Many organizations and businesses worldwide are converting their core computer operating system to Linux as opposed to other operating systems for several reasons some of which we shall discuss hereinafter (why Linux), this is mostly because of problems faced in daily computer usage both at home and at the workplace.
We are also seeing a shift from commercial software to free software (also referred to as open-source software) here are some of the reasons that fostered this situation:
Why Linux?
Linux LICENSE
Linux is available to everyone at no cost because Linux license under the free software license, it is available for download from the sourceforge.net website and other mirrors (storage facilities) after which one can install on one’s computer easily. We also see that one copy of the Linux distribution package can be installed on more than one computer as opposed to other commercial operating systems that require extra payment for other computers to be installed. So one has to purchase one license per machine and as of the day of publishing, we found that some leading vendors were selling their operating system licenses from US$100 or more for each machine.
CUSTOMIZATION
Due to its free nature, it is permitted for anybody to modify the source code or any other aspect of it in any way desired. We also note that if one does not redistribute(given away or sold outside of an organization) the modified copy can be kept a secret, this is something that most commercial operating system vendors do not allow.
Linux SOURCE CODE
Programs or applications are used by the computers to achieve different tasks, these programs are actually a series of commands written by programmers in a language that the computer can understand. How it works is the computer has a compiler that converts the commands into a form that the computer hardware can understand and execute. In Linux we find that we have direct access to the Linux source code and are allowed to experiment by modifying the source code(the original version of the program as it was written by the Linux operating system programmer) to suit the users need, this is a very important consideration that most large organizations appreciate enabling their staff to work more efficiently.
Linux SUPPORT/COMMUNITY
Due to the open-source nature of Linux, we find that it is easy to get high-quality support free on the internet and it has been claimed that this Linux support is as good as or better than those found in commercial operating systems because the open-source mode of doing things facilitates access to experts all over the world who in most cases are always willing to help out in any situation in regards to Linux as opposed to a limited number of employees in one organization supporting their operating system.
- Help with customization
- Assistance in installing new programs
- Patches to cope with new security threats
- Patches to fix newly discovered bugs (i.e., defects)
We are glad to note that we don’t see much of the last two types in Linux support requests, or they are relatively infrequent. Because Linux is one of the most secure and stable operating systems available today.
Some of the more common types of support include :
CONTINUITY
It is highly unlikely that Linux will be discontinued in the future due to reasons like planned obsolescence, the company being bought out by larger competitors, or anything like that because the source code will always be free to the public and so there will always be a free version available to the world at large. In contrast, other proprietary software and commercial operating systems vendors are at the mercy of market forces and in the case of the source code (which in most cases is kept secret by the vendor). It is uncertain that the software will always be available because the vendor might decide to discontinue the product and in the case that they do discontinue the product, we see that (from both a technical and a legal point of view) obtaining support will be quite difficult.
These are just some of the reasons why you should look favorably to converting to Linux, last but not least we have gotten feedback from most users that the Linux-based operating systems are much faster and more stable (i.e less prone to crashing) than other non-Linux-based operating systems, switch to Linux and get more out of your computer Did I miss something? Please let us know in the comment section below. Also, don’t forget to share this article with your friends.