they can't figure out what the solution is, which is okay - that's basically what Windows users would do anyway. Another reason I use Linux is the software repositories. These are servers that host all the official Linux apps/packages. No more downloading sketchy .exe files from a website you're not sure is friendly, or malicious. This makes Linux work similar to an Android device, or maybe a Windows PC that exclusively uses the Microsoft Store. And did I mention that all these Linux apps are free and open source? Using Linux will spare you so much money from subscription services, and one-time purchases. There are some pretty cool programs exclusive to Linux, which would NEVER be made free for Windows or Mac users. I'm honestly grateful for the developers who take time out of their day to make something for completely free. Linux app developers rely purely on donations to keep their projects running, so... If you have some spare cash lying around, be sure to show the deveolpers of your favourite software some love! So Linux and its apps are free and open source... What else makes me use Linux instead of Windows? Linux is designed to sip on system resources, meaning Linux will run on anything, even if it's a potato with 2GB of RAM, with a GPU from 2005. Linux saves old computers from being trashed, unlike Windows. Microsoft gaslights its Windows users into thinking their computer is getting old, and is "no longer capable", which is complete and utter bullshit! Your old computer is likely still perfectly capable of doing everyday computing tasks - Microsoft just doesn't want you to know it. What Microsoft does want is your money - the whole lot! Honestly... and because this is MY blog, my website... FUCK Micro$oft! They are liars, too. They like to talk about their "care" for the environment - NO! You don't, Microsoft! WE DO, NOT you!

Conclusion

Give Linux a try. Just keep in mind that there are programs which don't have Linux ports, such as Microsoft Office (Which in that case, you can just use a Windows virtual machine within Linux). But if you can get away with using free alternatives on Linux, then just go balls-deep, and never look back. Arguably, Linux is best for normies who don't use special programs. So your granny is actually better off using Linux than Windows, because she'll have the least friction when switching over. I had to work on my switch, but it worked out in the end.