Curious why more people aren’t using Linux if it’s so awesome? This article breaks down what Linux is, why it's great, and how it secretly powers most of your favorite devices, from smartphones to servers.
Linux is a family of free and open-source operating systems based on the Linux kernel.
Although being completely free (unlike alternatives). Linux currently only has 4.5% of the global desktop operating system market, a very low percentage.
The core difference between Linux and other mainstream desktop operating systems (Windows, macOS) is the fact that it is free and open source. This allows it to be:
Read The importance of open source software for more information about open source software and it’s superiority.
If Windows and macOS are like apartments with rules and restrictions on what you can change, then Linux is like a house that you own that you can renovate, decorate, and modify any way you like.
We (all Linux users) can probably agree that the main drawback of Linux is user-friendliness. The average user never cared and will never care about what bootloader their laptop is using.
The fun part however is that most people are using Linux, they just don’t know it!
Android is the most widely used mobile operating system in the world. With a staggering 71% of the global mobile operating system market
A lesser-known fact is that Android is based on the Linux kernel.
So basically, 71% of smartphones are running Linux!
Linux is the leading operating system on servers (over 96.4% of the top one million web servers’ operating systems are Linux). It also leads other systems, such as mainframe computers, and is used on all of the world’s 500 fastest supercomputers.
This website is being served from a Linux server.
The majority, if not all, of the websites that you visit every single day, are being served from a Linux server.
Most IoT (Internet Of Things) devices run Linux because of its lightweight nature and robustness. This article from 2018 suggests that 71% of IoT devices run Linux
Most embedded systems (smart TVs, routers, etc) run Linux
Linux is quietly running behind the scenes. It may only capture a small slice of the desktop operating system market, but it’s a huge player in mobile, server, and IoT spaces. In fact, a majority of people use Linux daily without even realizing it! It’s in your phone, your favorite websites, and countless devices around you.
Ultimately, I highly recommend anyone interested to at least try and play around with Linux (especially if you are in the IT field, I feel like it’s a must)
PS: this article was written on a Framework 13 running Fedora 40 (Linux)