Why I Daily Drive Linux
Discovered Linux about 6-7 years ago through cybersecurity YouTube videos. Was interested in hacking and security research, and Linux(Ubuntu,Kali Linux) kept showing up in every tutorial. The idea of an OS that hackers preferred caught my attention.
My old ASUS laptop was struggling. 4GB RAM and dual-core Celeron made Windows increasingly painful. Daily tasks felt sluggish, boot times were terrible, spent more time optimizing Windows than using it. Those videos mentioned something important: Linux runs fast on old hardware.
Installed Linux Mint Cinnamon. The difference was immediate - system boot, application launches, everything was fast. Laptop felt new again. Beyond performance, appreciated the security and privacy. Linux users aren’t typical malware targets, and the OS doesn’t phone home by default.
Being in 10th-11th grade with genuine interest in CS, had time to experiment. Tried many things: Ubuntu, Fedora, openSUSE, Manjaro, Endeavour, ArcoLinux, NixOS, and Arch Linux. Window managers became another rabbit hole: i3, awesome, dwm, qtile, sway, xmonad, bspwm, and finally Hyprland. They’re incredibly productive once configured.
Currently daily drive Arch Linux with Hyprland. Arch gives complete control and rolling updates. As I got deeper into CS, Linux knowledge became invaluable. Servers run Linux. Cloud infrastructure runs Linux. The CLI skills, Linux commands, configuration management, and package managers transferred directly to professional development.
Tools like Docker, Git, tmux, and Vim feel natural when you’re comfortable with Linux workflows. Though I don’t game much, gaming support is ever increasing on Linux with Wine, Proton, Steam Deck, and various game launchers. The gaming argument against Linux is becoming less valid.
Linux taught me that software should work for the user, not against them. It respects your time, hardware, and privacy. For developers, it’s not just an OS choice - it’s the foundation that makes everything else more productive.