this post was submitted on 12 Sep 2023
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Linux

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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Hello. I've been a window user from win95. I'd like to learn more about Linux but don't know where to start. I had a brief intro when I was in highschool and recently I've been seeing more and more talk here on Lemmy. Mostly memes.

With how bad Google is finding good information unless I add -reddit to my search. Which I won't do. Trying to stay away from that.

What can I expect to find as a casual observer? Why does Linux do that's "better" than Windows? That's not meant to inflame anyone. More so what do you personally like better.

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[–] flubba86@lemmy.world 16 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I find it hard to believe you're having difficulty finding the information you want on Google. I've never had issues searching for Linux stuff of Google, it's not that niche.

When it comes to "what does Linux do that is better than Windows?", it's better to look at what Linux doesn't do.

Linux doesn't force updates on you while you are trying to work. It doesn't put ads in your start menu. It doesn't send all your usage data to Microsoft. It doesn't use all your system resources running countless unknown background tasks.

I find Linux is best for the kind of people who really care about exactly what their computer is doing. If you want to know exactly what applications are installed, where they are installed and how they are configured, Linux is great. If you want to know exactly what processes are running on your system, why they are running, who launched them, how much RAM and CPU they are using, if that stuff is important to you, then Linux is great. If you like to have the ability to look through the source code of every application, utility, and driver installed on your system, to know exactly what lines of code your computer is executing, for paranoia reasons or just because you find it interesting and fascinating, then Linux is for you.

If that stuff is not important to you, then you (like most people on Earth) are not the target audience.