Why is linux popular among savvy computer users?

Answer 1

You'll find in life that the more knowledge you have about something, the cheaper tasks can be accomplished for it. The more you know about the inner workings of your car, the less you'll need to take it to a mechanic. The better a chef you are, the less need you'll have to eat out.

Likewise, the more computer savvy you are, the less you need to spend on software tailored to suit your needs. Linux is, essentially, the work of computer-savvy people who knew enough about computers and operating systems, to make their own.

Nowadays, most anyone can benefit from that work, since it's released as open source; anyone can play with the source code, even if they didn't build it. You didn't build your car, but you can learn from books or people how it works. Linux today is closer to being usable by even computer illiterate users, provided they are willing to make the change to a new platform (Linux is not Windows, no matter how much anyone tries to make it).

The disadvantages, other than the learning curve of a new OS, are many; most software won't work on it, especially games and business applications. Installation, setup and maintenance can be a lot more difficult than on a Windows or Mac system. Support doesn't come with Linux, you have to pay for it or get it from volunteers on forums/chat/newsgroups. Hardware that works fine on other systems may not be supported by Linux (especially true of wireless technologies like 3G internet, WiFi, Bluetooth, Infrared).

The advantages are also numerous though; it's free, it's open source, users have more control over it, and it's generally more secure and stable than any other platform.

Don't be mistaken for thinking that because savvy computer users seem to prefer Linux, that it is necessarily superior to other systems on all counts. It has its advantages and disadvantages. Some prefer it, some don't. Personally, I'm what you would call a "savvy computer user" (I'm a programmer), but I don't use Linux at all, in any way, shape or form. Your mileage may vary.

Answer 2

There are a lot of reasons but here are the top for the everyday user.

1. 99.9% of viruses are written for Windows.
2. More secure. It's harder to root a linux box than cracking a windows machine.
3. Very stable
4. Uses less resources so it's very fast on good hardware but can be run on older hardware as well that would be unusable with a current version of windows. Try running Vista on a Pentium 2 or 3 with 256mb of memory.
5. It's free and the majority of the software written for it is free.

It's not recommended if you're a hardcore gamer or need a certain program that's only available on windows.

Answer 3

Hi, there r many reasons why Linux is popular. First of all Linux is a free open source version of Unix. These days its actually Unix which borrows features from Linux. The advantages of Linux r many nowadays such as:
1.open source meaning u can improve it and add more features to it.
2.its unix underneath so that gives it excellent stability and security.
3.its excellent for surfing the net, meaning its much faster than windows.
4.Linux can be customized according to ur wish. I can change anything I don't like on my Linux desktop, for example look at this screenshot:
http://ubuntuforums.org/g/index.php?n=1533
5.There r no viruses, spyware or any security issues at all.
6.There is no need to perform maintenance on ur computer such as disk defragmentation or anything.
7.Linux never needs to restart even if u leave it on for a month it will work as quickly as it does on a fresh boot.
8.Linux has excellent desktop effects, u may have heard of compiz then beryl and now these days compiz fusion. They make ur desktop beautiful.
9.Programs never crash on Linux, on my Linux machine never did a program become unstable or some sh*t like that.
10.also in Linux even when I use my computer like sh*t meaning do this, do that, the system never becomes unstable.
11.Linux better manages ur resources.
12.also for support u have excellent community forums to help u out in case u ever run into any problems.
These r all the reasons I can think of for now. I hope I helped.
Good Luck and take care!

Answer 4

For a ton of reasons. I'll start with the one that would make sense to EVERYONE. It's free. You don't pay a dime for it. There's a huge community that will help you out if you have a problem and that is FREE. Everyone in the Linux community is generally pretty nice. You have your angry people, but they help you too it just may not be as pleasant.

Secondly, viruses. There are barely ANY written for it. Mac claims to have few viruses, Linux has fewer. This is because Linux is OPEN SOURCE. Tons of people can look through lines of code and alter it to make it better. Wouldn't you improve Windows if you had the know how and the chance to? That attribute alone make it adored by hundreds of thousands of people. You don't have to worry about malware, email viruses or anything like that. You SHOULD have antivirus software. Just because you can't contract it doesn't mean you don't carry it. You could unknowingly pass it to a friend on a Windows system.

That final selling point I'd say is... drivers. How many times have you gotten a piece of hardware (i.e. soundcard, wireless card, ethernet adapter, memory card adapter) and Windows doesn't have drivers for it and you have to install it? Chances are, Linux comes with the driver already installed. It's almost literally plug and play. Sometimes there is configuration required, but not everything can be easy. Hope this helps.

Regards,

Brandon

Answer 5

Because Linux is good for programming, so a lot of programmers use it. (And programmers tend to be somewhat computer savvy)

Also, I'll admit that Linux isn't quite as user-friendly as Windows, and requires that you have a decent knowledge of computers. Linux has been difficult to learn and get used to for me, but it has been very rewarding.

Answer 6

With Linux you have to think, its not like Windoze pushing the power button and click away, boring stuff.

Although some of the most recent Distros are very user friendly and the graphics are well on par with Vista.

Check out Ubuntu 7.10 at this Link :

http://www.ubuntu.com/

Answer 7

4 Main reasons:

-Free (no explanation neeeded)

-It is open source, so basically anyone with programming skills can improve on it.

-Perfect for propellerheads: Since you can play with the source code and simply the way it is designed, you can access all of the guts of the Operating system, so beyond imrpoving the program itself you can tweak all kinds of settings.

As a general rule, Linux is a lot less power hungry than Windows operating systems, so more bang for the buck out of your hardware.

HTH

Answer 8

I guess people won't switch to Linux because it's free (as in free speech, they probably don't care) or because it's free (as in free beer, they probably think they didn't pay for Windows), but because they see new, great features that Windows doesn't have. So here are a few reasons why Linux rocks!
http://www.whylinuxisbetter.net/

Can't say it better then PCJacking/GIMP-Texturize.

*Thanks PCJacking/GIMP-Texturize.*

Answer 9

I suppose for a "savvy" user in one interpretation this said user will see that it is fast, both in terms of hardware (having a lesser spec Linux out performs a Windows install) and less clutter (move mouse, click terminal, type firefox http://www.yahoo.com-enter is faster than move mouse, click Start, move mouse, click IE, move mouse, click URL bar, type http://www.yahoo.com)

Answer 10

In my opinion, the reason is because, we don't have to pay anything for licenses of everything, they are no virus at all, you can diagnose and repair problems more easily, you can customize all the environment as you like, It's more faster on the same PC, no more blue screen out of nowhere, and a long etc...