Best uses of Linux (Even when your personal computer runs Windows)

Even if you are a Mac or Windows user, knowing how to install and use Linux is very important to you. Here, you will find out the uses of Linux. Installing it will be taught in my upcoming articles.

Troubleshooting other computers :

You don't even need to install Linux on your machine to make it useful. We can run Linux live i.e. without installing it via a Linux CD or USB drive. This makes Linux important in troubleshooting our PC. In cases like, we forgot our password, we can run Linux live to get access to files on the disk. It is because, login passwords are applied to OS but when the OS changes (though temporarily), the password doesn't bother. Also, you can use Linux to recover the files that you deleted by mistake.

Host a Website or Webapp :

Have you ever wondered the number of websites you visit daily!..Let it be cloud storage site like Dropbox or Google Drive. You can also host your own website on Linux. Also you can convert your PC to a cloud storage that can be accessed from anywhere. Its the most reliable to put your important data on your PC rather than to put them on other hands like Dropbox or Drive.

 

Automate everything in your home

With a little Linux knowledge and a cheap computer—like the Raspberry Pi—you can create all sorts of tiny home automation gadgets. You can control your home with Siri, mount a Google Calendar tablet on your wall, set up a home surveillance system, control your blinds and air conditioner, stream music in your living room, build a digital photo frame, build a sunrise alarm clock, and...pretty much anything else you can think of. With a cheap board like the Raspberry Pi and a free OS like Linux, you're more limited by your imagination than your wallet.

 

Hacking and Security

Some Linux distributions, like BackTrack or Kali, are security-focused distros for testing security systems. That means you can use them to learn how to, say, hack WEP or WPA Wi-Fi passwords, which is a great way to learn a bit more about your own network security and how to protect yourself from similar attacks. Of course, we don't recommend using these powers for evil—but knowing evil's tricks gives you a good path to preventing them.

 

Revive an old or slow PC

And so we come to one of the most obvious and common uses for Linux—and still one of the best. If you have a PC that's seen better days, Windows is far from the ideal OS. install a lightweight Linux distribution on it (like Lubuntu or, if you're a bit more savvy, Archbang) and it'll feel like a new machine again. It may not be able to do everything your powerful Windows machine can do, but it's better than having a non-functional computer, and works perfectly for basic tasks.

 

Learn more about how computers work

If none of the above sound like anything you need, why not just learn a little bit more about how computers work? Tons of things run Linux these days, from TVs to the Android phone in your pocket, and learning about Linux is not only a fun hobby in and of itself, but it'll help you learn a bit more about what makes these machines tick. We recommend getting started with something like Ubuntu or Mint, then when you get a little more familiar, move onto Arch for some serious learning. There are a ton of great distros out there, and even if you're just playing around, you may find that those skills come in pretty handy one day.