Microsoft has been the biggest and most popular operating system for a long time with Apple right behind. It's not hard to see why. It's easy to use, easy to learn and is generally stable. Mac OS is also easy. My first computer OS was Windows and I used it for over 20 years. I only began using Mac OS last year and it took literally less than a month to learn it. In fact, I haven't touched my Windows PC in over 6 months just because Mac OS is just so much better. But what about Linux? Is it as hard to use as everyone thinks or is it actually better?
The Good
Linux just like any OS has it's good points and bad points. Firstly, there is a Linux for almost any computer. You have a Linux version for most things you want to do. Linux Mint is the easiest one to use if you are coming from Windows. The familiar layout will definitely make you feel right at home. Unlike some distributions where everything is everywhere, Linux Mint put things in the right spot. Elementary OS is a good option if you are used to Mac OS. They look identical and feel identical. But under the hood, it works just like Linux Mint. Then there is Fedora. Fedora is great if you want to jump into a new experience and learn a new way of doing things. It is one of the most secure operating systems around. And finally, there is LXLE. LXLE is good for computers that are running on older hardware. Like a single-core Intel or a dual-core AMD. It is not resource hungry and works really well.
The Bad
Linux can hard to use at first but once you get the hang of it, it's not that bad. It can also be finicky when a problem happens but there is so much help on the internet that you can find a solution to almost any problem. Also, Windows programs do not work on Linux. Now sometimes you can make them work using Wine, but it's a 50/50 shot.
Debian, Fedora, Arch, and Ubuntu
Okay so, Ubuntu is the most popular Linux distribution out there. However, Canonical does stupid stuff too, so they are the Microsoft of the Linux world. That's why I don't recommend it. However, most distributions are Ubuntu based. So any distribution that is Ubuntu-based, the terminal codes and programs work in these distributions. They are also the easiest to use and learn. Debian is another type of Linux. Ubuntu is actually built on Debian. Debian is generally more stable than Ubuntu but it takes longer to get updates for it. Fedora is very secure and on the cutting edge of technology. Definitely, an excellent choice if you want a stable and fantastic distribution. Arch is a different distribution altogether. I don't have much experience with it but I am going to try it out shortly and when I do, I'll post a blog entry about it.
The Bottom Line
So should you switch to Linux? The answer depends on what you need your PC to do. If it's business-related or light gaming related, Linux will work great. Even if you use the computer to do photography or audio and video editing, Linux is an excellent option.