Linux is better than Windows, Mac OS, yet most of us don't use it.

The graph speaks volumes in-terms of how we humans have gravitated to the shinny non-upgraded hardware with bloated OS, that spies on us. (Mac OS)

I personally believe the Linux offering is way better than MAC OS or Windows for a developer environment and perhaps it can extend itself towards personal computing for the next generation of children who are learning code at school.

The first thing I want to cover is stability and choice. So, Linux depending on how much experience you’ve got of it you may or may not know that there’s loads of flavours of Linux you can download. They are called distributions, think of them as an Operating system with different configurations and software that is tailored to fit the development needs.

For developers, as usual, Fedora 35 includes the news programming languages and system library packages. These include LLVM 13, a GNU toolchain update; Python 3.10; Perl 5.34; PHP 8.0; and many others. Do you want to push Linux's limits? Are you thrilled by the idea of running the latest open-source software? Then you'll want to run Red Hat's newest version of its community Linux, Fedora 35.

So, if you compare this to something, like, Mac OS or Windows which is restrictive and comes at a cost and the manufactures like Windows and Apple make sure the upgrades on the software kernels slows down your brand new hardware, whereas, with Linux, because it’s an open source-based software, everyone’s looking out for best interest of the open source community, and they constantly try to make the software smaller and faster. Which cannot be said about Apple and Windows. So it essentially means that you’re going to have a more stable operating system because Linux is based on performance, security and stability.

Unlike Windows and Mac, Linux still provides lifelong support for older machines with its various distributions. This is what I like most about Linux and its distributions. Even if you cannot carry out larger tasks, you can still carry out normal day-to-day tasks such as web browsing, writing/editing word document, watching movies, or listening to music. So why throw your old machine if you can still make use of it?

We will look at the best Linux distributions that can be easily used and installed on older computers with minimal hardware. Some of the Linux distributions listed here might be useful for beginners also.

Ubuntu 20.04 (Focal Fossa) feels stable, cohesive, and familiar, which is not surprising given the changes since the 18.04 release, such as the move to to newer versions of the Linux Kernel and Gnome. As a result, the user interface looks excellent and feels smoother in operation than the previous LTS version. Ubuntu remains a lightweight, portable, OS for home users, students, and developers alike. Anyone looking to embrace the open-source lifestyle or who wants a break from the world of Microsoft, Apple, and Google should try it out.

So, for example, Windows server…you generally get a graphical user interface with it built in by default. Whereas, if you know you’re only going to be using command line on a Linux distribution then you can just go ahead and grab one that doesn’t have something like that included. This goes a long way to making it more stable and sort of less prone to crashing.

Linux is a family of free, open source software operating systems built around the Linux kernel. Originally developed for personal computers based on the Intel x86 architecture, Linux has since been ported to more platforms than any other operating system. Thanks to the dominance of the Linux kernel-based Android OS on smartphones, Linux has the largest installed base of all general-purpose operating systems.

Linux is also the leading operating system on servers and "big iron" systems such as mainframe computers, and it is the only OS used on TOP500 supercomputers.

Kali Linux has gained a lot of popularity recently. And there’s a reason for that. Hacking is back as the cool thing to do in popular culture and this can be attributed significantly to the TV series Mr. Robot.Kali is one of the few hacking-focused Linux distributions, and Mr. Robot’s popularity has obviously helped Kali Linux attract new users. Second point is which cloud provider you prefer. So, again, we’re all in on Amazon Web Services and they’re big advocates of open source, and their initial offering for their servers was all Linux-based and they’ve sort of become a way to differentiate Amazon from the other providers.

So obviously, as you can imagine, Microsoft’s cloud offering is primarily Windows-based. So although they do offer Linux servers you can imagine that they’re going to have a leg up on the competition, especially Amazon and Google, when it comes to offering Windows systems.

So, because we’re all in on Amazon, basically, we love using their stuff, it’s the best supported. So that’s another great reason to stick with Linux if you’ve got an affinity to using Amazon Web Services over Microsoft Azure.

To every stereotype there is some element of truth. One of the main reasons that Manjaro is so popular has to do with its roots. Manjaro is based on Arch Linux and inherits many elements of Arch Linux but it is a very distinct project. Unlike Arch Linux, almost everything is pre-configured in Manjaro. This makes it one of the most user-friendly Arch-based distributions. A lot of new users get attracted to this idea and I can’t blame them.

Another one which is a little bit contentious is security. And now this is a bit of a tradeoff here because with open source software, generally, the source code is available for anyone to read. So, that means security researchers or corporate backers of the open source community can read and amend this code or they can find bugs much quicker whereas closed source software is obviously only available to review or fix from an internal point of view.

So, although bugs do get found from outsiders it’s much harder for them to find. It’s more like a penetration testing experience to find these bugs. Whereas with things like Linux or Ubuntu or packages that go into that software anyone can read that and contribute back to it. So, you may think, “Wait a minute, well if they can see the source code it’ll be quicker or easier for them to find bugs in that source code. And if they don’t contribute that back then it becomes a security issue.”

Now, that is true and that does happen on time to time. But in the main part really it’s for the best and for the greater good that everyone can read the source code. Because if you’re deploying a big client system, it’s a big production system and you’re doing it using closed source software you don’t know what that software’s doing. At the end of the day, it could be a malicious software. So, if it’s Linux then you know that people have looked at it and you can look at it if you’re that way inclined. You can literally look at the exact code that you’re running or deploying for clients.

The years go by, and I keep trying one Linux desktop distro after the other. But for more than a decade now, I come back to Linux Mint. Why? It's simple: Year in and year out, Mint remains the best, easiest-to-use Linux desktop. That's the case again with the latest release, called Linux Mint 20.2 "Uma." While I prefer the Gnome-2-based Cinnamon desktop (now up to version 5.04), Mint gives you a choice of fully supported interfaces. These include MATE, a Gnome-2 fork, and the ultra-lightweight Xfce. Most desktop users will be pleased with Cinnamon or MATE. But if you have older low-powered systems or if you're running Linux on Chromebooks or Windows 10 PCs with Windows SubSystem for Linux (WSL) 2, Xfce is an excellent choice.

A Linux system, it’s more reliable and secure than Windows and Mac OS. That’s why, around the world, starting from beginners to IT experts, make their choices to use Linux than any other system. And in the server and supercomputer sector, Linux becomes the first choice and dominant platform for most users. All of the above is reason enough to explore Linux, but I have also been inspired by others.

I’m not telling you to ditch your Apple devices. If you’re happy with them, keep them. My x wife is perfectly happy with her new Mac Book Pro. I’m merely telling you the reasons compelling me to ditch mine. And I know ditching Apple sounds a bit extreme. It sounds equally extreme in both the US and Europe, but for different reasons: in the US most small/independent web developers could probably not imagine their work and life in the absence of Mac devices, while in Europe the Macs are expensive enough that few developers and companies are actually using them.

Most people become disoriented when they first use a new operating system, especially if the user interface has changed in any way. However, when they get used to a new way of doing things, they end up liking the new interface more than the old one.

So, All I am trying to say is give it a try, and trust me you will love it once you start using it if you are a technical nerd like me or not. While no operating system is completely risk-free, Windows is a big target for developers of viruses and malware. There is little that Microsoft can do about this issue and Apple is now learning the lessons of Microsoft with security vulnerabilities. Linux is more secure than Windows or Mac because of the way it's designed and handles user permissions better. This is one reason why most of the web runs on Linux.

Linux is highly customizable. You can completely change the look and feel and adjust nearly every part of it so that it works the way you want. Windows and Mac has a limited set of tweaks available, but Linux lets you alter absolutely everything, sky is the limit.