6 Reasons Why Linux Beats Windows & Mac OSX Hands Down

I know what you are thinking. This guy just has to be nuts or on something really good. No I am not completely crazy and the six reasons Linux will win out over Mac OSX, Windows, and anything else out there are not completely whacked either. Of course Linux itself is not going to suddenly take over the OS world but there are clear signs already that it might just usurp Windows as the next de-facto desktop OS for both home and corporate users and even my beloved OSX might end up as road-kill in the process. So is this a good thing? Are we doomed? Maybe, but right now there are six reasons why you might want to be just a bit worried.

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1. Linux is completely open.
I will forgive Steven Jobs for not understanding this one <cough>iphone</cough> but most of you out there know exactly what I am talking about. Since Linux is a completely open system with no central corporation steering exactly what goes where it will allow for such a greater level of flexibility that both Windows and OSX can never achieve. As market conditions change the OS will simply be modified to suit in a significantly more rapid fashion than what we currently experience with Windows. Although OSX has much more frequent releases it too only can support that which Apple deems appropriate and useful to the corporate cause.

2. The software that runs on it is also open.
Interestingly enough, Linux as a platform has created this almost fanatical following of software developers that produce state-of-the-art software that is also completely open. I could go forever naming project after project that not only generates products that don’t suck but also distributes the source code into the public domain for those projects. But it goes far beyond just being open. By allowing everyone to participate these project can much more rapidly develop applications that reflect today’s reality. As important as this is it only opens the door, number three jams a foot in it.

3. Linux runs great on just about any platform.
Your Linksys router runs Linux, same goes for your Motorola RAZR and that ATM you got charged extra to use last week. This rather important use of Linux is now just starting to get some attention with all the talk about Google coming up with a new cell phone OS platform (Hint: It uses a Linux core). Driver support has improved drastically over the last two years and the inclusion of visual enhancements such as Compiz make Linux far more viable than ever before. Overall platform support is now at the point where a distribution such as Ubuntu runs well on almost 90% of the hardware in the market and will likely add support for more platforms as the market continues to mature.

4. You can buy a Linux desktop from Dell (or Walmart!).
Recent releases of Ubuntu have woken up a whole new market where companies like Dell, Toshiba, even Walmart are all now selling systems configured with this new OS. Why? To make them cheaper? Not really. The real reason is even simpler than cold hard cash. Demand. Pure and simple demand is what is driving this sudden jump in manufacturers offering Linux-based systems. At the end of the day there is not a huge cost savings buying Linux-based systems over comparable Windows or Mac systems. The price differences are simply not enough to explain the demand, which leads to the inescapable conclusion that these systems are being offered simply because folks want them because they run Linux.

5. Linux has become nearly idiot-proof for basic computing tasks.
At the end of the day there is really only one major reason why Linux is going to end up the standard in the near term. Sheer simplicity of use for the majority of computer users will drive both home and corporate users to make the switch especially since both Windows and Mac OSX seem to be going down the road of becoming more complex rather than simpler to use. Only obstacle to this transition is legacy applications but that is also rapidly changing with many home and business functions moving to web-based formats. (and yes, I know someone will build a better idiot…eventually)

6. The desktop computer is dying anyway.
Unless you have been hiding under a rock you already know the computing market is slowly leaving the phase of the static desktop PC siting on a desk at home or work. Its not about that anymore. Folks are demanding that computing be taken out of that old computing model and brought into the everyday world in as many forms as possible. On your cell phone, on your TV, in your car, and in places nobody has thought of yet. This is why Apple makes iPods, AppleTV and the iPhone but as good as these products are they ultimately cannot offer the restriction-free environment of Linux. In a way, Apple gets this new reality but they cannot escape the same fate as other companies if they continue to keep things to themselves. The impeding announcement from Google only underscores this movement away from the traditional computing model to one that supports a fluid computing environment that adapts rapidly to changing demands.