Why use Linux?

[hodge-podge]

The popularity of Linux among the programing crowd has always puzzled me. Because I do not personally know anyone who uses Linux, I've never been able to get an answer.

Is it because of its it allows you to implement your code further?

[Orjan]

I'd say its more of the more computer geeky, or the more computer knowledge you get, the more interesting linux becomes. Linux is a unix clone, an in many ways research and voluntarily driven development, contradictive Windows, which has been Commercially driven all time.

Linux is open source, free to use on most conditions, and easy to modify to your needs, while Windows is closed-source, and is very hard to modify in the core.

So, oftenly, the "free" programmers, has been holding linux warm, and the commercial programmers has held windows warmer to them.

Me myself, has done some linux, but only as a user, not as a developer, and for me, I really like linux, but for me, it's not usable as windows is, yet. Yes, it is extremely customizable, but it is also harder to get how you like. In Windows, you can't do soo much, but what you can do, isn't so difficult instead.

[oliver.rush]

People use Linux where I work. It's simple, very customizable, stable and secure (note: secure doesn't mean invulnerable).

There are a series of advantages using Linux as a programmer. First, you can see and change every single detail in the OS, and that's a lot of learning.

Second, tools for development are way better in Linux (although GCC really sucks). You can choose among a lot of very good editors, frameworks and IDE's. Besides, for web development, Apache was first built for Linux.

Besides, you have a support that really works. Bugs submitted are taken seriously (I can say that for experience). And it's free. But that doesn't mean you can only write free software on it.

Just remember that softwares should be solutions, not religions. Try it, see what fits you best.

[WingedPanther]

For me, I find Linux to be much more stable than Windows, and I don't have to wade through mountains of over-priced crap. Some of the Linux software is crap too, but at least you don't waste money to find that out.

[hodge-podge]

For me, I find Linux to be much more stable than Windows, and I don't have to wade through mountains of over-priced crap. Some of the Linux software is crap too, but at least you don't waste money to find that out.

What software do you need to pay for windows? Other than the os itself there is plenty of freeware out there....

[WingedPanther]

The problem is communicating with others. If I want to send a diagram to someone, they expect it in visio format. If I'm unwilling to steal/buy visio, I have to be sure my product can send exported images. The Windows environment is full of proprietary formats.

By contrast, the Linux world allows me to say "just apt-get this program to read the file", and they both can and will. In addition, many of the file formats are well documented and used by multiple applications (ODF, for example). I can use OpenOffice instead of MS Office, Dia instead of Visio, etc, but there are still issues. Worse, at work I haven't upgraded from Office 2000 to 2007, so I have to use OpenOffice to open those pesky docx and xlsx files I sometimes get. However, to be compatible with other customers, if I upgrade to 2007, I have to set it to use the old .doc and .xls formats.

When upgrades are potentially expensive, and compatibility is a pain, why pay for the OS if all the free software works as well or better on the free OS?

[CatchMeTux]

Secure and very fast

[TimVim]

My personal opinion is that you shouldn't since there are many security holes, and any problem can be easily identified and exploited since it is opensource.

Take for instance the exploits recently found in firefox (which are illegal to explain).

[WingedPanther]

What are you talking about? I am regularly having to clean up Windows computers that have all kinds of malware on them through simply browsing the web. This is despite having anti-virus software on the computer!

A real firewall (I use comodo), Firefox + Adblock plus and I can avoid those problems. Of course, when I switch to Linux, the malware just doesn't run. It doesn't have a registry to hijack, and even if something got corrupted, I could run a live CD and modify the configuration files in a simple text editor to clean up whatever it was.

Also, being opensource doesn't mean more vulnerable. Vulnerabilities are easy to spot, if they exist, but also easier to fix. You don't need Microsoft's permission to patch a Linux/FF vulnerability. IE vulnerabilities can take months.

[oliver.rush]

My personal opinion is that you shouldn't since there are many security holes, and any problem can be easily identified and exploited since it is opensource.

Take for instance the exploits recently found in firefox (which are illegal to explain).

Does it smell like FUD to anybody else?

If you don't trust it because it's opensource, then perhaps you shouldn't use the internet, since a great part of name servers run BIND, and it's open source as well.