Properties of Linux

Linux Pros

A lot of the advantages of Linux are a consequence of Linux' origins, deeply rooted in UNIX, except for the
first advantage, of course:
Linux is free:
As in free beer, they say. If you want to spend absolutely nothing, you don't even have to pay the
price of a CD. Linux can be downloaded in its entirety from the Internet completely for free. No
registration fees, no costs per user, free updates, and freely available source code in case you want to
change the behavior of your system.

Most of all, Linux is free as in free speech:
The license commonly used is the GNU Public License (GPL). The license says that anybody who
may want to do so, has the right to change Linux and eventually to redistribute a changed version, on
the one condition that the code is still available after redistribution. In practice, you are free to grab a
kernel image, for instance to add support for teletransportation machines or time travel and sell your
new code, as long as your customers can still have a copy of that code.
• Linux is portable to any hardware platform:
A vendor who wants to sell a new type of computer and who doesn't know what kind of OS his new
machine will run (say the CPU in your car or washing machine), can take a Linux kernel and make it
• Linux was made to keep on running:
As with UNIX, a Linux system expects to run without rebooting all the time. That is why a lot of
tasks are being executed at night or scheduled automatically for other calm moments, resulting in
higher availability during busier periods and a more balanced use of the hardware. This property
allows for Linux to be applicable also in environments where people don't have the time or the
possibility to control their systems night and day.
• Linux is secure and versatile:
The security model used in Linux is based on the UNIX idea of security, which is known to be robust
and of proven quality. But Linux is not only fit for use as a fort against enemy attacks from the
Internet: it will adapt equally to other situations, utilizing the same high standards for security. Your
development machine or control station will be as secure as your firewall.
• Linux is scalable:
From a Palmtop with 2 MB of memory to a petabyte storage cluster with hundreds of nodes: add or
remove the appropriate packages and Linux fits all. You don't need a supercomputer anymore,
because you can use Linux to do big things using the building blocks provided with the system. If you
want to do little things, such as making an operating system for an embedded processor or just
recycling your old 486, Linux will do that as well.
• The Linux OS and most Linux applications have very short debug-times:
Because Linux has been developed and tested by thousands of people, both errors and people to fix
them are usually found rather quickly. It sometimes happens that there are only a couple of hours
between discovery and fixing of a bug.

Linux Cons

There are far too many different distributions:
"Quot capites, tot rationes", as the Romans already said: the more people, the more opinions. At first
glance, the amount of Linux distributions can be frightening, or ridiculous, depending on your point
of view. But it also means that everyone will find what he or she needs. You don't need to be an
expert to find a suitable release.
When asked, generally every Linux user will say that the best distribution is the specific version he is
using. So which one should you choose? Don't worry too much about that: all releases contain more
or less the same set of basic packages. On top of the basics, special third party software is added
making, for example, TurboLinux more suitable for the small and medium enterprise, RedHat for
servers and SuSE for workstations. However, the differences are likely to be very superficial. The best
strategy is to test a couple of distributions; unfortunately not everybody has the time for this. Luckily,
there is plenty of advice on the subject of choosing your Linux. A quick search on Google, using the
keywords "choosing your distribution" brings up tens of links to good advise. The Installation
HOWTO also discusses choosing your distribution.
• Linux is not very user friendly and confusing for beginners:
It must be said that Linux, at least the core system, is less userfriendly to use than MS Windows and
certainly more difficult than MacOS, but... In light of its popularity, considerable effort has been
made to make Linux even easier to use, especially for new users. More information is being released
• Is an Open Source product trustworthy?
How can something that is free also be reliable? Linux users have the choice whether to use Linux or
not, which gives them an enormous advantage compared to users of proprietary software, who don't
have that kind of freedom. After long periods of testing, most Linux users come to the conclusion that
Linux is not only as good, but in many cases better and faster that the traditional solutions. If Linux
were not trustworthy, it would have been long gone, never knowing the popularity it has now, with
millions of users. Now users can influence their systems and share their remarks with the community,
so the system gets better and better every day. It is a project that is never finished, that is true, but in
an ever changing environment, Linux is also a project that continues to strive for perfection