Linux hardly has any viruses. And that's not like "Oh well, not very often, you know". That's like "If you've ever heard of a real Linux virus, please tell me". Of course, a Linux virus is not impossible to get. However, Linux makes it very hard for this to happen, for several reasons:
- Most people use Microsoft Windows, and pirates want to do as much damage (or control) as possible: therefore, they target Windows. But that's not the only reason; the Apache web server (a web server is a program located on a remote computer that sends web pages to your browser when you ask for them), which is open source software, has the biggest market share (against Microsoft's IIS server), but it still suffers from much fewer attacks/flaws than the Microsoft one.
- Linux uses smart authorization management. In Windows you (and any program you install) usually have the right to do pretty much anything to the system. If you feel like punishing your PC because it just let your precious work disappear, you can go inside the system folder and delete whatever you want: Windows won't complain. Of course, the next time you reboot, trouble begins. But imagine that if you can delete this system stuff, other programs can, too, or just mess it up. Linux doesn't allow that. Every time you request to do something that has to do with the system, an administrator password is required (and if you're not an administrator on this system, you simply can't do it). Viruses can't just go around and delete or modify what they want in the system; they don't have the authorization for that.
- More eyes make fewer security flaws. Linux is Open source software, which means that any programmer in the world can have a look at the code (the "recipe" of any program), and help out, or just tell other developers "Hey, what if blah blah, isn't this a security flaw?".
2.You can run Linux for years:-
Of course, no operating system is perfect, and people who tell you that theirs can never ever crash are lying. However, some operating systems can be so stable that most users never see their systems crash, even after several years. This is true for Linux. Here's a good way to see this. When a system crashes, it needs to be shut down or restarted. Therefore, if your computer can stay up and running for a long time, no matter how much you use it, then you can say the system is stable. Well, Linux can run for years without needing to be restarted (most internet servers run Linux, and they usually never restart). Of course, with heavy updates, it still needs to be restarted (the proper way). But if you install Linux, and then use your system as much as you want, leaving your computer on all the time, you can go on like that for years without having any trouble.
4.Why copy when its free:-
Here's a list of some commercial software, and their open source equivalents :
| Commercial | Open source | Exists on Windows? |
|---|---|---|
| Adobe Illustrator (~$500) | Inkscape | Yes |
| Adobe InDesign (~$700) | Scribus | Yes |
| Adobe Photoshop (~$600) | The GIMP | Yes |
| Adobe Premiere (~$800) | Kino, Cinelerra | No |
| Adobe Reader (free) | Evince, Kpdf, GV | Yes |
| Apple iTunes (free) | AmaroK, Rhythmbox, Banshee | No |
| Autodesk 3ds Max (~$3500) | Blender | Yes |
| Autodesk Maya (~$7000) | Blender | Yes |
| Kazaa (free) | aMule, eMule | Yes |
| Microsoft Excel (~$200) | OpenOffice Spreadsheet | Yes |
| Microsoft Internet Explorer (free) | Firefox, Konqueror | Yes |
| Microsoft Office (~$400) | OpenOffice | Yes |
| Microsoft Windows Mail (free) | Thunderbird, Evolution, KMail | Yes |
| Microsoft Powerpoint (~$200) | OpenOffice Presentation | Yes |
| Microsoft Windows Media Player (free) | Mplayer, VLC, Totem, Kaffeine, Xine | Yes |
| Microsoft Word (~$200) | OpenOffice Word Processor | Yes |
| Microsoft Windows Messenger (free) | Pidgin, Kopete, aMSN | Yes |
| Nero (~$100) | K3b, Gnomebaker | No |
| Palm Desktop (free) | Gnome-Pilot, KPilot | No |
| Quark XPress (~$800) | Scribus | Yes |
| QuickTime Player (free) | Mplayer, VLC, Totem, Kaffeine, Xine | Yes |
| Winamp (free) | AmaroK, Rhythmbox, Banshee | No |
3.Why Does Windows get Slower Day by Day:-
Windows has a number of design flaws, resulting in it becoming slower and slower and not lasting very long. You've probably heard more than once someone say "My computer is getting sluggish, I'm gonna reinstall". Reinstalling Windows solves the problem... until next time.
You may think this is just how computers work: they're very new technology, and not really stable yet. Well, try Linux and you'll be surprised. Five years from now, your system will be just as fast and responsive as the day you installed it, not to mention that you won't have any viruses, adware, trojans, worms, etc., that would force you to reinstall anyway.
Linux lets you spend more time working, less time reinstalling over and over again.
You may think this is just how computers work: they're very new technology, and not really stable yet. Well, try Linux and you'll be surprised. Five years from now, your system will be just as fast and responsive as the day you installed it, not to mention that you won't have any viruses, adware, trojans, worms, etc., that would force you to reinstall anyway.
Linux lets you spend more time working, less time reinstalling over and over again.
4.Enjoy free and unlimited support:-
One of the great assets of the Open Source community (and Linux in particular), is that it's a real community. Users and developers really are out there, on web forums, on mailing lists, on IRC channels, helping out new users. They're all happy to see more and more people switch to Linux, and they're happy to help them get a grip on their new system.
So if there's something you don't understand, a program that doesn't behave the way you would expect, or a feature that you can't seem to find, don't hesitate to go and ask for help. If there's somebody near you (family? co-workers?) who is using Linux, he or she will probably be happy to help you out. Otherwise, just go online and you'll find literally thousands of places where nice people will answer you and walk you out of your problem most of the time: geeks actually are very nice people, if you ask your question politely. Just type "linux help" (or replace "linux" with whatever distribution you chose -- see the install section) in Google and you'll undoubtedly find everything you need.
5.No Back door to your software:-
Changing the source code of open source software is a much more open process. By definition, all the recipes are public. It doesn't matter to you since you won't be able to understand the code anyway, but people who understand it can read it, and speak out. And they often do. Every time someone wants to change the source code, all other developers are able to see the change ("hey man, why did you add this code spying on the user's keyboard input, are you out of your mind?"). And even if the whole team of maintainers for a piece of software go crazy and start adding puppy-killing features all over their source code, someone outside the team can very well take the code, remove all the bad bits, create a whole new version of it, and let the world know what the difference is. It's open.
That's why you can be sure open source software doesn't do bad things behind your back: the community keeps a close eye on all the recipes.
That's why you can be sure open source software doesn't do bad things behind your back: the community keeps a close eye on all the recipes.
6.Linux Does Not Need Drivers:-
Linux doesn't need separate drivers. All the drivers are already included in the Linux kernel, the core of the system, and that comes with every single Linux installation. This means:
- A very fast and standalone installation process. Once you're done, you have everything you need to start working (including the software you'll be using, see "When the system has installed..." item on this website).
- Out-of-the-box ready peripherals.
- Less harm for the planet because all these CDs don't need to come with hardware any more (well, at least once Windows don't need them either...)
The few cases where you should stick to Windows (for now)
1.There is a proprietary software you can't live without
2.You are a hardcore gamer
3.Your hardware is not yet supported
4.You work in a book or printing industry.
