X&R

What is *nix and why do people use it.

Categories: |*nix|

Hello there, this is my first post and I want to explain some things about my *nix usage.

Cool but what is *nix?

*nix is an acronym for “Unix-like operating system”. An operating system simply put is a container for programs for you to use. I mean, It’s actually way more than that but lets start simple shall we? Take Windows for example. You can’t run your Windows programs without running windows can you?.. Well… You can actually but that’s a whole new can of worms for me to explain.

Unix is… Or was, an operating system created in 1969 in Bell Labs research center. Sadly Unix was overthrown by other operating systems in late 80’s to early 90’s thus it disappeared from the market. But not all hope is gone, Unix today stands for an open standard for other *nix based operating systems such as Linux, BSD family and Mac OS X. All in all Unix-like operating systems used around %16 of all desktop operating systems today (largely thanks to Mac OS X).

What kind of *nix do I use?

As of now I use Linux. More specifically Manjaro Linux. Linux is a family of operating systems that been made with open source in mind. Although some people like to call it GNU/Linux because Linux is just a part of the operating system, I find it mouthful to say GNU/Linux. Plus GNU is one heck of an ugly name for a project. Manjaro Linux is based on the Arch Linux derivative of Linux operating systems family. All the Linux derivatives has their own perks, pros and cons. The reason I pick Manjaro specifically was it was easier to install and maintain than Arch. However that was years ago, right now the reason I’m staying on Manjaro is simply I don’t want the struggle of changing what already works. Though for my next computer I’ll probably Install Arch Linux.

So, why do people using *nix?

Well, when you ask a BSD family or a Linux user why do they use what they use most of them will answer with one of these:

It’s more secure than Windows.
It’s free and open source.
It’s better for productiveness.
It’s tools are more powerful than Windows.

Let’s dissect these one by one:

1 - It’s more secure than windows:

I partially agree to this. But the reason isn’t that BSD/Linux is codded better, which most BSD/Linux users think is. It’s mostly because only less then %2 of the world desktop users use BSD/Linux, so people simply can’t be bothered to make viruses for it. Plus to that BSD/Linux users are usually more tech savvy than Windows users due to BSD/Linux being more obscure, so it’s harder to effect desktop computers. And lastly, BSD/Linux has better fundamentals when it comes to obtaining software. Instead of searching for random websites in Google to download the software one desires, you can just open the software center or (Something like Play Store or App Store) or terminal package manager and download the software you want. Of course you can use the less secure way of Googling stuff but why bother when you can do i with a few clicks? Is this a reason for me to use BSD/Linux? Well no, but it certainly a plus.

2 - It’s free and open source:

Let’s tackle the free part first, when people say free software they usually mean free as in “freedom” and not free as in “free of charge”. And well, I think this freedom is bit overrated but still I like it. Some BSD/Linux elitists say “Windows and Mac OS X isn’t free as in freedom, you don’t own the product, you are the product!” But I don’t agree with that, sure they might be spying on you, which I don’t have any proof of so I mostly think that’s a conspiracy theory. I guess the fact they are proprietary leaves suspicion on some peoples minds, after all you can’t proof their guilt nor their innocence. But that really doesn’t matter for me. Let’s say Windows spies on me and sells my data to governments or other companies… So what? My internet provider already has all of that data and it’s not like I’m doing illegal stuff like hacking the NSA. That being said despite all I just said I under consciously feel more secure and I guess “free” using BSD/Linux so I guess that’s a plus.

As for the free as in “free of charge” part well it’s certainly a plus but if I have to be honest I’m already using Windows for free when I must use Windows. That “Activate Windows” watermark doesn’t bother me at all.

And as for the open source part… Well I guess i feel more safe knowing the software I use can not easily harm me or spy on me without damaging it’s own reputation, so that is also a plus. But if I must be honest I’d use BSD/Linux even if they were proprietary.

3 - It’s better for productiveness:

It’s an operating system… Even though there are differences in how you use it and bend it to your will, it can’t make you more productive by a large margin, of course some GUI tweaks and some keybindings can make you a tiny bit more productive but at least I haven’t noticed anything big in my productiveness. Still a plus but a really little one. Also aside from BSD/Linux systems specific software there aren’t much software you can install that you can’t find equivalent for Windows/Mac OS X. In fact when you look from the Windows/Mac OS X side there are some software that you can’t find equivalent for BSD/Linux. Well technically you can but some really complex programs equivalents (such as Adobe suite of programs) requires you to learn most of the workflow and tools from scratch.

4 - It’s tools are more powerful than Windows:

That I agree with but, only if you’re into using terminals. I use terminal often and it’s a chore to use Windows after getting really used to BSD/Linux terminal since Windows’s console is quite limited on what you can do. This integrates with the software center/package manager as well. When you install a software to BSD/Linux you can just call it from the terminal. For Windows to do that either the installer specifically needs to introduce the software it installs to Windows’s console or you have to introduce it manually by changing some settings in “Manage” menu.

Aside from terminal there is one more place BSD/Linux shines in the tools department. The system settings tools. Simply put Windows has a really messy control panel that has legacy parts from all the way to Windows 95. Although most users doesn’t really use these settings people who maintains their own and others computers do use them. And boy is it bad… In BSD/Linux you only have terminal utils in a stock system but don’t let that scare you most common desktop environments come with their own set of settings managers and I never seen a one that is worse than Windows’s. So this one is a big plus for me.

But well, in the end… They are certainly are pluses but none of these are the reason I use BSD/Linux.

Then, why am I using *nix?

In one word: Customization. Some BSD/Linux users argue that BSD/Linux isn’t all about customization. And I agree to that but, it sure is customizable. Anything from basic to advanced, from your panel location to color and the position of the custom desktop widget you created. When I was a teenager my dream was to create my own operating system and customize its GUI to my hearts extend. Well BSD/Linux is exactly that. If you want to you can compile everything from scratch or get a really basic system and add upon that. Don’t like a part? Just remove it! Need something? Just add it! It’s that simple. For example I use three different window managers and a desktop environment for different purposes. Window managers and desktop environments are basically different interfaces you can use. Imagine windows for example, you have different windows and their title decorations also you have a bottom panel. In window managers and desktop environments you can edit all of these and more! I will explain my workflow and show my window managers/desktop environments in a later blog.

Thank you for reading.

Why Do People Use *nix? - 16-10-2022

Cool but what is *nix?

What kind of *nix do I use?

So, why do people using *nix?

Then, why am I using *nix?