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Most viral Linux questions on Quora

Ranked by real engagement we track — views, upvotes, comments and shares per question. Updated continuously.

224Questions tracked

4.6MTotal views

36.4KTotal upvotes

600.6KVirality score

1 Why did Linus Torvalds decide not to profit from his Linux work?

Nobody who has not seen Linus naked is truly qualified to answer this question. I’m qualified. The Computer Science Guild (Tietokilta) of Helsinki University…

🔥 64.5K 👁 398.9K ⬆ 8.1K 💬 20 🔄 1 · Anonymous on Quora

2 What operating system did Linus Torvalds use while developing Linux?

In 1991, while studying computer science at University of Helsinki, Linus Torvalds began a project that later became the Linux kernel. He wrote the program s…

🔥 54.9K 👁 516K ⬆ 885 💬 32 🔄 12 · Anonymous on Quora

3 What are the reasons NASA uses Linux?

The Microsoft Software License Agreement contains this provision:You may not use or include any of the components in the development of any program applicati…

🔥 33K 👁 229.9K ⬆ 3.3K 💬 6 🔄 1 · Anonymous on Quora

4 If Linux is such a good operating system, then why isn't it more common than Windows or Mac?

Just picked this up from another thread - food for thought… “Obviously Linux, Don't believe it - Just take a look. 1.The Most Powerful Supercomputers Today R…

🔥 30.6K 👁 214.3K ⬆ 2.1K 💬 10 🔄 110 · Anonymous on Quora

5 Why don't Apple and Microsoft just build their operating systems off of Linux if the kernel is superior?

Well… Lets start somewhere on this. Apple is based on BSD (at this point). Jobs actually wanted Linus to come to Apple (to get the core under the Apple house…

🔥 30K 👁 266K ⬆ 896 💬 54 🔄 8 · Anonymous on Quora

6 How does Linux maintain such a large code base when C isn't an object oriented language? Is the code base all messed up?

Interesting question. Let me address it.What would OOP bring to the Linux kernel? The claims of “Object-Oriented” approaches have been overhyped and have not…

🔥 28.8K 👁 251.4K ⬆ 1K 💬 37 🔄 9 · Anonymous on Quora

7 Would Linus Torvalds have used Rust or C++ to write Linux OS if these languages would have existed at that time?

C++ did exist, and Linus pointed out some valid reasons why C++ was not a good idea in the kernel. Yes, he also immensely dislikes the language, but his deci…

🔥 24.1K 👁 199.1K ⬆ 1.3K 💬 0 🔄 12 · Anonymous on Quora

8 Are Linux systems less affected by computer viruses than Microsoft Windows because they are more secure? Or simply because they are less used?

Historically, a lot of the problems were due to poor decisions on the part of Microsoft. For example—you open a Word document that someone emailed you—and it…

🔥 23.2K 👁 188.3K ⬆ 1K 💬 106 🔄 14 · Anonymous on Quora

9 What would it take to make Linux a legitimate alternative to Windows and macOS on the desktop?

A killer app. An application (software) that is only on Linux and can only ever exist on Linux that everyone—from your grandma to your five year-old nephew—w…

🔥 23.1K 👁 98.1K ⬆ 2.8K 💬 420 🔄 28 · Anonymous on Quora

10 What is the difference between the SIGINT and SIGTERM signals in Linux? What’s the difference between the SIGKILL and SIGSTOP signals?

SIGINT is the interrupt signal. The terminal sends it to the foreground process when the user presses ctrl-c. The default behavior is to terminate the proces…

🔥 17.7K 👁 165.1K ⬆ 339 💬 6 🔄 4 · Anonymous on Quora

11 Why is Linux too hard to switch to?

It’s not very user-friendly. Despite what many Linux defenders here say about how fast, easy, and secure it is, it’s, as you said, simply beyond the capabili…

🔥 16.9K 👁 145.2K ⬆ 255 💬 143 🔄 7 · Anonymous on Quora

12 When is Linux a better choice to use than Windows?

Having read some other answers I think there are some misconceptions floating around about modern Linux from the old days. In my family, I'm the guy who pick…

🔥 15.8K 👁 137.7K ⬆ 460 💬 60 🔄 2 · Anonymous on Quora

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13 How did Microsoft go from "Linux is a cancer" to "Microsoft loves Linux"?

14 Do you think Linux could become more appealing if it came pre-installed on new PCs like Windows does?

15 What pieces of Linux's code have remained without major modifications since its early versions?

16 Why don’t Mac computer users install Linux or other operating systems?

17 Is Windows PowerShell as powerful as Linux’ shell Bash? Do you have any examples to prove it?

18 Why is FreeBSD not widely used as Linux despite the fact that FreeBSD is a well engineered and better operating system than Linux?

19 What makes Linux so stable and reliable?

20 Would Linux be easier for beginners if it came pre-installed on most computers like Windows does?

21 If Linux is free, why don't more people invest in making it more user-friendly like Windows?

22 Does any Linux distros have a message like "It is now safe to turn off your computer" in Windows?

23 Linux has overtaken Mac as the #2 gaming platform. Will MacOS ever be a serious gaming platform?

24 What do you think if a software developer with over 9 years experience doesn't know Linux and how to setup a server?

25 What are hard links in Linux?

26 Which OS has more lines of code, Windows or Ubuntu 16.04?

27 Is Linux secure? If anyone can modify the code because it's open source, what is preventing a hacker from inserting malicious codes in the Linux operating system? How do I know my Linux is clean and doesn't contain any malicious codes?

28 Why doesn't Microsoft give free Windows licenses to Linux zealots to convert them to Windows?

29 Why do people keep saying Linux is stable?

30 Can I use Linux on my Mac?

31 What is it that Windows CAN do that Linux can't?

32 How do I learn more about Linux?

33 Why isn't Linux more popular?

34 Which OS is faster, Arch Linux or FreeBSD?

35 How did the choice to make Linux compatible with Intel 386 processors contribute to its early popularity?

36 Why does deleting Python break Linux if Linux is written in C?

37 If Linux is free, secure, and efficient, why does most software get developed for Windows only? Why is Windows more popular?

38 I add only one letter to a linux file, why is the size 2 bytes?

39 Why do computer manufacturers not deliver consumer computers installed with open source Linux operating systems instead of the Microsoft Windows operating system? Does Microsoft pay them to do so?

40 What will happen if I go the root directory in Linux/Mac and type the command rm -rf to forcibly remove all directories and subdirectories?

41 Which OS is best for programming Linux or MacOS?

42 Is FreeBSD good for a daily driver? I've used Linux, Windows, and Mac. I can't seem to get BSD operational for daily use

43 Are there any Linux distributions that are actually good for everyday users, or is it really just for tech experts?

44 When things go wrong on Windows, why do some users find Linux's recovery options superior?

45 How do I mount a drive in read-only mode in Ubuntu?

46 If Microsoft were to switch to a Linux kernel for Windows, what additional OS layers would need to be rewitten?

47 "Nothing is free in this world", so why is Linux free?

48 People have the inclination to say that it is impossible to hack Linux, unlike Windows. Is this true? If not, why? Is it possible to hack the root password on Linux?

49 Which Linux GUI is the lightest?

50 Why do most icons on Linux distributions look very outdated?

51 Why is the email communication style in the Linux kernel community often seen as harsh, and how do developers adapt to it?

52 What makes Windows a "bad" OS? Why does the computer science world force GNU/Linux on you?

53 Is it difficult to write an OS kernel like Linux, and if so, what can I do now?

54 Why do some people prefer Linux over Windows if it's harder to use for gaming and certain peripherals?

55 Could Linux have existed without UNIX, or was UNIX essential for its creation and development?

56 What is the lightest Linux distro in 2017? I’m trying to resurrect an old netbook. Currently running Arch on it, which came out to be slow and laggy with my configuration, even with LightDM installed.

57 The Play Store is like a front end for a package manager on Linux. Why doesn't Linux use an easy visual installer for programs to attract more desktop users?

58 What are the best Debian-based Linux distributions?

59 Why is the Linux Kernel considered difficult to learn, and what are some tips to make the process easier?

60 Can Unix in a way be easier to learn than Linux?

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