It’s a subtle day in Portland suburbia – a hint of rain on the stormfront. I’m okay, working on Windows, my childhood operating system. Just then, thunder claps and the roar reverberates into my face as I glance upon the dreaded blue background and rotating white circles. “Windows is preparing for updates.”

This time I had enough. I don’t need an Xbox app on my computer – I don’t want ‘Cortana’ reporting my data to Microsoft. The only way out without a Mac (which is littered with its own data-mining, proprietary, and marketing-focused environment) is Linux.

In my mind, Linux was an old school, computer-junkie operating system that I passed up when I chose to ignore computer science in undergraduate. What I came to find out is the opposite – Linux is the core of a variety of different distributions, some of which are very approachable, including Android. In fact, the vast majority of servers run Linux. It’s all for good reason. 

I started with Ubuntu, a straightforward operating system that really makes the transition easy. When installing, the user is presented with a graphical installation that is easy to use. Instructions are available on Ubuntu’s website and all that is needed is a 2 GB flash drive.

As I became more proficient with understanding computers and Linux command line, I transitioned to a barebone distribution called Arch, where one sets up their own installation from the command line. Familiarizing myself with Linux by immersion gave me a leg-up when I started working in Bash environments, like super computers. I can now perform basic computational tasks, install, and troubleshoot software with much more ease. Sure, sometimes it was painful, but the vast array of information readily available by the community is enough to solve most problems. And with each problem, I became more proficient.

There are plenty of reasons why you should use Linux – and why you’re fully capable of it. It may seem intimidating at first, but here’s a brief list:

• You don’t need the command line these days – popular distributions, like Mint/Ubuntu, are fully functional out of the box. In fact, Linux is a UNIX-like operating system, and Mac is UNIX-based, so Linux will seem very familiar to the adept Mac user. 
• I initially transitioned to Ubuntu and only learned the command line because I wanted to – in reality, most tasks can be performed and one can be a fully functional user without using command line in Linux. When one does want to take the plunge into command line, there is a vast community already available online with a high chance that your questions have been answered. This is partially due to the next point.
• It’s open source – so the code is freely distributed and viewable by the entire community. The code is essentially owned by everyone who uses it. This makes customization and ownership built-in by design. Don’t want voice commands extracting data – that’s verifiably not in the code. Don’t want automatic updates, you get to make your decisions for yourself – like the competent adult you are, you can choose to not have your hand held if you don’t want it. Using Linux is supporting free distribution and development of software – a tenent in-line with science.
• It’s secure - Many argue open-source inherently enhances security by having access to a vast community that can spot and patch bugs. The whole ‘security through obscurity’ mantra closed-source code abides by doesn’t withstand the test of time – if one finds a hack in Windows, they can exploit it and Windows is limited to its security team to find the hack and then patch it – if there’s a hack in Linux, there’s a good chance the community knows about it and has eiher patched it or posted somewhere how to patch it. 
• Furthermore, Linux is based off the same core system that runs Mac, so security is in the system by design. There are users of the computer, and a universal root user that is called upon whenever one needs to install or do something that can potentially affect the deeper levels of the system. In fact, most installations occur via a secure software manager – instead of the myriad websites one has to verify as secure in Mac and Windows.
• Its installation systems are easier – Most Linux distributions use a package manager to install software. The software is hosted on the distributions’ servers once packages are verified as secure. So installing most programs is as simple as accessing a software manager program that comes with the distribution or inputting `apt install XX` or `pacman -S XX` in the command line. Again, because they are part of central repositories, a user can get most software without having to venture outside of the secure repository. 

The sky cleared when I installed Linux. It’s presented a variety of opportunities and has made me a valuable collaborator and source of advice in the small bioinformatics community I’m a part of. It is a fully functional, freely distributed set of operating systems and the majority of the world runs it – you can too.

Written by TPS Fellow Zach Konkel