10 reasons to Switch Over to Linux from Windows


Most of us are still using Windows Operating systems like Windows XP or Vista. But everyone should have heard about Linux and its features. In this article I discussed about Windows vs Linux. If you haven’t tried Linux and is thinking of switching to a new operating system, Here are 10 reasons to make the switch from Windows to Linux..

1. Free:  Linux is an open source project. As they say, it is free as in free beer. All you need to install Linux is an Internet connection to download the iso files and a CD where you can burn the iso. Compare this with Windows which costs a lot!

 2. Linux distributions are COMPLETE: All the decent Linux distributions are complete: they include almost all the applications like office applications, pdf reader, web servers, compilers, etc. You don’t have to pay anything to download and install these applications. Ubuntu comes with OpenOffice, which is a perfect substitute for MS Office.

 3. Virus, Spyware, Adware ? None of these can affect a Linux based system. In fact, you don’t even have to install an anti-virus software which bogs down system performance in Windows.

 4. Low system requirements: I have a tough time running Windows XP on my system and Vista needs 1-2 GB RAM to work properly. On the other hand, Ubuntu boots and runs perfectly fast on this low configuration PC.

 5. Much Stable: Linux is much more stable when compared with Windows. This is the reason most of the web servers are run using Linux. Forget about the blue screen of death [BSOD]!

 6. Programming tools: If you want to learn programming, Linux is the best for you. Linux distributions come with many compilers and other tools to write and execute code. For example, I use gcc to compile C files which I write using the vi editor. I also have python IDLE installed which I use to learn programming in python.

 7. Faster release cycles: Linux distributions are upgraded very fast. New versions of most Linux distributions are released once in every 6 months.

 8. Helpful community: Linux has a large fan-following. There are many forums and blogs which can help you if you have any problem. Millions of people cannot be wrong!

 9. You can run Linux along with Windows: You can run Linux along with Windows on a different partition. You can boot to Windows wherever you want. It is also possible to run Linux in Windows using emulator software like VMWare or MS Virtual PC. Likewise, it is also possible to run Windows applications in Linux using emulators like Wine (This Wine is different!).

 10. A new learning experience: Install Linux on your computer and you will learn many new things. Linux does have a point and click interface, but you can use the command line or “Terminal” as it is called to completely unleash the power of Linux. This way you will learn many cool and new things.

 linux-vs-windows

Are you ready for the switch ? Which distribution to choose ? The answer to this question would depend on your specific needs. Here is a list of Linux Desktop Environments. I also wrote about How to Create your own Linux Distribution.  However, if you are a newbie I would recommend Ubuntu or Edubuntu. This Linux distribution if very easy to install and is the most popular distribution currently in use. So point to www.ubuntu.org, download an iso file, burn it and install it on your system.

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