Why you might want to switch to Linux as an Computing Undergraduate
Tags: linux, undergraduate, beginners, opensource
Published: 2023-10-23 15:32:08

I have been using Linux for about 1 or 2 years starting out with WSL for windows and when enrolling as an Undergraduate last year I decided to fully daily drive Linux on my new Laptop. Apart from most of the pros and cons of using a Linux system in general, that is laid out there on the internet, I want to talk about how you might benefit as a Computing Undergraduate if you end up using Linux.

## Understanding what a Computer System is,

As a person who studies computers you need to understand how a system functions from ground up. The idea that most people have about an Operating System is a pwetty pwink sugar coated version, but from the point you turn on your computer there is a lot at play. GNU/Linux is a Free and Open Source Operating System, each and every component that makes a functional operating system is structured so that it is modular. You get the chance to tweak/optimize things and in the process you learn what each component does. You are not constrained to the conventional ways of doing things.

## What is a workflow?

So yeah no constrains, chances are you will end up spending a good amount of time, probably at least 4 - 6 hours a day in front of the computer probably more, both as an undergraduate and as a graduate working in the industry. That 6 hours you can probably reduce if you have a good workflow. You want to work with a favorable [Desktop Environment](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desktop_environment) that doesn't frustrate you or hold you back looking at you windows updates. So yeah you want you're system to be tailored to your flavors the mass produced operating systems that aimed to fit most people won't just cut it.

As a person transitioning from Windows, Linux is not beginner friendly the learning curve is pretty steep. You will have to make sacrifices and get used to the ways of doing things the Linux way, if you start as an undergraduate you will hit the industry at a point where you can straight on use the skills you've gained.

## Tools and a lot of them out there

More than half the industry is saturated with developers and other experts using Linux. If there is a need chances are there is a piece of software out there that does it no matter the scale of it. Developer tools that's used on a daily basis are written to be mostly compliant with [POSIX](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix) systems.

## Show me the bread

I'd like to showcase my system to supplement what I've talked about so far. I'm a person that ends up hogging all my windows, segregating them across work spaces. Keeping things organised is a key part of the desktop for me so that my OCD doesn't make me want to kill myself. This is [GNOME](https://www.gnome.org/), instead of a conventional [Floating Window Manager](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stacking_window_manager) I opted to use a [Tiling Window Manager](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiling_window_manager) as I have a very little screen resolution for all the windows I open, plus I do not want to waste time resizing all the windows and placing them where I want them to be. PopOS tiling is very flexible and it remembers where and how you placed your window, to add further once you get the hang of it the keybindings will make things even more fluid and fast. Remember this is just one way, there are more things out there QTile is even better as a tiling window manager.

Apart from having a effective desktop environment, who doesn't want to have a cool, techy, sci-fi computer out off the Hollywood Scenes. I love the way I have constructed things on my system and at the end of the day it's something satisfying to look at and talk about. Special Thanks to [Diamond Bond](https://diamondbond.neocities.org/) for being the Linux nerd he is.


![Window Management - Workspace overview](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/gjcx4gxsp9iz0nfis9d2.png)


![Window Management - All the Communication application windows grouped together ](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/5tm9tx98llgu949nv3rn.png)


![Window Management - Spotify and other media applications grouped together along side with media controls](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/3hll0htz1rla9nlmcref.png)


![Window Management - PopOS Launcher based on Rofi](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/2qj2hltpx6nc6yjhcnzj.png)