Windows, really? You Need To Check Out Linux

Lint Mint 17.2 Desktop

Why would anyone choose Linux these days?

There are several good reasons to choose mainstream Linux, including:

• Easy to use GUI (graphical user interface), complete with simple point and click icons & menus
• Install steps are straightforward, with an easy-to-use GUI installer
• Abundance of applications: Firefox or Chrome browser, LibreOffice office suite, GIMP for photo editing, to list a few
• Runs on old PCs just as easy as new PCs
• Detects connected printers and scanners, can add new devices easily
• Secure operating environment, no Windows viruses or malware to worry about
• Is stable, with updates coming as needed over the internet
• Huge community of support forums and contacts, including Linux.com
• Cost is FREE

Linux is just as easy to use and maintain as Windows. Once Linux is up and running, your desktop looks and acts just like Windows, only Linux has proven to be much more stable and secure. Linux is regularly updated with enhancements and easy-of-use features.

Linux Mint and Ubuntu are the highest rated versions of Linux

Both Linux Mint and Ubuntu are just what the doctor ordered: easy to use & maintain, feature-rich, and visually appealing.

Linux Mint 17.2 has been called the best of the best in 17.2​: The year’s best Linux desktop by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols, a ZDNet technology analyst. Vaughn-Nichols says:

I currently have nine desktops running in my office. They’re running Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows 10 Build 10240, OS X Yosemite, OS X El Capitan beta, Ubuntu 15.04, Chrome OS, Fedora 22, and Linux Mint 17.2. Which one do I use on my main production desktop? It’s not that much of a contest. Even though I run many different desktops, Linux Mint has been my favorite for years now. This latest long-term-support release, which will be supported until 2019, is the best yet.

So, why aren’t folks turning to Linux instead of Windows?

According to a recent TechRepublic article, The only remaining barrier to entry for Linux, by Jack Wallen, people say they primarily choose Windows over Linux because they can easily buy a PC or laptop with Windows pre-installed:

The only reason more people aren’t using Linux is because they can’t go to a big box store and purchase a computer with Linux pre-installed. If the masses could head over to Best Buy or Target and drop a few hundred dollars for a PC running Linux, they’d be using Linux. Why? Because they’d discover an operating system that includes the one tool they mostly use [a browser] and won’t be plagued with the same tired issues they’ve faced over the last couple of decades.

People seem to have a misconception about Linux. The Linux available today is not the Linux we knew years ago. To be sure, Linux is just as user-friendly as any platform on the market. The biggest difference is that it’s simply not in the eyes of consumers. The ability to purchase a computer pre-installed with an operating system, in and of itself, makes that operating system accessible and useable to the consumer — that’s the only remaining barrier to entry for Linux. Wallen writes that this could change, stating “there are plenty of companies set to tear down the walls preventing the average user from enjoying the reliability, security, and power that is Linux.”