This articles was firstly published on my own blog here

I was a big fan of Windows OS, and have been using it for years because it is user-friendly, well-designed, and convenient. However, since I started programming I found that a Linux distro (such as Ubuntu, Manjaro, and Arch) is the best Operating System to start with.

In this article, I am going to share, why I most of the software engineers choose Linux over Windows for programming

1. Pre-installed Compilers

   The primary reason behind the popularity of Linux is the availability of compilers or interpreter. You don't have to download them yourself. On the other hand, Windows does not come with pre-installed compilers.

2. Open Source

   Unlike Windows OS which is commercial, Linux is an open source software that is freely available to download. There are hundreds of Linux distributions available out of which almost five-hundred distro are in active development.

3. Community Support

   All newcomers can find help on any of the Linux forums. If you are stuck somewhere in your development process or need help in your coding process, just Google it and you can find several Linux based helpful resources.

4. Performance

   Linux is much powerful and versatile than Windows. It is light-weight OS, which makes it faster than Windows. You will notice a significant improvement in speed on a Linux distro when you start working it.

5. Secure

   Linux is considered to be more secure than Windows. No antivirus is needed. Since it is open source, several developers are working on it and everyone can contribute code. It is likely that someone will find a vulnerability long before hackers can target a Linux distro.

6. Shell

   If Linux does not have what you need, you can still get all the functionalities that you need from the command line. Simply enter the command and it will atomically download and install the package. Which saves a lot of efforts.