A thought, about worldwide adoption of Linux

This is the question that lingers in the minds of many technology enthusiasts; at least for fun, they would have given it a thought - What would happen if Linux was adopted Worldwide? An ultimate ambition that the free software community has, is for Linux to be used in the mainstream industry and it has been a goal for the past few years. Several critics have said that the happening of such an event is almost next to impossible especially on the desktop. Now for a moment, let us just keep these critics and their thoughts aside and see what would actually happen if the whole world ran Linux. Shall we?

Malware will be Hit

With Linux distributions taking over all systems as the operating systems, there will be a disappearance of a Windows-dominated monoculture. Malware fabricators will definitely take a hit as they will now have to begin from the scratch with Linux. Unlike Windows, Linux is a very tough target as it is equivalent to an effort of trying to kill 100 birds with one stone. There would be very little chance for Malware to regain its prominence in case of Linux, as it did and continues to do so with Windows. Also with Linux, the manner in which consent/permissions are assigned, it seems as though the damage that could be made would also be of a minuscule range.

The Security or Anti-Virus players are also Affected

As Linux already comes with built-in security advantages. Along with this, the fact that Linux is open in terms of its coding enables users to fix damages or vulnerabilities by themselves. There is hence no requirement for an anti-virus to be installed in Linux-enabled systems. Even if there was the urgency for the same, it could only be so for minor problems and not major issues.

Reduced Unorganized Downtime

Linux is known for its reliability over Windows in terms of a lot of unplanned downtime that Windows usually suffers from. This would come as great news for businesses across the world that can get things done faster than before.

No Fee, More Savings

This ought to be one of the strongest points that Linux holds. The fact that people would not have to pay licensing fees for everything and anything related to systems, software, etc. shall be seen as a fantastic bargain by many.

Existence of Better and Improved Software

With Linux adopted the world over, there will definitely be a joint effort made from all corners of the world to contribute towards the development of better and improved software. There will be scope for the consumer to himself shape a customized software which he wants, instead of companies like Apple and Microsoft guessing what consumers want and then producing it.

Agreed, that the possibility of such a scenario wherein Linux being adopted worldwide is very sleek, but it tempts many of us to know what the world would look like if such a thing happened. Here's hoping that Linux does enter mainstream very soon and starts threatening the proprietary firms.