Linux is the best-known and most-used open source operating system. As an operating system, Linux is software that sits underneath all of the other software on a computer, receiving requests from those programs and relaying these requests to the computer’s hardware.

For the purposes of this page, we use the term “Linux” to refer to the Linux kernel, but also the set of programs, tools, and services that are typically bundled together with the Linux kernel to provide all of the necessary components of a fully functional operating system. Some people, particularly members of the Free Software Foundation, refer to this collection as GNU/Linux, because many of the tools included are GNU components. However, not all Linux installations use GNU components as a part of their operating system. Android, for example, uses a Linux kernel but relies very little on GNU tools.

Linux was created in 1991 by Linus Torvalds, a then-student at the University of Helsinki. Torvalds built Linux as a free and open source alternative to Minix, another Unix clone that was predominantly used in academic settings. He originally intended to name it "Freax" but the administrator of the server Torvalds used to distribute the original code named his directory "Linux" after a combination of Torvalds first name and the word Unix, and the name stuck.

In many ways, Linux is similar to other operating systems you may have used before, such as Windows, OS X, or iOS. Like other operating systems, Linux has a graphical interface, and types of software you are accustomed to using on other operating systems, such as word processing applications, have Linux equivalents. In many cases, the software’s creator may have made a Linux version of the same program you use on other systems. If you can use a computer or other electronic device, you can use Linux.

But Linux also is different from other operating systems in many important ways. First, and perhaps most importantly, Linux is open source software. The code used to create Linux is free and available to the public to view, edit, and—for users with the appropriate skills to contribute to.

Linux is also different in that, although the core pieces of the Linux operating system are generally common, there are many distributions of Linux, which include different software options. This means that Linux is incredibly customizable, because not just applications, such as word processors and web browsers, can be swapped out. Linux users also can choose core components, such as which system displays graphics, and other user-interface components.

You’re probably already using Linux, whether you know it or not. Depending on which user survey you look at, between one- and two-thirds of the WebPages on the Internet are generated by servers running Linux.

Companies and individuals choose Linux for their servers because it is secure, and you can receive excellent support from a large community of users, in addition to companies like Canonical, SUSE, and Red Hat, which offer commercial support.

Many of the devices you own probably, such as Android phones, digital storage devices, personal video recorders, cameras, wearables, and more, also run Linux. Even your car has Linux running under the hood.

1. Open Source: 

One of the main advantages of Linux is that it is an open source operating system i.e. its source code is easily available for everyone. Anyone capable of coding can contribute, modify, enhance and distribute the code to anyone and for any purpose.

2. Security: 

Linux is more secure in comparison to other operating systems such as Windows. There is no requirement of any anti-virus program in Linux.

3. Software Updates: 

In Linux you encounter a larger number of software updates. These software updates are much faster than updates in any other operating system. Updates in Linux can be done easily without facing any major issue or concern.

A feature that gives a major advantage over other operating systems is customization. You can customize any feature, add or delete any feature according to your need as it is an open source operating system. Not only this, various wallpapers and attractive icon themes can be installed to give an amazing look to your system.

5. Various Distributions: 

There are many distributions available also called bistros of Linux. It provides various choices or flavors to the users. You can select any bistros according to your needs. Some bistros of Linux are Fedora, Ubuntu, Arch Linux, Debian, Linux Mint and many more. 

6. Free to use (Low Cost): 

Linux is freely available on the web to download and use. You do not need to buy the license for it as Linux and many of its software come with GNU General Public License. This proved to be one of the major advantages Linux faces over Windows and other operating systems. You need to spend a huge amount to buy the license of Windows which is not the case with Linux.

7. Large Community Support: 

Forums by excited users are made on the web to help and solve the problem any other user is facing. There are a lot of dedicated programmers there to help you out whenever and wherever possible.

8. Privacy: 

Linux ensures the privacy of user’s data as it never collects much data from the user while using its distributions or software but this is not true for many other operating systems.

Linux provides high performance on various networks and workstations. It allows a large number of users to work simultaneously and handles them efficiently.

Linux gives support for network functionality as it was written by programmers over the internet. Linux helps you to set up client and server systems on your computer systems easily and in a fast manner.  

Linux provides a high range of flexibility as you can install only required components. There is no need to install a full or complete suite. You can also keep Linux file under multiple partitions so if one of them corrupts then there is no major loss. You only need to repair that particular partition, not the complete file which is not the case with other operating systems.

Linux runs or executes all possible file formats and is compatible with a large number of file formats.

Linux can be easily installed from the web and does not require any prerequisites as it can run on any hardware, even on your oldest systems.

Linux is a multitasking operating system as it can perform many tasks simultaneously without any decrease in its speed such as downloading a large file would not slow down the system.

Linux provides various desktop environments to make it easy to use. While installing Linux you can choose any desktop environment according to your wishes such as KDE (K Desktop Environment) or GNOME (GNU Network Object Model Environment).

Following are the Differences Between Linux and Windows:

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