What so “ SPECIAL “ About Linux Operating System?
What so “ SPECIAL “ About Linux Operating System?
It's just another standard desktop OS, similar to Windows or Mac OS. It works well for certain tasks but not others compared to other systems. Try VirtualBox, install Linux yourself, and explore it. Debian, Fedora, or Linux Mint are great starting points for virtual machines. You can also use Windows Subsystem for Linux on Windows 10 and 11. BSDs, Open, Free, and Net are available options. If you're in IT, learning Linux is a valuable skill.
We run Linux Mint with the Cinnamon desktop for over 40 users. It performs well. It’s completely free and speeds up performance. After Microsoft removed my partner's Windows10 in 2018 and replaced it with Windows7, she used a Linux Mint machine with her saved files and continued working as if nothing changed. Except each month it remained unaffected by Microsoft issues—no virus scans required. You simply download an ISO and burn it to a USB drive using Rufus. You’ll need to add Rufus to Windows. If the target disk already has Windows and you wish to remove it, choose the wipe-and-install option. During setup, just below the password fields, you can enable a checkbox to skip entering a password at boot. Remember, a password is still necessary for any installation. By default, Firefox and LibreOffice are installed. You can easily add many additional applications through the Software Manager. Bluetooth functionality works when prompted.
You're getting a lot of Linux desktop answers here. That's fine, but that's not really where Linux is the most popular. Linux is first and foremost a server OS. That's where it's gained the most popularity and where it has the most fans. Here's why I always choose Linux servers (Ubuntu specifically): * Stability A Linux server is rock solid and it typically will not fail on you in unexpected ways. Apple had that "it just works" marketing campaign years ago, and while it wasn't really true then or now for lots of their stuff. But this is 100% for your core Linux OS and toolchain. Core utilities like cron, grep, bash, sed, and more just work flawlessly. You've also got stability in how the tools work over time. The first Linux server I ever administered was a Debian server running Debian 3.1 Sarge. Right now, I'm running Ubuntu 22.04 on most servers and lots of what I learned on Debian Sarge still serves me well. * Software Availability There are an absolutely staggering number of applications on Linux. Ubuntu's got 5968 arm64 packages in the main repo and 57941 universe packages. If there's a task that you want your server to do, odds are extremely good that there's something in the repo that'll do it. * Scripting and daisy chaining Once you find some software in the repos, it's incredibly easy to write a bash script that'll do what you want done. And you can even run that script on other servers with the software installed, no problem. And if actually just found two scripts, each that does half the job you want it's trivial to pipe the output of one script into another. And there's no limit to how many times you can do it. I've got log search scripts that concatenate a bunch of files and narrow down the output multiple times before giving it to me. A book I like Wicked Cool Shell Scripts contains a bash script which is just hangman, the word game. Seriously the power of bash scripting and POSIX standards is one of the things that every Linux server admin loves. * Software development If you can't find something that does just want you want, and you can't hack a script together that'll do it then there's no easier platform for development than Linux servers. Every compiler is available for it, and everything "just works" (aside from your own code, but that's what stackoverflow is for). Those are just the things that come to me off the top of my head, there are probably loads more. It's just a great OS that does what you need it to do, and it's got enough power and flexibility to handle anything you can manage to throw at it.
There are two distinct roles—1) Desktop or laptop computers handling office tasks such as documents, spreadsheets, presentations, browsing, audio/video work, design, and image editing. 2) Servers with their specific needs. Keep in mind that the world’s 500 fastest computers run Linux, but they aren’t functioning as servers. Most people use Linux personally for role 1.
The discussion centers on choosing between server solutions. Some view Linux as a powerful server OS, while others see it differently. The core idea is that Linux excels in flexibility and cost-effectiveness, especially for those who value technical expertise. Financial considerations also play a key role—either paying for licenses or leveraging free software with in-house support. The decision ultimately depends on organizational priorities and budget constraints.
This comparison doesn't really hold up. Linux is more commonly applied to servers than electricity. A closer match would be Xeon processors—useful in workstations, but most servers run them. Perhaps it's related to the regions I've worked in, though everywhere I've been, Linux was adopted without support. Many organizations avoid mission-critical software with no support model, preferring Windows Server because it's more affordable. People opt for Linux over Windows Server not for cost, but for performance and quality.
I chose to try Fedora/Linux not because it’s unique, but due to the situation Ronnie described—feeling too lazy to invest in a Windows license when setting up my first computer. I initially intended to program there, but haven’t pursued it much yet. The main advantage right now is that Linux runs slightly faster and installs quicker than Windows. It also means I don’t have to worry about driver installations for certain hardware. For troubleshooting, I added a Windows OS SSD, yet the 10 Gigabit Ethernet port still doesn’t work on Linux.