I get this question quite often, but I struggle explaining it, especially in a few simple words. Anyway, this is a very interesting topic because things are very complicated when it comes to UNIX vs Linux. There are business related things, licenses, policies, government influence etc.
Linux
So, you heard about Linux so many times but never had the guts to finally commit to the change cause of those scary stories that you heard on how complex setting up Linux is, and the choice of the Linux distribution in the first place? Well, you shouldn’t worry about that anymore because we got you covered.
Linux-based operating systems (often called Linux Distributions, or just Distros) are quite popular among programmers and developers since their announcement in the 90s. The Linux kernel itself is designed to be flexible and open for modifications and contributions, thus it can run on any hardware. The same principle is applied to almost the whole software stack above the kernel that constitutes the Linux Distribution as a complete product. In general, it is designed from programmers for programmers and freely available to everyone.
Looking for a new laptop to run a Linux distro on? Check our guide to the best Linux laptops to buy in 2019 and you’ll find the perfect one. If you’re in a hurry, skip to the overview.