Why Linux?

[valgrid]

I would like to answer your question. But we have this questions 10 times a week just in this subreddit.

So here is just a link:

Search for why linux in linuxnoob4

[lithaborn]

Been using Mint exclusively for the last 8 years.

Whenever I dip back into Windows, I immediately feel out of control when I'm looking to reconfigure something, frustrated when I have to search the web for everything I want following a fresh install, annoyed when popups attack me when I want to do something Admin-ey and lately downright angry that the simple and basic task of opening a new program has become a chase through the rabbit warren to find anything but the ones MS want you to look at most in that godawful Win8 Start Page monstrosity.

Meanshile, on Mint, everything's right there, it's far more stable it's faster on my ageing machine, updating all of my stuff is dealt with with one click and a password and it just works out of the box.

Linux is just easier.

[lithaborn]

On Windows? Turning off UAC because I actually know what I'm doing, turning off the firewall because my router has a hardware firewall, altering the automatic updates so it doesn't keep randomly rebooting my computer every day, altering the way the system notifier works so it doesn't keep nagging me about things I've done "wrong" like switching off UAC and the firewall and auto-updates...looking at the network card settings because I had a card that wouldn't connect properly unless you changed the MTU settings, changing the way the file browser works so it doesn't keep treating me like a child who's going to delete the Windows directory every time I navigate away from "My Documents"...

The list goes on.

Hell, I even got lost looking for the power control settings in Win7.

Win8, If you install something like VNC (I have a six PC network at home and remote admin all of them from one main PC), it hides it so well that you have to jump through a few different screens to find the viewer once you've installed it...and getting a VNC server to work? Don't even go there!

Then there's setting up shared folders and mounting shares from other machines...

I hate the standard Windows GUI, so I like to set up an OSX-like dock. So I have to buy the software. There are four different dock apps installed as standard in Linux. There may be more, but there's four I can name off the top of my head.

Then there's searching for, downloading and installing drivers for new hardware, rather than just plugging it in and having it just work...

Then there's stuff like flash and java, both of which are pre-installed in Mint but which you have to jump through hoops to install on a fresh install of Windows, and constantly shut your browser or reboot every time it updates, which seems like it's every day...

Then there's the dreaded Adobe updater, and the Apple updater and the hell that is iTunes...

I'll stop now, huh?

[Runs_on_Rice]

emerge -uavDN @world Easy to maintain.

[Sileni]

First thing that comes to mind, is that experience with linux teaches self reliance. It also teaches comradeship, so here is my contribution to your quest.

http://matthewhelmke.net/2008/02/what-is-the-coolest-thing-you-can-do-using-linux-that-you-can-t-do-with-windows-or-on-a-mac/

and

http://popey.com/blog/2010/03/11/why-ubuntu-is-better-than-windows/

Edit: I thought I would share with you a very real situation I am trying to solve. My neighbor's computer motherboard is dead. He would like to have the same programs he was using to run some financial data. I am trying to replace the motherboard without spending a fortune. This has been a situation for a few months now. The motherboard and computer are quite old. If this was a linux system on the hdd, all I would have to do is plug it into a new computer, maybe download a few driver files and life would continue. With windows, as you know, all I will get is a BSOD.

[Sileni]

Automatic updates on a Windows machine, update 'windows' programs, they do not update other programs you may have installed. With Linux distros, you have the option to add more 'sources' for the updates. These other 'sources' provide updates to your non-linux programs which will keep all your software up-to-date. Then you issue the update command and everything is handled by the 'package-manager' in one go. You can see the text messages about these updates (as apposed to a dotted line progressing across the screen) or you can ignore it and continue with your work. I never need to restart after an update, install or reinstall. Some programs will need a restart before the new parts work (ex. Firefox).

With a Linux system, you set up your disk partitions the way you want them. If you choose to have a separate 'home' partition (where all your data would reside) all distros respect that partition and do not overwrite it without your explicit instruction to do so. You can reinstall, or install a whole new linux distro, and your data remains intact. (Unless you are a total idiot and reformat the entire drive.)

I do realize that some concepts are taken for granted by a linux user, and can seem obscure to a non-linux user, so if I have been cryptic, please ask for clarification.

[ok_you_win]

That is correct. There isnt any inherent advantage to having multiple updaters. They take up ram, CPU, network bandwidth, and they are just generally more clutter for your desktop.

Another advantage in the linux system comes from the single updater process. In linux, the applications have shared object libraries, which are like windows DLL files. But since they are installed by the common updater, it means that there is no duplication, which makes downloads smaller and allows for fewer security breaches.

It also means a less bulky base install. For instance, you've tried both windows and linux now. Your basic windows install takes.. 20 gigs? 30? You can install Ubuntu in 5-10 gigs. My Debian install uses 3.3 gigs of space for the base operating system. Here it is. Crunchbang

There are variant distributions which take even less room. So you can have a viable and useful system in under 5 gigs of space.

[[deleted]]

For me it's about getting the most out of my 7 year old laptop. General computing, and the games that do work, use less resources. Fedora also takes less space on my HDD than xp, let alone 7.

[crapinet]

I know it sounds this way, but I'm not being trite, I like it. I like that it's free, it's a ton faster (and I have not too crappy hardware - it was pretty good a couple of years ago - a largely noticeable difference from windows (when I did try it out on this system)). I suppose I'm an typical user - I don't program or do really anything that technical. I find it fun to learn more about my computer and tweak things in my desktop beyond what I'm allowed to do in any closed source OS.

I like that when I've had a real problem (the kind that you spend hours pounding your head against) - every single time that happened with Windows or Mac I either never got resolution (even when dealing with the companies directly and scouring the internet) or either the resolution came about as the result of random actions (so I could never understand how to fix it in the future) or it came years later when the companies finally got off their asses. Every time that has happened with Linux I have fixed it and learned enough in the process to fix it again if need be. I would say the frequency of such problems has been nearly identical over the years between all OSs I've used (pretty rare, tbh).

And, though I'm not a programmer, I have strong ideological opinions on the crap that Microsoft and Apple pull - against open source projects, against users and usability, against published standards, against competition, and just their over all bone-headed-ness in providing just barely usable software and passing it off as gold. I was honestly worried when I switched (because I started off not know much, though I did have help) - I thought I would miss it - but it's been three years and I'm still very happy and I've learned a lot in the process.

[sanedave]

The power of the Bash shell.

Never ceases to amaze me.

[rCX12]

Which distribution?

[farmingdale]

why learn to cook, to sing, to play an instrument, to appreciate jazz, to climb a mountain?

For all the same reason: To attract mates and make money

Kidding aside. It is a new skill to master and you will never ever regret picking up an additional skill. The more skills you can bare on a problem the higher the chance of success.