Linux

Linux is a free operating system… the basic software that runs a computer, the same job Windows or macOS does. The big difference is that Linux is free and built by a worldwide community of volunteers rather than sold by one company. It quietly runs most of the internet’s behind-the-scenes machinery, but it can also run a regular desktop computer.

Think of the operating system as the engine under your car’s hood. Most people drive Windows or Mac without ever thinking about the engine. Linux is a free engine that a club of enthusiasts builds and improves in the open… and anyone’s allowed to pop the hood.

Why should I care?

Here’s the part that matters for you: when Microsoft or Apple stops supporting an older computer, that machine still works fine… it just stops getting updates. Installing Linux can give an old, “unsupported” PC a second life instead of the landfill, often running faster than it did before. It’s not for everyone, and there’s a small learning curve, but it’s worth knowing that a slow or abandoned computer isn’t always ready for the scrap heap.