Presenting: Elementary OS
🐧 What is Linux? 🐧
According to Wikipedia's Linux article:
Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution.
This means that Linux is a free alternative operating system to Microsoft's Windows 🪟 or Apple's macOS 🍎. 🖥️ Anyone can try or install Linux distributions for free on their computer! 💻 Linux can work well on old or new computers. If your computer is no longer supported by the latest Windows or macOS versions, it will still be able to use the latest Linux distributions.
🐧 What can I do with Linux? 🐧
You can do so much with Linux. 💻 You just might need to try a few new programs. Many Linux distributions include a built in app store to find free apps.
- Linux has a free office suite called LibreOffice.
- Linux has Firefox and Chrome to browse the internet.
- Linux is fantastic for programming and web development!
- Gaming on Linux has improved. Steam has thousands of games that support Linux! 🎮
🐧 What are some beginner friendly Linux distributions? 🐧
In Linux, there are lots of choices! However, these are very popular distributions that you may want to try:
🐧 What does Linux look like? 🐧
Linux looks different depending on its desktop environment. For example, Ubuntu, Fedora and Zorin OS use GNOME. Pop!_OS uses COSMIC. Kubuntu and Fedora KDE use KDE Plasma. Linux Mint uses Cinnamon. Elementary OS uses Pantheon.
If you are used to macOS, you might feel at home with Pantheon. If you are used to Windows, you might feel at home with KDE Plasma or Cinnamon. You can also easily customize your desktop environment to fit your own unique style.
Please try the image slider above to see how beautiful Linux distributions can be.
🐧 How do I try Linux? 🐧
You can try Linux live on your computer 💻 without changing your files. All you need is a flash drive and the internet to download a Linux distribution's image .iso file. Then you use a program, such as Etcher to write the Linux distribution to a flash drive and makes it bootable.
Next, you have to reboot your computer and tell it to boot from the flash drive. Your computer might be set to boot from flash drives automatically or you might have to press a key, such as F10 or F12, while your computer starts to boot. Depending on the Linux distribution, it may ask if you want to try the operating system or install. If so, you should select try. It might instead boot directly into a live environment for you to try Linux. Then you can explore!
You can always install Linux later after backing up your files. You can even install Linux while keeping your current operating system. This is called dual booting and is a great option.
🐧 How do I learn more about Linux? 🐧
Tux, the Linux mascot, invites you to subscribe to our Linux newsletter by clicking the button below!
