Why You Should Try Linux Today

6 compelling reasons.

- Brad Chacos

There’s never been a better time to give Linux a try.

Wait, don’t slam on that back button! I’m not one of those rabid “Year of the Linux desktop” types. Windows works just fine for hundreds of millions of people, and—sorry, Linux lovers— there’s little to suggest Linux usage will ever be more than a rounding error compared to Microsoft’s behemoth.

That said, there are some pretty compelling reasons you might want to consider switching to Linux on your computer, or at least give it a hassle-free trial run.

1. Windows 10 is taking away your choices

Bear with me. This may seem off-topic, but it’s the crux of the issue for a lot of people. Linux’s most alluring feature for many won’t be anything that Linux actually does, but what it doesn’t do. And it’s all due to Microsoft’s folly.

Windows 10 may be the best Windows ever (go.pcworld.com/win10rev and I use it daily on my primary PC) but Microsoft’s pulled some tricks that range from questionable to downright gross in order to drive its adoption numbers higher, and to coax you into using the myriad Microsoft services and paid upgrades (go.pcworld.com/ w10notfree) baked into the operating system.

It began with endless pop-ups on Windows 7 and 8.1 PCs—popups that started innocently enough before crossing the line into deceptive malware-like tactics. When that didn’t boost adoption numbers high enough, it morphed into nastier tricks and full-on forced upgrades that prompted some fearful owners to disable Windows updates completely rather than be pushed into Microsoft’s new operating system.