Just a small disclaimer, I am not here to preach the promote or campaign Linux. I am not a fanboy of Linux, in fact, I've been extremely critical of Linux since I've been an active user in 2009. I'm just trying to show those who don't know what Linux can do for them and how it differs from commercial operating systems. Now, on to the list.
Linux is free
Pretty straight forward. Linux doesn't cost a dime. Just download the .iso of you're favourite distribution and burn it to a disc or USB. Not to mention, Linux offers free alternatives to many popular commercial software applications (the obvious ones being Libre Office and Gimp, which are alternatives to Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop). Many of these applications come right out of the box too.
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| The new LibreOffice and Gimp (image credit: ZDNet) |
Linux is free
No, this is not the same reason as the first. Linux is designed with freedom in mind. Every part of the operating system is customisable For example, in Windows or OSX, you pretty much only have Explorer or the Finder to browse for files and that's it. Ubuntu comes with a file browser called Nautilus. But it's not your only option, in fact, not by far. There also Marlin, Dolphin, Thunar, PCManFM etc. For the hardcore who want to manage EVERYTHING, there's always Arch Linux.
Linux is lightweight
Say for example, you have an old computer. Maybe one that's about 6-7 years old. If you want to run a modern operating like Windows 7 or Mac OSX Mountain Lion, you'll be hard pressed to get it to perform at a reasonable level. Linux can offer a modern operating system for even ancient hardware. To put it in perspective, I've used Linux distributions like Lubuntu or Puppy Linux to make use of laptops from over a decade ago and these operating systems are still regularly updated and supported. Some distributions of Linux are less than 100MB in size and can still do basic tasks reasonably.
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| Lubuntu can run modern software on ancient hardware (image credit: MakeTechEasier) |
The community
The Linux community has some of the most active and dedicated users of any on the web. Despite what you might think, Linux is extremely compatible with a lot of hardware straight out of the box without the need to install additional drivers. This is actually a remarkable feat when you consider the volume of hardware out there. Even some of the support for newer hardware surprises me. I was surprised to plug in my iPod and notice I can access app data from a file browser right out the box. Just a bit of perspective, my Mac does not even do that. This is all thank to the community, and they're knack for hounding developers to get they're hardware supported.
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| Ubtuntu has the largest community support of all Linux distributions (image credit: Canonical) |
Nothing to lose. Seriously.
You have absolutely no excuse not to try Linux. If you can afford a 1GB USB, then you can afford to at least TRY Linux. A Linux distribution can be loaded onto a USB using tools like UNetBootin which you can then boot from and try, without touching any of the files on your computer (these are known as Live USBs). So within 5 minutes of downloading your favourite distribution, you can be trying it out just as if you had installed it, without installing it. If you had the time to read this article, you have the time to try Linux.
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