I'm pretty sure that a few more people hate me now than did before I started this series so I'm gonna see if I can get back to par with a short article on what I like about Linux.
Rather than taking the easy way out and talking about the ideals behind linux -- saying that I think linux is good because it offers users a choice and promotes software freedom -- I'm actually going to talk about specific features of the software that appeal to me. It's not a long list, but I think it's an important list.
The first think I like about Linux is that it's a programmer's friend. When I joined the Mozilla project I was using Windows and Mac and getting set up to build Mozilla on Windows or Mac was a total pain in the ass. It took me the better part of an afternoon every time I set up a new development environment on Windows. On Linux it takes me about 45 seconds. Linux will and should continue to be a developer's platform.
The second thing I like about Linux is that it's pretty stable and I can't think of a time when I though "I'll reboot and see if that fixes it." With Windows (and yes, Mac too) I find myself rebooting a lot more frequently.
Finally, I like the user/security model that can help keep Regular People from screwing up their system too bad.
I'm sure there are a lot of other smaller issues that I appreciate too, but these are the big ones and I think they make it a very compelling platform for lots of people. Right now, I don't think that includes "Regular People" but I also don't think that making it work for Regular People would be an enormous task. As a matter of fact, I think it could be done by addressing four basic issues :-)
