And choice, ladies and gentlemen, is good.

Why do I use Linux? Because I like Linux. There are many more advantages to Linux over a “more mainstream” operating system. This trend continues with what we see in today’s releases. This was back in 1984, and was a group effort. When Linux started, back before Linus developed the kernel and released it under the GPL (GNU Public License), Richard Stallman and his group were working on a project called GNU (GNU’s Not Unix). Linux has a huge community, and it’s growth and stability are based from that community. There are other distributions that are more mainstream (Ubuntu and Fedora), some for more business related application (Red Hat, CentOS), and some for penetration testing (Kali Linux). You select the desktop environment, the applications you want and only those ones and you set up the partitioning table your way. You then build the operating system how you want. There are distributions out there that only provide the kernel, a package manager (an application similar to Windows Store in Win 10, or the Apps store in iOS), and a few must have drivers and commands. As I have mentioned before, it’s lightweight. One rule of thumb is to ensure either through the manufacturers website or other online sources has a driver before purchasing.

With some equipment, like higher end or new servers, desktop components like video and sound cards, may not have a working driver. Some are just down right impossible unless you have a very good grasp of partitioning schemes (how a hard drive is divided into smaller chunks of storage). Some distributions, the different releases or versions of the operating system, are hard to install. This can slow down a computer and take time and effort to remove. With Windows, when purchasing a computer from the store, or online from a manufacturer, it usually comes with trials of programs, half installed applications, health of the system monitoring services and other things we call “bloatware”. Why use Linux? Personally, I use Linux as an alternative to Windows and iOS. Why wear that shirt? Why have your hair that way? Tattoos, piercings. You’ll be surprised how often I hear this question. Apple is quickly leading the phone market with the iPhone. iOS is based on Unix, which is the backbone of Linux (just went down a different path).

Yes, it is secure when you do your updates, backups and scans. It has the lions share of desktops, laptops and server operating systems. “Isn’t Windows and iOS the same?” Yes, Windows is versatile. These are reasons I like and have used Linux for years. This lightweight operating system can give new life to older equipment, high end servers and can also be embedded into smaller technology (tablets, phones, Raspberry Pi.the list can go on). It should come as no big surprise, for those that know me personally, that I am a fan of Linux.

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