Linux distros might be extremely popular in the server community, but they’re still a niche in the general computing sector, which the Windows lineup continues to dominate. Ever since I began my home lab obsession, I’ve spent more time with Linux than Windows – and let me tell you, Linux distributions have some game-changing features that are severely lacking in their modern Windows counterparts.

5 Troubleshooting is a cinch

You've got terminal commands to thank for that

Compared to Windows, the Linux command-line interface is deeply integrated into the normal functioning of the system. While it might seem a little difficult for beginners to navigate a minefield of terminal commands, the CLI-heavy nature of Linux makes it perfect for troubleshooting errors.

Whether it’s a faulty application, disk errors, or your hardware acting up, Linux provides highly detailed logs in the terminal, and a quick search on Google will reveal the root cause alongside the commands you can execute to fix it. In contrast, Windows rarely tells you the main cause behind an issue, and you’ll have to use your wits, the Event Viewer, and a lot of trial and error to get rid of the errors. That’s before I include the tons of menus, settings, and (in the worst-case scenario) registry values you’ll have to go through to fix said issue.

Don’t get me wrong, Arch Linux, NixOS, and other complex distros always keep me on my toes when a package crashes for the umpteenth time even after troubleshooting for hours. But the LTS versions of Debian, Linux Mint, Fedora, and other general-purpose distros are pretty stable – to the point where I daresay, they’ve got fewer issues and bugs than Windows 11 as far as everyday tasks are concerned.

4 Superior package managers

The ones on Windows aren't there just yet

Like terminal commands, package managers are a key utility in Linux distros, as they provide a secure means to add your favorite tools and apps to your workstation. Plus, they’re extremely simple to use, as all you have to do is type the name of the package manager, followed by the install command and the service you wish to install. If your package manager doesn’t include a repository or two, you can simply add it with a couple of commands before using it to grab the package.

Meanwhile, WinGet and Chocolatey are the closest you have to a functional package manager on Windows, and even then, they’re still lacking in the package count, especially compared to the more extensive Yum and Nix package managers.

3 Lower performance overhead

Perfect for older devices

At the time of its launch, Windows 11 sparked a lot of controversy due to its surprisingly high system requirements. Although you can technically bypass the 4GB memory and TPM 2.0 requirements with the help of Rufus, the overall experience will be anything but smooth if you’re on an old system.

That’s because Windows has tons of services running in the background, which consumes way too much memory. It also has a lot of bloatware, be it the Edge browser, telemetry services, or the ads Microsoft sneaks into the Start menu. Leaving Puppy Linux, DietPi, and other lightweight distros aside, even the full desktop variants of Debian and Ubuntu that include extra pre-installed apps consume lower resources. Since I often cycle between SBCs, virtual machines, and motherboards with embedded processors, Linux is perfect for my experimentation needs.

2 Better privacy

I won't have to worry about Recall spying on me

Over the last couple of years, the Windows series has had several “features” that fail to respect the user’s privacy. Randomly shoving advertisements into the Start menu has been a thing since Windows 8, but Microsoft has already started adding them to the Weather app and other utilities. You've also got telemetry services that gather information about your device, though one can somewhat justify them as Microsoft’s way of ensuring future updates work without issues across different permutations and combinations of hardware.

However, the recent Recall fiasco is an eye-opener even for folks who aren’t concerned with their privacy. The very notion of a utility that saves all your activity is a major red flag. Given the barebones security measures implemented into Recall, it’s extremely easy for hackers to break into the database containing your activities.

1 Highly versatile

Is that a server? Is that a PC? No, it's Linux!

If you’ve ever tinkered with different operating systems or worked on computing projects, you may already be aware of the high flexibility offered by Linux-powered distributions. On one hand, the Linux ecosystem has desktop-grade operating systems like Debian and Pop_OS! alongside their DIY-esque rivals Alpine, Arch, and Void Linux, which are great for most computing workloads. Then you’ve got distributions like Harvester, TrueNAS Scale, Batocera, and LibreELEC that are designed to cater to a specific niche.

As if that’s not enough, it’s a lot easier to convert your average all-purpose Linux distro into a formidable self-hosting station, emulation hub, media server, or NAS (or even all of them, at the same time!). Sure, you could fine-tune certain aspects of Windows 11 to use the OS in your computing experiments, but the high privacy, better security, and superior performance of Linux make it the ideal option for your projects.

Nevertheless, Windows has its own perks

Of course, the article wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t cover the areas where Linux lags behind its rival. Although game compatibility has gone up tremendously in Linux distros, multiplayer titles that leverage kernel-level anti-cheat technology remain unplayable on anything but Windows. If you’re a heavy Adobe user, you won’t be able to access the uber-popular photo and video-editing app suite on Linux without a Windows virtual machine. But for coders, tinkerers, and even everyday users, Linux distributions are more enticing than ever!