Technology has been on the rise throughout the past several decades. Every new generation has been getting savvier and savvier about devices around them. Electronics now make up an essential part of virtually any sphere of our lives.
And with every passing day, it becomes harder and harder to ignore the need to study up on your IT knowledge, if only a little bit. College students experience that need more than others. They frequently find themselves at the very forefront of progress. And regardless of their field of study, they oftentimes deal with a variety of technical problems.
With Windows dominating the market, the choice of a perfect OS may seem like a very straightforward issue. But it’s not quite as simple when you start digging.
There are multiple alternatives that might just suit your needs better than Windows ever could. And when researching these alternatives, Linux is the first option that pops up as soon as you take a step off the beaten path.
Let’s find out what are the advantages of going through a switch to Linux.
Freedom
The agenda behind a given product can be the deciding factor when choosing an OS. Large corporations that stand behind most popular products are very likely to put profit above all else.
This, in turn, can have a significant impact on customer experience. But this problem isn’t a factor when money is not a part of the equation. And this is exactly the case with most Linux OS distributions.
Most Linux variations are powered by the community. They are available free of charge and are being constantly updated. It opens up a lot of opportunities that are usually unavailable to users of more conventional closed-source operating systems. Choosing Linux, you can:
- Benefit from a full product free of charge;
- Select from a variety of community-made modifications;
- Access the source code;
- Contribute by changing and improving the existing features.
This sort of system allows you way more freedom than any corporate powered product ever could. This makes Linux a perfect choice for students, particularly those in STEM fields.
While coding your own Linux distribution may not seem like a very fun downtime, it is way more addictive than it sounds. Sure, it takes time and dedication, but the sense of accomplishment is well worth it. Poking around the source code can be both fun and educational. Just don’t forget to take care of your deadlines before you get sucked into it.
Time is a critical resource for pretty much any student. And any opportunity to win yourself just a couple more hours is a constant struggle. Delegating some of the most boring of your assignments to reliable online essay writing services like https://essaypro.com/college-essay-writing-service will fix this problem for you.
Control
A lot of features and processes in more casual-oriented operating systems are streamlined and automated. If your OS is Windows, you are probably used to certain settings being changed unannounced. There are updates forcefully installing themselves with little to no consideration for the user’s wishes.
While most of these things are done for the good of the user, it would be nice if your OS could show you a little more respect and trust.
This is exactly what Linux gives you. You have more say about what, when, and why happens on your computer. And while it does take slightly more time to control or properly set up all the fine details, in the long run, you get a more responsive OS to work with.
Flexibility
One of the main pros of Linux OS is the ability to tweak and tune it until it fits your needs perfectly. While other systems allow you some amount of customization, most Linux variations let you access their source code.
This means that you have access down to the very core building blocks of your OS. This is an amazing tool that provides great flexibility in customization.
If you can think of a feature, you can probably make it happen. If you don’t find it in numerous available Linux variations, you can code it yourself.
It’s a very popular way to hone one’s coding skills among technically inclined students. Provided you know what you are doing, your time in front of the computer screen may become way easier and more efficient.
Final Words
In the end, it is a matter of personal preference. Linux does have a lot of advantages compared to Windows. But it doesn’t really matter if you are not going to use those.
The effort of switching out your OS and then spending some time to get used to it isn’t really worth it. Unless you know exactly how to use the benefits you get from ditching your old system of choice.
On the other hand, if you understand what you want from the setup, you can definitely make a lot of use out of pretty much any Linux distribution.
So don’t allow yourself to be shamed for using ‘casual’ Windows, don’t be intimidated by people going on about how difficult Linux is to get used to. Step away from third-party opinions for a moment and think about what it is you want from your OS.