Linux: Why Should You Master It
“Linux is not in the business of making money; it’s in the business of making technology better for everyone.” — Linus Torvalds
What is Linux?
Linux is a family of free and open-source operating systems based on the Linux kernel. Despite being completely free (unlike alternatives), Linux currently only has 4.5% of the global desktop operating system market share, a surprisingly low percentage.
What makes Linux great?
- Linux is open source: Unlike Windows, Linux is open source, meaning that the operating system’s source code is available to users. If Windows and macOS are like apartments with rules and restrictions on what you can change, then Linux is like a house you own that you can renovate, decorate, and modify any way you like.
- Free from spyware and ads: Unlike Windows 11, which adds ads to the start menu, Linux respects user privacy. Microsoft tries hard to make it difficult to understand the inner workings of its operating systems, so you never really know what’s going on “under the hood.”
- Linux is everywhere:
- Android is the most widely used mobile operating system in the world, holds a staggering 71% of the global mobile operating system market. A lesser-known fact is that Android is based on the Linux kernel. This means that essentially 71% of smartphones are running Linux!
- iOS and macOS: While not Linux-based, iOS and macOS are built on Unix, which is part of the same family of operating systems as Linux.
- Servers: Linux is the leading operating system on servers, powering over 96.4% of the top one million web servers. It also dominates in other systems such as mainframe computers and is used on all of the world’s 500 fastest supercomputers. The majority, if not all, of the websites you visit every day are served from Linux servers. Since the internet’s inception, Linux/Unix has been the operating system of choice for web servers due to its stability, reliability, and robustness.
- IoT and embedded systems: Most IoT (Internet of Things) devices run Linux because of its lightweight nature and robustness. Data from 2018 suggests that 71% of IoT devices run Linux. Additionally, most embedded systems (such as smart TVs and routers) run Linux.
- Cybersecurity: The field of cybersecurity heavily relies on Linux. Over 90 percent of all hacking tools are written for Linux. Even when hacking tools such as Metasploit or Nmap are ported to Windows, not all the capabilities transfer from Linux.
Conclusion:
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, IoT and cybersecurity spaces. A majority of people are using Linux daily without even realizing it! It’s in your phone, your favorite websites, and countless devices around you.
I highly recommend anyone interested to at least try and play around with Linux (especially if you are in the IT field).
PS: This article was written on a Debian-based Linux distro
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