Linux is an operating system that can be downloaded free and "belongs" to an entire community of developers, not one corporate entity.
In other words, anyone from professional software developers to hobbyist computer hackers can access and make changes to the Linux kernel all the information about Linux is open and available to everyone.
That's why Linux is known as "open source" or "free software," because there is nothing secret about this system.
This freedom also allows companies to sell and distribute Linux on CD-ROM or by other means, although those companies must keep their code open to the public.
With more and more people looking for an alternative to Windows, Linux has recently grown in popularity and is quickly becoming a favorite among major corporations and curious desktop users.
Not only does it give users a choice of operating systems, it also proves itself valuable with its power, flexibility, and reliability.
So why should i get a Linux based os?
Comparing Linux to Windows
The best way of highlighting the benefits of Linux and Unix is to compare them to what many people are using today, any of the various flavors of Microsoft Windows.
Linux is reliable
The Blue Screen of Death doesn't exist in the Linux world. Linux systems, just like Unix and NetWare, can run for years without failure. Operating system crashes (called "kernel panics" in Linux) are rare, many Linux users have never seen a crash.
ZDNet's test of Linux vs NT showed that Linux simply does not fail.
Linux is free and requires no costly add-ons
You can download Linux from the Internet and install it on as many machines as you like. The same is true of most application software. You may find it more convenient to purchase a CD-ROM of a Linux "distribution".
Email and newsgroup servers, remote administration tools, C/C++ compilers, high-end graphics programs, SQL servers (all costly add-ons for Windows) are included at no charge with Linux distributions
Linux is the best supported operating system of all time. The reason is the Internet. You can get help from tens of thousands of enthusiastic Linux users and programmers. Support is free - the answers you get come from people who are not paid to help you.
You'll hear about solutions to your problems that include dumping what you have and replacing it with something better. Advice that you don't hear from vendors of commercial software.
Every few months or so it seems that there's yet another report of a Microsoft product that behaves in a way that raises concerns about our privacy.
We don't have these concerns when we use Linux and Open Source software because functions that would violate our privacy would be detected when the code is scrutinized by an army of Linux enthusiasts.
With the Windows NTFS file-system, users can easily hide files and whole directories from the system administrator.
The administrator is left wondering about diminishing free disk space and almost powerless to do anything about it.
Users can do this using normal permissions as well as NTFS streams.
In contrast, the Linux system administrator always has an unobstructed view of the file system and is always in control.
Linux is a good career move
If you spend your time becoming a Windows expert, you're acquiring skills that may not be useful when you change jobs or when your company replaces Windows with the next fashionable platform.
Memorizing which icons to click on and how to plug Windows security holes are skills unique to Windows these are not generic skills.
In sharp contrast, learning Linux or Unix gives you a strong grounding in the underlying technology that will be useful no matter what products will be fashionable in the future.
Linux has a dedicated following and appeals to several different kinds of people:
*People who already know UNIX and want to run it on PC-type hardware
*People who want to experiment with operating system principles
*People who need or want a great deal of control over their operating system
*People who have personal problems with Microsoft
In general, Linux is harder to manage than something like Windows, but offers more flexibility and configuration options.
So go ahead and download any of the following OS and start learning.
Ubuntu For day to day users
Kali Linux For pentesters