WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.240 You're probably using Windows as your usual operating system for your PC, but could there 00:00:05.240 --> 00:00:08.400 be a good reason for you to consider Linux instead? 00:00:08.400 --> 00:00:13.560 Today, we're going to go over five good reasons, things that Linux does better than Windows, 00:00:13.560 --> 00:00:17.720 starting out with arguably the most important one, system stability. 00:00:17.720 --> 00:00:23.280 Now, don't get us wrong, Windows has come a long way since the days when Windows me 00:00:23.280 --> 00:00:27.560 was blue screening left and right, but Linux still maintains its reputation for being a 00:00:27.560 --> 00:00:31.400 bit less buggy, at least in terms of the kernel. 00:00:31.400 --> 00:00:35.440 While you can run into compatibility issues, if you try to push a distro beyond what it's 00:00:35.440 --> 00:00:40.000 designed for, the Linux kernel, basically the operating system's guts, is known for 00:00:40.000 --> 00:00:45.120 being stable and reliable, which is one reason why the vast majority of web servers run on 00:00:45.120 --> 00:00:49.200 it. Part of the reason for this is how many eyes Linux and many of the programs written for 00:00:49.200 --> 00:00:57.440 it have on them at the same time. Because Linux is open source, anyone can look at its code, identify bugs, and try out fixes. 00:00:57.800 --> 00:01:02.400 There are lots of people who actively do this, given how large the Linux community is, as 00:01:02.400 --> 00:01:07.960 well as the large number of companies who use Linux and develop their own Linux distributions. 00:01:07.960 --> 00:01:12.000 Although Microsoft is obviously a huge company, the people examining the Windows code base 00:01:12.000 --> 00:01:16.480 for bugs are basically just Microsoft employees, of which there are a finite number, meaning 00:01:16.480 --> 00:01:20.640 Windows bugs are often identified and fixed more slowly. 00:01:20.640 --> 00:01:24.000 But it isn't just about how many people are looking at the code. 00:01:24.080 --> 00:01:27.680 Linux is also built in a more modular manner than Windows. 00:01:27.680 --> 00:01:31.080 This means Linux applications tend to not mess with the operating system's kernel 00:01:31.080 --> 00:01:37.840 as much or with other programs. Windows has caught up to some extent with this, but Linux still rules the roost when 00:01:37.840 --> 00:01:41.920 it comes to modularity, which brings us to point number two. 00:01:41.920 --> 00:01:48.760 Linux is highly customizable. You can see this in how everything from servers to Android phones to smart thermostats use 00:01:48.760 --> 00:01:53.800 versions of Linux. But what does that mean for you, the home user? 00:01:53.920 --> 00:01:58.240 It means that you have real choices as to what you want your Linux experience to look 00:01:58.240 --> 00:02:03.960 and feel like. Lots of folks think that you need to be a programmer or a system admin who's intimately 00:02:03.960 --> 00:02:08.400 familiar with the command line in order to use Linux, but there are plenty of Linux distributions 00:02:08.400 --> 00:02:14.000 such as elementary OS and Linux Mint geared toward beginners who are migrating over from 00:02:14.000 --> 00:02:19.280 Windows or from macOS and just want to watch videos, use social media and communicate with 00:02:19.280 --> 00:02:24.840 coworkers. You get to choose what your experience is like as opposed to using just one version 00:02:24.840 --> 00:02:30.160 of Windows and many Linux distributions come with package managers, which behave like app 00:02:30.160 --> 00:02:34.560 stores. So downloading vetted software isn't an issue. 00:02:34.560 --> 00:02:39.960 And if you do have the know how and the willingness to learn, Linux allows you to build or install 00:02:39.960 --> 00:02:43.360 so many customizations on top of the kernel. 00:02:43.360 --> 00:02:47.200 The exact reason there are so many distributions out there that look very different from each 00:02:47.200 --> 00:02:51.480 other. And that's really cool. The third item on our list is security. 00:02:51.480 --> 00:02:56.440 Linux isn't bulletproof, but it has a reputation for being more secure than Windows, partly 00:02:56.440 --> 00:03:00.080 because there's so many more people looking at it like what we talked about earlier. 00:03:00.080 --> 00:03:04.400 But another big reason that Linux is often considered safer is because fewer people use 00:03:04.400 --> 00:03:09.800 it. I mean, there's a reason we're not making a video called five reasons to try Windows. 00:03:09.800 --> 00:03:14.400 Although Linux is by far the most popular OS on the servers you connect to all the time 00:03:14.400 --> 00:03:18.760 to use the internet. And attackers definitely try hard to breach these systems. 00:03:18.760 --> 00:03:23.880 Malware target toward desktop Linux distros is much rarer than Windows Malware simply 00:03:23.880 --> 00:03:27.880 because Linux's desktop user base is so much smaller. 00:03:27.880 --> 00:03:32.480 Linux also doesn't normally give users as much access to low level system files and 00:03:32.480 --> 00:03:37.480 functions as Windows does, meaning any malware that does find its way into your system tends 00:03:37.480 --> 00:03:40.160 to be easier to isolate and remove. 00:03:41.080 --> 00:03:45.400 Speaking of removing junk, let's talk about the fourth item, privacy. 00:03:45.400 --> 00:03:49.280 It's no secret that Microsoft is a big fan of tracking your online activity in order 00:03:49.280 --> 00:03:54.720 to do everything from improving its AIs to serving you what it thinks are relevant ads. 00:03:54.720 --> 00:03:58.000 And it's quite difficult to opt out of being spied upon. 00:03:58.000 --> 00:04:02.360 To turn off tracking, Windows makes you dig down and find multiple settings in a complicated 00:04:02.360 --> 00:04:07.760 maze of menus. And even if you do this, there are some kinds of data that Windows will just keep sending 00:04:07.760 --> 00:04:13.840 to Microsoft regardless. But because Linux is open source, there's not a monolithic company behind it hoping 00:04:13.840 --> 00:04:16.960 to make tons of money off of every Linux user. 00:04:16.960 --> 00:04:20.960 And there's no provision for any kind of tracking by default. 00:04:20.960 --> 00:04:25.760 While there are some Linux distributions that do engage in some limited forms of tracking, 00:04:25.760 --> 00:04:30.360 like Ubuntu, it's typically easier to opt out or just find a different distribution 00:04:30.360 --> 00:04:36.920 that doesn't send any data back to its servers. Activity tracking is a good segue into our fifth and final point. 00:04:36.920 --> 00:04:40.400 This is a heck of a lot better at keeping your money in your own pocket. 00:04:40.400 --> 00:04:44.160 Obviously, you can install and use Windows for free, as long as you don't mind that 00:04:44.160 --> 00:04:47.840 annoying watermark and not being able to pick your own desktop wallpaper. 00:04:47.840 --> 00:04:52.760 But Microsoft still uses Windows to get you to spend money on its services, such as Microsoft 00:04:52.760 --> 00:04:59.280 365, OneDrive, and apps from the Microsoft Store, in which Microsoft gets a cut of the 00:04:59.280 --> 00:05:04.440 money. Most Linux users, however, won't be tempted to spend much, if anything, to get the most 00:05:04.440 --> 00:05:10.480 out of their systems. Although large organizations sometimes pay companies like Red Hat for Linux support and 00:05:10.480 --> 00:05:16.200 training, the average home user using an approachable Linux distribution won't have a large company 00:05:16.200 --> 00:05:22.560 trying to get them to buy more stuff. And most of the programs you need to accomplish your goals are available for free. 00:05:22.560 --> 00:05:26.640 So those are our top five, but we know there are plenty of Linux fans jumping in to tell 00:05:26.640 --> 00:05:32.280 us more, so let us know down in the comments where you think Linux has an edge over Windows. 00:05:32.280 --> 00:05:36.240 And if you might want to see a follow-up video about why switching to Linux might not be 00:05:36.240 --> 00:05:41.440 such a good idea, let us know that too. Anyways, thanks for watching, like and subscribe to the video. 00:05:41.440 --> 00:05:42.040 Bye!