You should at the very least try configuring a virtual machine (VM) on Windows or macOS with a Linux distro, if you consider yourself a software enthusiast or wish to get into development. There are a few reasons why this can open new doors for not only allowing you to learn new things about an operating system (OS) you've likely never interacted with, but also work on the backend that powers most of the world's hardware. If you wish to become a budding developer, here's why Linux is the way to go, even if it is through a VM.

4 Linux is a must-have for development

You'll likely need some experience

Want to get into software development? You'll need to know Linux. It powers most of the world's server infrastructure. You'll find Linux on most web servers, as well as various smaller systems and even many single-board computers (SBCs). Linux is everywhere, and while many consumers will often go through life without even touching a Linux PC, they're almost always interacting with some device powered by the open-source platform. It's why it's so vital for software developers to know (and love).

There are some other reasons for using Linux for coding, including enhanced package managers, lower system requirements, and a wealth of knowledge and software. It's the go-to choice for learning programming, but you shouldn't completely rule out macOS or Windows since they're better tailored to specific tasks. For instance, Windows would be better for .Net framework and its associated languages. Game development and 3D rendering are other fields where Windows continues to have a leg up on Linux.

3 A wealth of open-source software

Try something new to replace paid software

Linux is free and open-source by nature, and because of this, much of the software that runs on Linux is available at no extra cost. Being open-source also has the side effect of allowing anyone to peer into what makes everything work. This is great for learning the basics of software development as well as making sure there's no dodgy code that will cause a vulnerability on your system. That said, with a VM, you'll be fully protected against all threats.

I've enjoyed using free and open-source software on Linux for years. Use Photoshop from Adobe? GIMP is your new best friend. Need somewhere to stash video files to make a compilation or short movie? Kdenlive can do all that and more. Darktable is even at hand for handling RAW image files. And if you're into self-hosting anything, you'll be pleased to learn about Nextcloud, which can provide a free collaborative office suite of productivity tools for not only your Linux VM

2 Learn how a different OS works

Interact with all the various sub-systems

Windows is great, and so is macOS, but they're both heavily locked down. Microsoft does attempt to remain at least slightly open, but you can't dig deep and completely alter the OS like you can with Linux. It doesn't really matter which Linux distro you pick, as they're all built on the same solid foundation. It's simply how they're put together with various desktop environments (DEs), window managers (WMs), and other software that make it a distro, such as Ubuntu and Fedora. There's no wrong choice here, but what you feel most comfortable using.

The same Linux kernel powers everything and likely includes support for your hardware, even if the PC is years old. This is something Windows 11 struggles with more stringent system requirements. Once installed within a VM, you can install as many packages as the allocated virtual drive will allow. Each distro will come with some packages installed, but there's a wealth of open-source software available in repositories, on Git websites, and other sources. Everything should work out of the box with integrated kernel drivers.

Updates are handled differently on Windows and macOS, where each package is updated instead of an OS-wide release. Depending on the distro you pick, this can vary. Arch Linux is about as minimalist as you can get, whereas Ubuntu is pre-assembled and ready for anyone to use with a GUI. And once you've grown accustomed to how Linux performs, it's time for some customization, which can completely transform the way your virtual Linux installation looks and works.

1 Nothing will affect your primary OS

Virtual machines are amazing for testing

The best feature of a virtual machine is containerization. It's a powerful tool that can run an entire OS as if it were running on physical hardware — it technically is still running on hardware, but you get the point. Think of it as an emulator you can use to play old game ROMs, except with a VM, you could install Linux within Windows and run an emulator within the VM to play a game. A VM shares hardware resources with the primary operating system, allowing you to allocate RAM and CPU cores to save money.

It's simpler to manage than two systems running separately or side-by-side, allowing you to be more productive within the constraints of a single desktop environment. Throw in a few additional servers, and you have virtual instances that save you countless hundreds and hours of maintenance. Running Linux OS distros within a VM is not only straightforward but perfectly viable within a traditional macOS or Windows desktop environment. Whatever happens within this VM instance won't ever affect the wider system.

VMs can be adjusted on the fly, allowing you to expand or reduce the resources allocated to each running instance. This is ideal should you plan to add more VMs that will run simultaneously. And because it's all in a virtual environment, you can quickly recover from crashes or errors without having to do a thing to your primary OS. Once you're ready to make the switch and run Linux on a dedicated system, you should have ample experience to get up and running without any issues.

Give Linux a try today with your favorite VM manager

VirtualBox is great and can handle most Linux distros on macOS and Windows. Simply install the app, download an image of your chosen OS, and load it up. You can now explore the world of Linux without affecting your machine and primary OS installation, allowing you to make some drastic changes, break stuff, and install just about anything you can think of. VMs will become your new best friend as you enter a world of virtualization, with the next step being a full-featured Proxmox server and the start of your new homelab.