The Call to Adventure

What is GNU/Linux¹? #

GNU/Linux can be defined as a free and open-source operating system that runs on pretty much everything. It’s the most popular choice for servers, supercomputers, and embedded devices, whilst also being available for desktop use. Unlike Windows or macOS, Linux isn’t owned by a single company. It’s built collaboratively by people around the world.

It began as a personal project by our Lord and Saviour Linus Torvalds in the early 1990s, who wanted to create a free alternative to Unix. Over time, it grew into a global phenomenon, with thousands of developers contributing to its success.

Why use Linux? #

It’s at the cutting edge of tech #

Windows and macOS may give the impression that innovation in computing is stagnating, or even going backwards if we compare Windows 11 to Windows 10. However, in the world of free and open-source software, developers are continuously working on the deployment of new filesystems that are faster, more flexible, and resilient, as well as of software packaging systems that are safer and more robust. This results in concrete benefits, such as better long-term storage of files (like photos) and a reduced risk of malware exposure.

Many other aspects of operating systems evolve constantly too. Linux gives you access to many of these innovations, and their benefits will reach you whether you are a novice or an experienced user. In the latter case, you have the opportunity to study, modify, and even contribute to the development of these tools.

It aligns with my values #

As far as we know, “meaning” is not an inherent property of the universe but a cognitive function developed by complex organisms—most notably humans. While some social animals display behaviours that suggest rudimentary meaning-making, humans uniquely construct abstract and symbolic systems to make sense of their world. This process is neither dictated by logic nor by absolute natural laws; rather, we forge and develope it over years and years of social interaction. Its significance is so profound that we have embedded “packages” of meaning into culture over millennia.

As one grows up obsessing over the nature of meaning, the arbitrariness of these cultural constructs becomes apparent. They are not random—for one can trace their historical development—but since multiple systems of meaning exist, some in direct conflict with one another, it becomes clear that their foundations are social rather than natural or divine.

Because humans actively construct meaning—and psychological research suggests that lacking it leads to distress to the very least—we tend to adopt or assemble frameworks that provide coherence and purpose. One source of meaning is values: those practices and behaviours deemed desirable because they contribute to well-being and motivation. Without making an exhaustive list, I value creativity, freedom, autonomy, curiosity, equality, collaboration, solidarity, honesty, and privacy—values that stand at the foundation of Linux.

Indeed, Linus Torvalds created it inspired by what we could call hacker ethics: sharing knowledge, collaborating, and building something for the common good. It’s a free and open-source operating system, meaning anyone can use, study, modify, and share it. Meanwhile, Microsoft and Apple focus heavely (if not solely) on profit, even at the expense of their users.

So, TLDR, Linux allows me to express and practice my values and therefore provide my life with meaning.

It’s just fun #

The first time I sat in front of a computer as a child, I didn’t see it as a work tool—I saw it as a toy from the future. I was, of course, interested in games, but I also wanted to understand how the system worked.

As I got used to Windows, that initial passion started to fade… until I tried Linux for the first time. Instantly, it brought me back to that early fascination with computers, and once again, I wanted to understand how the system worked. This time, I went much further—not just because I was older, but because the system itself allows and encourages you to learn more. And the more you know, the more you can customise it—not just in terms of appearance, but also in how it actually works.

With Linux, I realised that my way of using a computer in Windows wasn’t really my way—it was the way Windows had trained me to use it, more or less by force. With macOS, the situation is even worse, given its even more closed ecosystem. I came to see that, in proprietary systems, you’re not so much a user as a consumer—and that kind of experience quickly stifles curiosity.

In the 21st century, it’s almost impossible to avoid interacting with computers and, by extension, operating systems. And while Linux isn’t perfect, it has many advantages over proprietary systems. Big corporations profit from low levels of digital literacy, and the most ethical and enjoyable way I know to push back against that reality is Linux.