13 Reasons Why Linux Is Better Than Windows

Security

Linux tends to be a highly reliable and secure system than any other operating system (OS). Linux and Unix-based OS have fewer security flaws, as many developers constantly review the code. And anyone has access to its source code. So, you won’t need any anti-virus software to protect your PC from malware and viruses. The reason it’s secure is that it’s open-source, which means you can see its source code. As a result, bugs in the Linux OS will fix rapidly compared to other OS.

Free

If you use windows, you need to buy or use a cracked version, like a thief. It just doesn’t feel good after a certain age when you use something unethically when a free better OS is available for you.

Developer Friendly

The package manager of Linux is way more robust than any other OS. Installing software in Linux is notably easy compared to Windows. It can enhance the workflow for programmers remarkably. In most cases, you only need to open up the terminal and write:

1sudo apt-get install <software-name>

That’s because Linux has software managers like apt, rpm, dpkg, and synaptic. In Windows, you need to search for the website where you can find it. Download the .exe file. Then click on the .exe file. Click, click, click, ……. Finally, in most cases, you need to reboot the system to make the software work. Whereas in Linux, this process is way easier and requires no rebooting to make the software work.

Pre-installed Powerful Tools

A lot of handy useful programming tools comes pre-installed with Linux. For example, grep, wget, cron, etc. Linux also comes with native support for SSH, which helps manage servers swiftly.

It also depends on the different distributions of Linux. Like in Kali Linux, you get many pre-installed hacking and penetration testing tools, which helps a beginner start the learning process immediately.

System Update

In Linux, users have complete control over updating their systems. The system updates are immensely faster in Linux. You can update the system anytime or never; that’s your wish. On the other hand, Windows sometimes forces the user to update the system.

You power up your system sometimes, and out of nowhere, the system starts updating when you may need to send an urgent mail to someone. Also, system updates are notoriously slow in Windows.

Privacy

Windows always collect user data. Almost everything. Even if they give you the option to diagnostics data viewer, many complain that it’s just a pretense. Linux doesn’t have any hide and seeks games, as you can always look into its source code.

When it comes to Linux, you can see everything transmitting from your system if you’re tech-savvy enough. Even if you’re not, tens of thousands of eyes are looking into the source code and looking for flaws that can cause any vulnerability to the system.

Task Automation

One can work more efficiently by automating tasks, making life easier. Bash shell scripting doesn’t come native to windows, and you need to install third-party software to make it work in an ugly way. Experienced Linux users don’t write one thing twice because Linux lends itself very well to task automation.

Sometimes we do the same thing repeatedly, which consumes a lot of time. All of these repetitive tasks can be automated with one-liners. Linux terminal is the heart of Linux. There are Bash, SH, Korn, ZSH, and Fish shells; use whatever you like. The terminals are about efficiency—no unnecessary movements, browsing through file manager, and clicks.

Portability

Linux is a portable OS that supports a wide range of computer architectures. Portability means quickly moving your code from one system architecture to another. Having a lightweight system is amazing when you need to troubleshoot a system in daily life.

Now, let’s say you have a GitHub repo where there is a set of instructions to install all the software you use in just one file. You can execute that one file from anywhere to make your system ready to go with all the software you use in an entirely new Linux installed in your system. Perhaps, within 20 minutes, your system will be prepared to go as your daily driver.

Customization

If you don’t like something in Linux, you can remove it or modify it according to your choice. For example, if you don’t like GNOME, you can change it to KDE plasma. Else, you can also install a lot of extensions to enhance your desktop environment, or even you can make your custom UI. You won’t find this level of freedom in any other OS.

You can even run your Linux without any UI at all. A lot of people/companies use Linux only to maintain servers, so all you need is just a terminal.

Hardware Support

Windows-powered systems require higher hardware requirements. As the OS evolves, your old hardware-supported PC may become obsolete with the latest Windows systems because it won’t support your old hardware. Whereas with Linux, you can install it on very low-end hardware systems.

System Performance

Linux-powered PCs are way faster than Windows. The main reason for that Linux is a lightweight system, and Windows is crammed with lots of unnecessary software. A lot of systems running in the background make your windows PCs sluggish.

Another reason is file systems are pretty organized in Linux, and files are located in chunks closer to each other, making read-write operation way faster than Windows.

That’s the reason most cloud systems run on Linux. Even Microsoft runs Linux to run Azure. xD

Linux Can Run Almost Anywhere

You can run Linux from Super Computers to Game Consoles, Smart TVs, Smartwatches, Car infotainment systems, Flight entertainment systems, Self-driving cars, Nuclear Submarines, and many more. NASA heavily relies on Linux for data transmission from satellites and telescopes. Read about this more here.

Meaningful Error Message

“Oops! Something went wrong…” type of message is not useful at all. I know that Windows users are tired of this blue screen.

This sort of error message doesn’t help in any way. As a user, I want to know what went wrong. If you can understand the explicit error message, you can at least attempt to solve the problem.

Linux provides detailed error logs that tell you what caused the error. Knowing what went wrong precisely gives you the option to search for the solution on the internet.

Author: Sadman Kabir Soumik