During sophomore year of college, I embarked on a project to put a Linux operating system on my laptop. I had been interested ever since using a computer in one of the engineering labs which ran Ubuntu, one of the most mainstream, user-friendly distributions out there. I was intrigued both by the visual design, and the ease with which complex programs could be run. There was also the intrigue of feeling like a cool hacker, using a terminal and typing commands to get around a file system. I was hooked, and since then I’ve had a Linux distribution running on every computer I’ve owned over the past three years.
I want to spend a good chunk of time explaining my growing passion for Linux, and why I think more people should seriously consider it as an option for the computers in their lives. This first post will focus on two of the oft-repeated phrases in the Linux community, and its main inspiration: Linux is free.
Free as in Freedom
The ideological backbone of the Linux community is that Linux is free, as in freedom. It is a mainstay, the reason people are passionate about Linux and its various operating systems. There are many reasons tangential to this which support Linux’s place as a fantastic choice for your computer, but at the core is freedom.
The history of Linux is based around free and open-source software. What this means is the core parts of Linux distributions — their source code — can be downloaded, changed, and redistributed. As a normal person on the internet, you can obtain all of the code and amend it to your liking. Similarly, most of the programs and software you would subsequently install work the same way. Their source code is available, and you can use it however you like. You could amend it, add features for yourself, or completely redesign it and distribute it yourself. Of course some operating systems will put restrictions on you, based on how they are written, but you have the freedom to change it regardless.
This also gives you freedom over your hardware. Today, if you buy an Apple laptop you know you are getting macOS with it. If you buy some other PC, you will typically get Windows (with ChromeBooks notwithstanding.) Most users are fine with this delineation, and just get the device they need and treat the operating system as an inherent part of the computer, completely tied to the hardware. In the case of Apple, this is largely true. In the case of Windows, it feels mostly true (Windows 10 puts a few hurdles in your way.)
Once you work with Linux, you realize you truly have control over your hardware. You can put Linux on your 10 year old desktop that sits in the corner of your office, and with the right distribution it will run beautifully. You can put it on your brand new laptop or desktop, and the right distribution will use the power of your hardware to your advantage. Linux allows you to separate the hardware you buy from the software you use, with no additional cost and a heavy dose of customization. You can find the right distribution for the work you need to get done, and switch when you need to.
While the next section will hit on Windows a bit more, this is the section where Apple truly stands out. Between the locked down App (on both macOS and iOS) as well as the locked down hardware, Apple is a nightmare for people who strive for technological freedom. They have a way they want users to use their computers, and doggone it, that’s how they will use the computers. Yes, there are tools to provide some workarounds, but ultimately those are not supported by Apple. In the Linux community, developers are encouraged to make incredibly cool and useful software. If it helps a few people make their computer more enjoyable, then they have achieved their goal.
Ultimately, Linux is built upon the idea of community development and support, without corporate entities gumming up the works. The Linux Foundation, a non-profit organization, develops the Linux kernel (essentially the core of all Linux operating systems), and the community has taken care of the rest. You don’t need to trust a separate entity when they make a claim about what their operating system does (or doesn’t) do while it runs on your computer. Linux is based on trusting in a community to hold each other accountable. It is a community made up of talented and passionate people who believe in the cause of technological freedom. They write documentation, provide support for each other, and will spend far more time trying to fix a small problem on your computer than a support specialist from Microsoft or Apple would. There is a beauty in how successful Linux has become, based only on the principle that technology should be open and available for people to use. I’m with them.
Free as in Beer
While Linux’s ideological focus on freedom is commendable and worth consideration alone, the other aspect which goes hand-in-hand with open-source distributed software is that it is free, as in beer, to get in the first place. Almost all Linux distributions are free to install1, change, do with what you will. Most of the software you would care to install is the same: open-source, free, and customizable. The goal of running Linux is that pirates don’t need to exist to get your cool software, because it’s out there to be used anyway. If you have the cash to spare, a donation is fantastic. But the power of community-driven software is considered to be of more importance than licensing it at a steep cost.
This is where the practicalities of running Linux become apparent. We’ll have to make a few comparisons to Windows and macOS to make things clear. First, there is the cost of licensing a Windows installation. To some younger readers, this may not seem like a big deal. Most computers you would buy without an Apple logo will be running Windows as you start, right? Why would you care? Well, there are two reasons. First, with the rare exception of Windows 10 for about a year, users have to pay to upgrade. They have to buy a new license to the new operating system to get their computer to keep working with the newest features available.
For comparison, let’s look at Ubuntu, an aforementioned staple of the casual Linux world. They release a new version every 6 months, and these releases are supported for 9 months. Every 2 years, they release a new stable system that is supported for 5 years. Any and all of these upgrades are free. Typically you can click a button, or download it yourself, and get up to date with the newest Ubuntu has to offer in less than an hour. You can count on it.
Second, the licensing of a Windows installation is built into the cost of the laptop. While you don’t see an itemized list of why your newest laptop costs what it does, you can guarantee there is an extra $100 or more based solely on the fact it runs Windows. This was demonstrated beautifully a few years ago when Dell released their “Developer Edition” of the XPS 13. You could get some great specifications on it, the same as the normal version; the only difference is that the Developer Edition ran Ubuntu (and for good reason, which we’ll get into at a later time in this series.) For the exact same specifications, the Developer Edition cost $100 less than the normal version, due solely to it running a free operating system.
Next, we can look at Apple. First, their is the Apple tax. While I complain about Apple’s pricing structure, I can admit that a part of what you are paying for is the Apple platform. The software that nobody else gets, and the claimed ease of use. But, with ease of use comes lack of functionality and customization; with exclusive software comes exorbitant, if not plain exploitative, pricing. The nature of Apple is that it mostly works fine for most people. This has been effective. But if you are someone who consistently finds themselves pushing the limits of what they are allowed to do on their platform, or are sick of paying for software simply because Apple’s system requires developers to charge an incredible amount of money, then try out Linux. It’s free as in beer: the product is sitting there, you just have to consume it.
The main benefit of Linux being economically free to use by individuals and corporations is that it has become widely implemented. Android and ChromeOS are based on the Linux kernel. Most smart appliances — your cool talking refrigerator, many smart watches — are based on the Linux kernel. Nearly all servers (the things that run the internet and store most of your personal data) run on Linux distributions designed specifically for their stability. The ability to modify Linux for your purpose has made it an incredibly powerful piece of technology in the modern world. And you can have a piece of it.
This was a long post. There were no pretty screenshots or any specifics about what Linux can actually do for you when compared to Windows and Apple. But ultimately, you’re unlikely to leave one of those platforms if you aren’t onboard with either “Cool, I like this whole open-source idea” or “Awesome, I can stop paying for Windows licenses, or buying a new MacBook just because something got a little screwed up with macOS.” If this post intrigued you, then look forward to future posts. I’ll have specific pieces of software to discuss; some pretty screenshots; things Linux can do for you that macOS and Windows can’t; as well as some drawbacks to using Linux you should consider. I believe everyone can find a beer they like (assuming carbonation isn’t an issue), and I similarly believe anyone can find a Linux distribution they will thoroughly enjoy using over whatever they currently use. It’s a fun exploration, and if corporate technology continues on its current trajectory, Linux will become a vital component to personal freedom in the modern world.
Footnotes
1. Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is the most notable exception to this. It provides an incredibly stable operating system for servers. Since it is a proper company, other businesses are typically more willing to rely on their support than the nice folks of the internet.