First things first:
HI devRant. This is my first post, I've been a observer for the most by now but I'm so glad I found this network (by searching for other people who hate ionic, angular, react)

Question:
What is it about Linux, that any developer seems to love?
I'm a IT student in Germany and I grew up with windows. I know what it's doing, I'm working quite fast on it and it just runs well.
But inehrn I look around at the university the guys who really know what they're doing with their code are using Linux only. There's not even one of them who would consider windows.
I couldn't really find a satisfying answer for that.

Developers love open source

Linux is the operating system that you'll often see on servers, so if you know how to get around on your own pc you will most likely learn some server management along the way (like where files are, settings, terminal commands)

Besides that, Linux is mostly open source so you know what it's doing. It's also free and you can fiddle with code and customize it to your liking. You also have a lot of choice, do many distros, so much fun.

Some might argue linux is more secure, especially in the hands of a developer who probably hopefully knows what he/she is doing. You also have complete control over everything, if you want to delete the root folder you can!

Another reason I had was native docker support, this however no longer holds up completely with windows' terminal.

Some people also want freedom from Microsoft, Google etc. and for that reason take a linux pc.

I believe the question you posed is rather big and loaded, but these are the reason I can think of off of the top of my head

I use linux because it does what I tell it to do.

@alexbrooklyn I definitely see the point here.
I wonder if it's worth it to change my entire setup. It's definitely benefitial in regards to the wide server os dominance.
(however, I already handle the infrastructure on my work pretty well)
What's about private entertainment like gaming, etc? I don't want to suffer that (I know, two os on a system is a valid plan b but I want an all-or-nothing solution)

And how did those "open source freaks" (definitely no offense) come to their point of view. Do they really want to improve everybody's life for free and make the world a better place? I love the mentality but it's hard for me to implement this in my current mindset of work-value.

@theKarlisK
I've had a Mac for a about a year and I just sold it since I didn't see the benefit.
I kind of get the deal with Linux as an developer friendly os that you can play around with.
But it's not like I'm getting things done twice as fast as on windows (more likely I will sit there, googling the right command to enable internet connection or whatever)

I don't think all devs love Linux. devRant is a particular section of the dev community, but it's a skewed sample.

There are many JS devs who use macOS exclusively and a massive community of corporate devs who have no problem at all with Windows as their daily platform.

Use whatever OS makes your work easier/more pleasant. I run Linux, Windows, macOS and Chrome OS. They all have merits.

The one I hate is the one that last pissed me off.

The point with servers has already been pointed out.
The thing I love about it is that every problem has a solution and a reason it exists. I can fix it myself.
Windows had many random crashes on my PC, which pissed me off.

I've seen people tweaking and configuring Windows perfectly and achieve high productivity, so knowing your tool is always the best thing you can do.

For me personally, since I started using MacOS and Linux, I've stopped worrying about:
- Antivirus
- Sudden and lengthy upgrades
- Disk fragmentation
- Ad infested freeware tools
- Network sharing problems
All the above probably due anyway to my ignorance of the Windows world.

Said that, if you are an IT student, it would be probably good to have knowledge of the Unix world and its "flavours" like Linux or MacOS.

But as everybody pointed out, that's mainly for the server world and if you are going toward the devOps field. For that, installing a bash shell in windows will probably be enough.

If you are a power Windows User, that will be probably fine for you, go on like that.
A deep knowledge of Windows will also be a very valuable skill.

gcc, flexible management of processes/services, lighter weight, configurable kernel, usually easier to set up developer tools for every language, docker without needing to buy a "Pro" version of the OS... The list goes on

Dualboot linux mint and see if you like it, i personally cant get anything done in windows but i havent used it since i was 13 so

they love that it's free because being free is more valuable to them than being good.

they also love that the ecosystem is open, meaning you can meddle in it without having to prove your merit or skill in any way.

and they love the self-induced feeling of superiority.

@b3b3 funny, i don't use linux because it was never willing to do what i asked it to, without two extra hours of arguing.

Nice question. For me, i think it is ease of setup. Don't get me wromg, stuff like arch might look scary at first but if you learn a bit you can make a script that installs every program you need, and clones your configs. Also there are things you just can't do on windows. Just look at something like i3wm or bspwm. Also check out larbs

@Midnigh-shcode yeah its not a tool for all purposes but for quite many it seems to be working

For me Linux is a daily driver because of many reasons.
- GNU (and not only) toolset. These tools do exactly what you'd expect them to do in the simplest possible way
- decent shell scripting capability
- *ALL* components in Linux are interchangable: DE, WM, files browser, terminal emulator, office suite, etc. You have full freedom to choose what you want to work with.
- It does EXACTLY what you ask it to do. No magic and hidden side-decisions attempting you protect from shooting your own foot with a bannana (looking at you Windows!)
- no forced upgrades. Everything is optional. If you want smth - you go for it. If not -- leave it.
- VERY good logging. Every single application is logging, so if anything crashes -- just look at its logs and you'll see what's happened.
- community-driven
- based on standards (posix)
- runs on both your PC and a server. So your solution runs on your machine - it'll most likely run on your server
- ssh, port FWRD
- iptables (can do tricks windows FWs cant)

if you want to be good at your area of expertise you MUST trust your tools. My experience w/ windows involves way, WAY too much magic and undefined behaviour to call it trusted. OSX -- too restricted. It's almost unix anyways..

Linux -- gives you reliability and freedom for free