Linux has been into the market since the late 1990s and is open to anyone who wants to use it. Linux is free and moreover there is no paying for a cd or a product key. Yet many consumers are very skeptical to switch operating systems or download another. Because of various reasons, windows popularity could be one of them and adding to it is the extra work and time needed to install a new operating system.  

Here are ten good reasons to justify as to why Linux could be a possible reliable option in 2012.

Cost:  It’s free what could one ask for? Unless you choose a commercial option with paid support, while Microsoft sell out their products at a hefty amount and sometimes recurring fee. Linux distributions can be installed in as many computers one wishes without spending from your pocket whereas Microsoft licenses are restricted to be installed on a single computer.

Hardware: Gone are the days when hardware manufacturing companies did not offer many options of drivers or support for Linux operating system, today Linux supports most hardware devices. Linux is also the perfect choice for those old computers with barely any processing power or memory and computers with minimum RAM capacity run Linux without any issue.

Security: Linux makes sure that there is no compromising when it comes to security. Viruses, spyware and adware are major coause cause of concern for consumers these days and Linux has managed to stay secure all these years whereas windows is the most targeted OS for viruses and other malware.

Compatibility: On terms of compatibility Linux is the most preferred operating system because it offers much better interoperability and is compatible with users' needs, that is if you ever collaborate or intend to do so with people in other companies or parts of the world, your best bet would be Linux.

Open Source: Open source model of Linux variants and Linux programs enable the consumers to customize or modify the code as per their needs on the otherhand majority of Windows programs are not open source.

Reliability: The frequency of rebooting is very less comparatively as most of the Linux variants and versions and can often run for months and years without the need to be rebooted and hence Linux is found to be reliable although few version of Windows have been improved by Microsoft lately but still does not match up with Linux in terms of reliability.

Speed Matters: Yes it does, very much when it comes to operating systems. Linux is really fast even on older hardware the reason being least requirement of hardware resources when compared with other operating systems.

Service Support: Consumers using Linux are well supported through the active community of users and developers that surrounds most distributions and there are options of paid support aswel for Linux users.

Choice:  Linux has one great advantage that is it provides consumers with the choice and power to control just about every aspect of the operating system. Desktop look and feel and the kernel are the two major features that the users have control on.

Remarkable Improvement: Linux in the past few years has shown remarkable improvement infact its always improving, as per an article by PCWorld "the communities that tend to surround Linux distributions also tend to keep improving them continuously, both with new features and by zapping any vulnerabilities quickly. No more waiting months for patches to come your way".

Now that the advantages of Linux have been listed out its time to experiment and switch to a new operating system. Windows can be a great tool but when it comes to giving users control of their computing environments, Linux would be the best option.