Linux Operating Systems - Should you use it?

Linux Distros are getting more popular than ever, mainly because people are starting to realize that building your own PC is more economical than buying a pre-built ones. When people used to buy pre-built computers they never cared about cost of operating system because most of them came preloaded with an operating system. Windows 10 official license cost $100-200 depending on the license type. So people started to notice Linux distro, since majority of them are open-source, they cost nothing. You just need to download them, install and start using. On top of that, you don't have to worry about virus and malwares.

But Linux ditros have their own ecosystem for softwares. So anyone with a foresight will ask the question, "Should I move to Linux?"

Let me try to answer that question in this post.

Linux Operating Systems - An Introduction

 

When we say Linux OS, we are not talking about any specific operating system. The word Linux is commonly used to represent the entire family of open source Unix-like operating systems. All these operating systems are based on Linux Kernel which was developed by Linus Torvalds in 1991.

Linux Distros were based on character user interface(terminal) for a long time so it wasn't considered as a general purpose operating system as more "user friendly" operating systems were readily available with personal computers. So it was always considered "operating system for nerds". Most Linux users(myself included) will not easily admit it but we are nerds. Yes, we may know some people who are bigger nerd and we consider them 'the real nerds' but the fact it, we ARE nerds from an average person's perspective. 

But things are changing now. Linux Distros are now more intuitive than ever and are as user friendly as any other operating system.

Challenges of migrating to Linux

First challenge- Looks and feels aka desktop environment

The first thing any general user notices when powering on a PC is desktop environment. You will find many Distro that look like Windows or MacOS but not the exact copy. Some people might be used to their Windows/Mac environment. They might not be comfortable with a new environment. Even though their activities are not restricted to any specific OS, they will not switch to something else because they are not comfortable with a new operating system.

Second Challenge- Software and Games

Some people are accustomed to very specific software that are only available for Mac and/or Windows. There obviously are some open-source alternatives in Linux but they will be different than whatever premium software they use in Mac/Windows. And then there is gaming, if you are a hardcore gamer then you probably wouldn't settle for an open-source alternative. And even though a lot more games are supported via Proton, Wine and Lutris, you still can't play all of them. 

Who should consider using Linux - The conclusion

Most Linux Distros are community driven, so nerds are the most suitable user-base for Linux. Most proprietary softwares and games are not targeted for Linux, so anyone other than nerds will not adjust to the OS easily. That's the truth. I'm a Linux user and I would like to see Linux distros become as mainstream as Mac or Windows, but at the same time I'm also aware that not everyone can adjust to Linux as easily as I did. 

But it doesn't mean that you should discredit Linux entirely. If you have really old, low powered PC with Window 7 or older that you want to keep using but you can't because Windows 10 won't run properly, you can definitely install Linux on it. Some lightweight Linux Distro will run on 1GB RAM with ease. Also if you want your kids to get into programming and development but you are worried that they will be distracted by games then you can give them a Linux PC. 

Other than that Linux Live disks are great for recovering data from corrupted Windows PC(I have provided tutorial here). 

If you are still not sure whether you should use Linux or not, you can always try them without installing. Here are some Linux Distros that I recommend to new users:

• Ubuntu - The most popular Linux distro. You may know nothing about Linux but you probably may have heard of it. Having the largest userbase, you can easily find solutions to any trouble you may end up facing. 
  
  
  
• Linux Mint - This is my personal favorite, simple enough to be used by everyone and stable.
  
  
  
• Elementary OS - One of the most beautiful distro I have used. You'll probably like it if you are fan of MacOS.
  
  
  
• Zorin OS - Close contender of Ubuntu and Linux Mint. Resembles Windows a lot.
  
  
  
• Pop!_OS - If you're really into gaming and want a gaming ready distro then this is for you. Supports NVIDIA graphics drivers natively.
  
  
  
  

Some Linux veterans who read this might be wondering why I didn't mention their favorite distro. As I mentioned before, Ubuntu has the largest userbase. And all these distros are based on Ubuntu, so any solution to an issue that worked in one of them, should also work on the rest as well.