Why do i use Linux being a Non-Developer ?
One of the developers on Facebook recently asked me why I was using Linux (Ubuntu here) on the desktop if I'm not a developer.
I hadn't really thought about this in some time so it took me a few seconds to come up with a reply. For me it's about having the freedom to do whatever I want with the system. Linux provides me with a full feeling of ownership which I have never had with with Windows.
On top of that there's the 'feel good' factor that I am using something that is free and open. So why do i use Linux ?
I'm working towards becoming a developer, but I'm not there until people start calling me that. So here are my reasons.
Free. I'm a starving student. And paradoxically I don't like pirating software. Everyone deserves the meals they earn. Linux allows me to have my software and feel ethical about it too.
Easy setup - Sure Windows isn't hard to install. But the BS of re-downloading drivers and finding all the application exe's is a pain in the ass in comparison to Linux, where the drivers are there and the software is an apt-get, zypper, or yum away.
community support (and free upgrades). It's pretty easy to ask for help or find solutions through the Google god. It's also nice to always have the latest system and a system you don't have to pay extra to get all the features (I'm looking at you, Windows 7 Ultimate)
Sane updates. I swear to god If I had a dollar for every time windows has forced me to update when I need to get up and leave (RAGE), I wouldn't be on crappy computers.
UI. I actually like Linux UIs more than Windows. I've had friends disagree, but since the hell that was put upon us by early KDE 4 and early GNOME 3, the interfaces have become really good again.
Hardware longevity. When I found a PC for my dad it was running XP (Dual core, 2GB of RAM). XP is nearing its end of life, and I wanted my dad to have a well supported OS. I've been running the latest Mint on it with no problems, and I expect it to work as a perfect computer solution for him for a number of years to come.
Choice and Control. In line with the above story, I have a lot of control to administer my dad's computer, and so the amount of support I've had to do has dropped considerably from when he was running XP. I can also tweak and control MY system to how I please.
Privacy and Freedom. The older I get, the important issues like privacy and freedom have become to me. I want to use my system and be absolutely sure it's mine, and not spying on me.
GNU/Linux is my only system, and I use it because it has no restrictions other than technical. If I want to put it on a thumb drive I can. If I reinstall, I don't have to worry about having my system blessed by a central authority. And package management.
In Depth Freedom & Options
Freedom and options.
I can (and have):
Boot a Ubuntu live disc through DriveDroid on any Android phone on a customer's computer, and reset the password.
Boot over the network to test hardware if I'm feeling really lazy
Run a fully fledged server in my home, that manages all Ubuntu updates
Change the way anything acts - (GNOME/KDE/LXDE etc)
Customise it to a grain of sand - my kernel is a shitton smaller than the default one.
Run complete backups and complicated partition management
Run pretty much anything without rebooting
Update pretty much anything without rebooting
Logs are SANE - "error - unknown codepage cp4387" vs "contact your system administrator"
Does some windows stuff better than windows - I have had hard drives refuse to come up in expensive data recovery programs in windows, only for them to come up near instantly after plugging them into my PC
Configuration is SANE - plain text files vs various UI-themed dialog boxes
Symbolic links - much better than shortcuts, easier to use than NTFS links
Direct data management - dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdb to securely wipe a drive
Moderately easy to fix - Got Inaccessible boot device on windows xp? You are buggered. Linux? Check with a live disc and boot with that kernel.
Hardware management is SANE - I don't have to wait 20 seconds for a thumbdrive to work the first time in Linux. Also, I can pull my hard drive out of my laptop and boot it in almost any other recent machine, given that I use a stock kernel.
Not friggin retarded console - I can use one of any size, and can be fairly sure that the program will follow certain standards.
Diversity - I can use a 700MiB distro, or a 10MiB one.
Repositories.
Full disk encryption - Haven't tried this, but looking into it.
All of this I have not paid a cent for (other than hardware).
Joe Blow average user would call that insane, though. He wants something where he can navigate by screenshots and not have to do a week of reading just to change how long it takes for his laptop to turn off the screen when it's on battery. Let's not play that bullshit game of preferences - and if you bring up the damned windows registry, I'll remind you that we've got one of our own - thank the GNOME devs for the steaming pile of shit that is gconf.
Let's keep in mind, not everything we do is exactly right. There's a lot of awesome things that Linux does, and there's a bunch that are downright stupid. I have yet to have sleep work on my own devices at all without causing severe problems with ACPI and thermal management, which is a "it just works" moment in windows. I can have a much quicker boot in Linux, sure, but why not put the device to sleep? It has its upsides...but it also has some significant downsides.
When I tell my Linux system to do something it just does it. If I want to reboot and 20 different programs are open, it just reboots right away no questions asked.
TL;DR - Linux doesn't treat me like a retarded idiot
There's probably more, but the above is a start.
So what are your Reasons for Using Linux ? Hit me up in the Comments :)