Over the last few years I have seen the general public go from a general ignorance of the existence of Linux to a general knowledge of it being an option on their computers. Over those same years I have seen the momentum building to this point…this point being the perfect time to make the switch from your current operating system to Linux.
Why, you ask, is this the perfect time to make the switch? I have five good reasons why. Read on to find out.
1. The tide is only going to continue to rise. The Linux movement is only going to continue to grow. I predict that in the next five years Linux is going to have grown to the point that it will start becoming an option even in big-box retail stores. As IT professionals, programmers, or even geeks-in-general you are going to want to have a solid understanding of Linux when this happens. If you don’t, you will be left behind. Instead, embrace the open source flagship now and, by the time Linux has risen to power, you will have a better grasp of the operating system than your competition.
2. Economy. In my recent article “Five good reasons to switch to Linux” I made it fairly clear why the cost of Linux makes sense. But let me make this point a bit more immediate. The economy across the globe is quite bad. It will eventually find prosperity and companies will finally rise above the water to breathe again. This less-than-prosperous period is the perfect time to make the switch to Linux. Why? Job security. If you are the head of an IT department, how do you think the board of directors or the CEO is going to look upon you when you bring to them the figures showing how much you have saved them in software licenses? You’re going to look quite the genius and it might save you from getting that fateful call to HR to hand your your pink slip.
Add to that the savings over time and, when you do float back above water, you will have saved enough money to put towards some new hires, or some new iron.
3. Microsoft is making up for another mistake. How many times are you going to read that sentence? The reports and reviews for Windows 7 are pretty much all positive. Isn’t that to be expected after Vista? With the exception of Windows ME, Vista was the worst operating system Microsoft has released. They knew they had to recover from that with a hit. If they didn’t, they were doomed. But is this going to be the last time? No. Because Vista is so bad, now is the perfect time to make the switch to show your users what a real operating system, with real power, is. Once they see the stability and speed of, say, Ubuntu over Vista they will welcome it with open arms. No more slowing down, no more UAC.
4. Ubuntu 9.04. I will be writing up a review of this newest release of Ubuntu very soon. But I can safely say, after less than 24 hours of use, that this release might well be the slickest operating system release I have ever seen. Introducting new users to this particular version of Linux will not only prove to them that Linux is a viable solution, they might finally see that Linux is the BEST solution. Ubuntu 9.04 is really that good.
5. What’s the next big virus? Can you answer that question? If not, can you say, with 100% certainty, your anti-virus software will protect you and your data from whatever is about to come down the pipeline? If you were using Linux that certainty would certainly be much closer to 100% than it is now with Windows. And you’re willing to risk that mission-critical data why? Malware, spyware, viruses, worms, trojans - they are only going to continue coming. And every time they do you have to hope the makers of your protection have pushed the definitions out to your machine to keep you safe. With Linux you’re not going to have to worry about that right now. But the longer you wait to make the change, the greater your chances that you will be the next victim of whatever malicious code is next in line.
So, what are you waiting for? Games? Photoshop? Linux is here and it’s only going to continue to grow. Now is the perfect time to either make the switch or add Linux to your arsenal of tools. Don’t get left behind.