What is Linux? Why choose it over any other operating system? What exactly are “distros?” And how do you use it? In this article, we’ll be covering all these questions and more about this OS and what you can use it for. 

Linux is an operating system, just like Windows or ChromeOS, that has been around since the mid-1990s. It powers more devices than you may think: cars, TVs, and even your refrigerator! Plus, did you know you could even load Linux onto an old computer to speed it up? But what would make you want to use this system more than other, more popular operating systems? Let’s see.

First off, a major and perhaps positive difference is that Linux is what is called a “kernel.” This means that Linux itself is not actually a usable operating system; rather, you will have to get distributions, or distros, of the platform to be able to utilize any Linux-based system. These distros have pros and cons for different people, and some are geared toward different jobs.

For example, Linux Mint is a more user-friendly system that would most likely work for the just-retired Windows user or Chromebook user. On the complete flip side, Gentoo Linux is way more complicated and requires more work to configure and even use, so you must be very skilled with computers to use this distro.

You can even make your own distribution, or “distro!” That’s right, you can use a project called Linux From Scratch, or LFS, to help create your own personalized and custom distro, tailored to whatever you want. But it definitely won’t be easy to do this, and it’s a time-consuming process to work on. Why can you just make your own distro? That’s because Linux is open source, meaning anyone can access the program and change it as they wish, which is part of the beauty of Linux.

Adding to this, Linux is also completely free, and some distros even have editions, which change certain details of a distro itself. Why is this helpful? Let’s say you have a really old laptop that can barely run Windows, so you want to revitalize it – a distro you find might have a super lightweight edition so that you can run it faster than it normally would compared to a heavier version.

So if you have that one old laptop or PC that can barely run its current operating system or isn’t even able to turn on to the log-in screen, you may want to make it a project for yourself to learn how to load up your computer onto Linux instead and see how it runs.