You may have been using Windows for years. You might love it, hate it, or just wonder if there’s a real alternative. Here are the reasons to tell if you’ve outgrown Windows and should consider checking out Linux.
You’re the local “computer person”
Why not get into “indie computing?”
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If you’re the person people come to when they have issues with their computers, you might want to think about trying Linux. If you want to grow in your knowledge of computing, Linux is the place to do it. I’ll talk more about that later in this article. Linux is the OS that’s by computer people and for computer people.
If you really get into music, you’ll probably have at least passing knowledge of the Top 40, but there’s a better chance that you’re into some more obscure artists. It’s like that with computers. Windows is like a popular hit, but Linux is like an indie deep cut. Ordinary people might not know about it, but talk to people who are seriously into computing about Linux, and they’ll know what you’re talking about.
You’ve already tweaked Windows
You can tweak Linux even more
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Other people will keep their Windows systems as they come, but you’re different. You’ve installed your favorite apps. You know which settings to tweak. You might have installed PowerToys. You might have even changed some registry settings.
You’ve probably found that there are limits to what you can do with Windows. You might have tried to install something or tried to tweak a setting and have the system fight you. You’re the one who should decide how your computer works, shouldn’t you?
Don’t you want a system where you can customize everything you want and it would just let you? Linux might be your best bet. Sure, you might do something catastrophic by accident, but that’s why you would try it on a spare machine, or a virtual machine, or dual-boot, or WSL, and so on.
Make sure you keep good backups, too, so you can restore when, not if, you trash your system from making a configuration change you didn’t understand. Sometimes you have to touch the stove to learn.
Linux can seem scary and difficult when you start, but as with a lot of other things in life, if you push through your initial frustration and anxiety, you’ll be rewarded with an OS that puts you in control of your computer.
You’re serious about programming or IT
Use the tools the pros do
If you’re thinking of pursuing a technical career, whether that’s system administration, IT, programming, or anything else, Linux is the platform that professionals use for their work.
If you know your career will involve technology, an investment in Linux will pay dividends in your professional life for many years. It’s the platform of choice for AI researchers and data scientists. It powers many developer workstations. Linux is a workhorse on servers, from the back-office wiring closet to large data centers. A Linux server is likely bringing you this article.
You want to know why things work
Linux will show you
Many people will use their Windows machine just to get their jobs done. Most likely, it will be running Word or Excel. I’m convinced that the Apocalypse, when it comes, will be planned in an Excel workbook somewhere.
You’re different. You’ll want to understand how things actually work, and that includes your software. The best way to understand how a program actually works is to view its source code. You’ll have to know the language, such as Python, C, or Rust, but once you know that, for a well-structured program, you can look at a source file and understand how a program works.
The source code for Windows isn’t available, or at least not to ordinary people. Certain clients, such as government agencies or corporations, can get access to the Windows source code under the Shared Source Initiative. And even then, they’re not allowed to modify it.
Linux is different. The kernel, which is the heart of the operating system, is available for anyone to look it. Better yet, you can modify it. You can also distribute your own version. Many people have created their own distributions of Linux.
And the vast majority of the software is also similarly free to study and modify.
Even if you’re not a programmer, Linux is a remarkably transparent operating system. You can examine most of the configuration information with just a text editor. You can do the same for logs, too.
You want to automate your life
You can script Linux to your heart’s content
Does your finger get tired from clicking the mouse? I’m not qualified to give medical advice, but trying Linux could save on repetitive strain injuries.
The reason is that Linux makes it easy to create scripts to automate repetitive tasks. Python is popular because it’s easy to learn and has a lot of libraries. That’s why it’s so widely used beyond Linux. The classic scripting language is shell scripting, with Bash being the most popular shell on Linux. The power of the shell is not so much the language itself but the way it can connect the utility programs through pipelines, sending the output of one program to the input of the other.
Break out of the Windows rut
If you feel constrained by Windows, trying out Linux will pay off for you. You don’t have to do it all it once. WSL, virtual machines, live distros and dual-booting can all help you taste Linux.