Six Reasons PCs are Better with Linux
I’ve seen an uptick in the number of confrontational comments on my videos lately. People using harsh language either attacking Linux as a ‘non-viable’ gaming platform or insisting that their corporate-controlled, proprietary systems are superior.
Obviously I respectfully disagree with both points… otherwise why the hell would I be doing this channel? But instead of taking the tedious route of replying to each of them individually, I figured I should publicly shame them.
Here are six reasons Linux makes PCs better!
1 – Linux is just plain easier to use
Linux just works. If you want to install a device, just plug it in. No fuss, no mess.
And you don’t have to be some toejam-eating nerd [goldmember], or hold a masters degree in computer science to benefit from the Linux environment.
If you need tech support from a friend, just imagine how much easier it is to do this:
Linux is constantly improving
When it comes right down to it, the Linux kernel and the free software built around it are in perpetual development by skilled, passionate programmers. Even Windows benefit from open source innovation. Firefox, VLC, and 7zip are all open source.
The quick release schedule, the numerous improvements introduced in each version, and the adherence to open standards leaves Linux (and other open source projects in general) not only constantly improving, but interoperable and arguably future-proof.
Linux is like… 300% safer
Right off the bat, malware rarely targets Linux. That’s not to say there are NO viruses that can attack a Linux system, but they’re highly unusual.
I remember using Windows; getting new software means you have to download an executable file from the Internet and trust it to do what it says it will. Yeah… no. I don’t.
On Linux, you download binaries from a trusted source: the distro’s own software repository. The creators compile their software for their distro and usually test to make sure it works (though it’s not warranted or anything).
Linux is platform- and corporate-independent
Linux-based operating systems will run on a Raspberry Pi, on a cell phone, a PC, a supercomputer, or a space station without complaint. It’s built from the ground up to be both portable and agnostic.
A Linux distro’s not going to automatically remove user-installed programs the developers object to, but for some reason the competition thinks it has a right to do that.
While other platforms have proven they’re not to be trusted. Linux-based operating systems are here to provide you with a secure and (I’d argue) altruistic computing experience.
Linux is better for gaming
As The Linux Gamer, I’d be remiss to not mention video games.
But let’s not get bogged down in performance and benchmarks. Let’s ignore for a second that Linux generally has less overhead than the competition and let’s forget about SteamOS being optimized specifically for gaming. Linux has the potential to be the most powerful platform for gaming because of the freedom it affords us.
Gamers are looking for the next experience. The most hardcore of us know that platform shouldn’t matter. But there are these large, corporate entities that are trying to lock us down, cage us into their walled gardens; trying to get as much money as they can out of us through so-called premium online features, day-one DLC hostage situations, and charging a full $60 for a three year old game bought through a digital storefront.
You can say these are console gamer’s problems, but with Microsoft’s heavy hand looming over the Windows and Xbox ecosystems, their merger seeming like an inevitable travesty waiting to happen, you’ve gotta ask yourself “what’s gonna happen to PC gaming?”
This leads me to my final point.
Linux is free
At the end of the argument, what this all boils down to is motivation. Why does Linux exist?
It exists because a bunch of software developers wanted:
- An operating system that worked the way they wanted
- An OS that was neutral
- And they wanted an OS they could trust
Why does Microsoft make Windows? To make money.
I’ll take altruism over profit any day.
But free doesn’t only mean ‘free like free beer.’
Free as in the Declaration of Independence. In a literal sense. And I don’t mean to sound like some kind of alarmist; but I take serious issue with the way the dominant players are abusing their power, their users, and their mind-share.
When people attack Linux-based systems – they’re fighting against the thing that makes PC the best – freedom. You know, liberty. The thing what makes us great!
On Linux, you have choice; do you use a GUI or the terminal? Do want Ubuntu or Arch? Do you encrypt, or not?
The competition is slowly chipping away at consumer choice; locking down your hardware, installing upgrades you don’t want, spying on your browsing activities, and limiting the places you can get your software from.
Some might say that Microsoft’s ever-tighter grip in the PC space is inevitable. You know what? Fuck that. Freedom is inevitable.
Linux. Is. Inevitable.
Resistance. Is. Futile.