Linux, unbeknownst to the casual consumer is the most used operating software and inarguable the single most important software on which the modern world rests on.

Three things that contribute to it's indispensability are:

• Open Source

  Linux, true to it's founding philosophy is open source software, which simply means that it's source code is freely available for anyone on the internet to use, download or modify.

  This has several advantages, one of which is that it is a more secure piece of software as there are thousands (potentially millions) of people checking the code everyday for any potential vulnerabilities and fixing it where any are found as recent events point to.

  It also means that Linux is highly customizable, leading to our second point;

• Distros
  Unlike commercially available operating systems that come in a 'one size fits all' package, Linux is infamous for coming in diverse distributions or distros (also commonly referred to as Flavours.)

  What this means is that there is essentially a specialized version of Linux for every possible need. This can range from Kali Linux which is used by cybersecurity personnel to Ubuntu which is a version of Linux known for it ease of use especially amongst first timers.

• User Interface
  Or perhaps, it would be more appropriate to say the lack thereof. At least, not in the sense you might be used to.

  Most operating systems make use of a Graphical User Interface or GUI which allows the user to interact with their system by use of Signs, Symbols and Icons.

  Linux however, makes use of what is known as a Command Line Interface or CLI. This has several advantages including but not limited to (Resource) Efficiency and Scripting capabilities.

  It also allows the user to run several tasks at the same time and in general, offers more control of the system to the end user.

  As an example, if you or I wanted to separate JPEG files from .txt files in a folder containing over a thousand documents, we would have to that manually on a GUI based system.

  This however, can be done with a single command on a Linux machine thanks to the CLI.

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If you are interested in trying Linux out for yourself, you can check out how to run Linux alongside a windows machine here.