It’s free. It’s open source. ‘Nuff said. If you just want an operating system that you never have to mess with and recognizes every piece of hardware you plug into it, then by all means, spend $500 more and buy a Mac. But if you want a secure, stable operating system that continually updates itself and has a boatload of free, open source software and can be customized however you see fit, then Linux is for you.