Well, it's been a while (1991) since Linus Torvalds asked for help on his new project, i.e., creating an OS he could use which wasn't too expensive for him. He was a student then, with limited funds. Now, 24 years later, Linux has come a long long way.
Not many people know this, but the Linux OS runs on every supercomputer on this planet. It runs on every Android phone on the planet, as well as every Chromebook and every Chromebox, not to mention a shitload of servers. One company surveyed businesses around the world and found that 78% of them run free software, like Linux.
Android runs on 76.6% of cell phones around the world (figures taken in the last quarter of 2014), as opposed to the way-too-expensive iPhone (19.7%), and the not-doing-well-at-all Windows cell phone market, which is at a low of 2.8% of phones on the worldwide market. I can't say I'll be shedding any tears for the Redmond company.
Microsoft may control the desktop, but Linux far outnumbers Windows on the cell phone; it also outnumbers Windows on servers and owns the super computers. Server and supercomuter users and makers know that Linux is secure and powerful enough for mission critical stuff like , say, running the main computers at CERN's Large Hadron Collider.
But lest you think Linux is only for computer Geeks, think again. Linux has come a long way since the early days when installing it and running it was a pain in the arse. Today, there are dozens of Linux distributions which pride themselves in how easily their distro can be installed and used.
Some of the Linux old guard, who didn't want Linux to be "dumbed down" for the masses, have since changed their minds. Linux users are also now younger on average and willing to make Linux as user-friendly as they can; and they have succeeded wonderfully in the past few years.
Personally, I run several versions of the Manjaro distribution, but I've also been a fan of Xubuntu, Kubuntu, Arch, Zenwalk, Makulu and a host of others over the years. You might say that I'm somewhat of a distro whore, and you'd be right if you did, even though I've come to prefer Manjaro over all the others.
My question to you, dear Reader, is why haven't you tried Linux yet? Why do you stick with an insecure and bloated OS like Windows, for which you have to shell out good money? Why do you spend your hard-earned bucks on over-priced Apple computers, when you could be running an OS that costs you NOTHING???
Linux is free, and that's not just free as in free beer, but free as in Liberty, the Liberty to do with it as YOU please, not as M$ or Apple pleases. If you program, for example, you can modify the Linux desktop at will. You can modify any given program and redistribute your modifications. How's that for freedom? Users are encouraged to copy Linux distributions and give them to their friends. Try that with Windows and see where it gets you.
The bottom line is that Linux has come a very long way since the old days. It's more user-friendly than ever; has people who are willing to help you; is secure and not bloated like one OS we all know, has software that is free, and I mean free as in Liberty.
What are you waiting for? Try it! Now's a good time to put away that old insecure XP, for example, and try Manjaro Linux.
If you don't want to try Manjaro for some reason or other, then head over to DistroWatch and choose from the distributions online there. But most of all: have fun and enjoy the freedom.
grgaud
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