5 Reasons To Dump Microsoft Windows For Linux
Does Microsoft Windows get you down sometimes? Do you ever get frustrated that you always have to watch out for viruses, pay for security software, and deal with other headaches that come with Microsoft Windows? If so I want to let you know you do have another choice, and best of all its a free choice! This free choice will give you freedom! The free choice is Linux.
Top 5 Reasons To Dump Windows for Linux
1. Security – Linux is a very secure operating system. In fact, most distros come with pretty sound defaults for the most part. Since most applications you could ever need are located in trusted repositories signed with pgp keys and checked by community maintainers, you can be sure the software is safe and trusted. There is no need to download programs form untrusted external web sites under most circumstances.
Linux also doesn’t have to worry about Windows viruses infecting your computer, nor do you have to worry about running 3rd party security software to protect your linux system. Clam AV, the open source virus scanner is freely available to scan your email and other files if you wish. It is not necessary however unless you want to scan files you will be sending to your windows using friends. Also, most Linux distros come with some sort of MAC(Mandatory Access Control) like AppArmor or SELinux turned on by default to protect your web facing applications.
2. The OS is Free and Open Source - Linux and most of the applications that come with it are free and open source software. This means you are no longer stuck to a restrictive licensing scheme, or at the mercy of proprietary software activation systems. You are free to install Linux on as many computers as you wish, and you can even give free copies to all your friends and family. Donations of money or time are appreciated, but not required. Even posting in help forums or blog entries on how to do stuff with Linux is contributing. It is set up so each person can contribute to what their knowledge level is, or to cater to the amount of money you can comfortably donate to a Linux based project. It is a win-win for everyone involved.
3. Linux is not hard to use – Contrary to popular thought, Linux is not hard to use. It is just not Microsoft Windows. Since Linux is not windows, it can seem hard to use at first because it is different. However, with distros like Ubuntu, Mint, etc it is really easy to become comfortable using it in a very short time. Since this lessens the learning curve needed, I have found many users migrate over quite quickly to the platform. Ubuntu and Mint both are incredibly easy distros to use and are perfect Linux newcomer platforms. In fact, both of these distros have extensive help pages to help guide you along if you get stuck, and a very helpful community. The Ubuntu forums are invaluable and make finding help much easier.
4. Open Office is compatible with Microsoft Office- It seems today most Linux distros ship with a Office suite, the most popular being Open Office. It is an open source office suite that is compatible with Microsoft Office Formats. In other words, you will have no problem opening, editing, and saving Microsoft Office documents with it. It also supports the Open Document Format which is an xml based format that has been accepted as an industry standard.
5. Your computer will run faster – Since you do not have to have antivirus software, antispyware software, and other security application running in real-time, your computer will work and respond faster. You will no longer have to wait 15 seconds to 2 minutes (depending on your computer specs) before you have a truly usable desktop without it being slow and laggy. The Linux desktop is available to be used immediately as soon as it appears. This means less time waiting, and more time using your computer to do the things you enjoy.
There you have it! 5 quick reasons to make the switch to a Linux distro today. If your new to Linux, i would try Ubuntu or Linux Mint first.(based on Ubuntu) as they are great starter distros as well as even good distros for the advanced user depending on your tastes. There are also countless other distros out there you can try to find the one you like the best.
I hope you enjoyed this article, and please comments are welcome.
If anyone has any other good reasons to switch to Linux, please comment below.
