In the previous post I talked about vendor lock-in. Computers are taking over more and more of our daily lives, and this trend of computers controlling more of the world is not likely to come to a stop any time soon.

Soon enough cybernetics might start to become a reality. We may someday soon be able to upgrade ourselves as we can upgrade our machines. In such a world vendor lock-in would mean that you don’t own parts of your own body. We can’t allow ourselves to be chained to the likes of Microsoft. We can’t allow our society to remain locked in to the security disaster that Windows so fundamentally is.

At some point you have to ask yourself:
Do you want to be free?

Do you want to take back control? If so then Linux is for you.
Linux is an alternative to Windows and Mac. It’s the official unofficial third option that nobody talks about. Linux is different from Mac and Windows not just because it’s a different product, but because it’s built in a different way.

Linux wasn’t written by a single corporation. Linux was written by many different organizations and individuals from all around the world. Anyone can contribute code to the Linux kernel to add new features or fix bugs in it, and countless people already have.

If you don’t trust corporations then Linux is for you.

Linux is designed to be customizable. While other inferior operating systems let you change the background, Linux lets you decide whether or not there even is a background, or if there’s just a command line. With Linux you can change nearly anything about the system. You can change the desktop to have any kind of theme. You can tell it whether or not to update automatically, whether or not it should have one clipboard or many, whether or not all your files should be encrypted, and even whether or not it can run Windows programs.

If you want customizability then Linux is for you.

Linux respects your privacy. The kernel can’t contain code that spies on you because anyone who would add such code is legally required to make the instructions to it publicly available, and everyone would be able to see the code that spies on you and anyone could make a fork of the project that doesn’t spy on you.

If you want privacy then Linux is for you.

Unlike Windows, Linux is designed with security in mind. Whenever a security hole is discovered it is quickly patched up, and an update is released that makes the system more secure for everyone.

Microsoft Windows has security holes in it that everyone has known about for decades which Microsoft has done nothing to fix. With Linux people from all around the world are able to inspect the code and find any security holes, and then file a bug report which quickly gets handled, or even fix it themselves and send the security patch
to the Linux foundation.

If you want security then Linux is for you.

Linux isn’t just one product. There are many variations of Linux that you can choose from. You can go with Linux Mint if you want something that’s simple, Gentoo Linux if you want something that’s really advanced, Debian Linux if you want something that’s stable, Arch Linux if you want something that’s on the cutting edge, Red Hat Linux if you want something for corporate needs, or any number of other options.
Each of them is a variation on the same thing, and each of them is compatible with each other while still offering variety.

If you want choices then Linux is for you.

Linux has been optimized over decades by talented people from all around the world so that it can run on anything and everything in a way that’s fast, and efficient.
Linux is capable of running on everything from the tiny computer chip in your microwave oven all the way up to the super computers that google uses for their search engine.
From digital wrist watches to servers to super computers, from micro chips to self driving cars, from laptops to airplane autopilots, Linux runs them all behind the scenes and keeps the digital world safe and secure.

If you want speed and efficiency then Linux is for you.

And now, with help from Valve Software, Linux is gaining the ability to run an increasingly large number of video games. Someday soon Linux may be the definitive choice for video games.
The truth is that Linux is for everyone.

If you want to be free, then Linux is for you.