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Posted on: 2021-09-17

What is Linux?

In earlier blog posts I already mentioned my plan to switch to Linux, and so I have. A few days ago, I realized that, since Linux may not be all that well known, it might be a good idea to describe what makes it different from macOS and Windows. To make this as easy as possible for everyone to understand, I'll start at the beginning.

Operating Systems

An operating system is a collection of programs and other files that enable you to use a computer. So, there's no such thing as a Windows computer. There's only a computer that runs on Windows, but it might just as well be running on macOS, UNIX, or any other operating system that will run on that particular computer.

The Differences

What makes Linux different from macOS and Windows is not only the fact that Linux is available free of charge, but also that it's open source. This means that if there's something you don't like about Linux, there's nothing to stop you from changing it. Well, not legally anyway.

If you would ever need or want to install an operating system, you'd come across another difference. Every operating system has parts like a file manager, a window manager, a network manager, possibly a panel (like the Windows task bar or the Dock in macOS), and maybe more components that I can't think of at the moment. When you install macOS or Windows, you only have one of each of these components. Linux comes with several of each of them. So, if you would, say, like a different file manager or window manager, then go ahead and install it and take it for a spin.

In Short

What makes Linux different is that you can make Linux work any way you want it to, more so than is the case with macOS or Windows, and in case I forgot to mention it... You can also be sure that no company is spying on you, and you can install updates and restart your computer whenever you wish.

I'll venture to guess that most of you will be reading this on a computer running Windows or macOS. Do you still like it as much as you did before reading this post?

As always, I hope you enjoyed reading this blog post. If you have any questions or comments, then please let me know in the form down below.


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