Linux is the perfect playground, because it is extremely easy to use and modify. You can compare Linux with your childhood toy plasticine. You can develop almost everything and, comparing with other operating systems, Linux has a set of characteristics that clearly stands out:
a. It is free, open source and GPL – that means you could use it, modify it or even sell it without any restrictions.
b. Linux has a huge family – the number of versions (called distributions) is so diverse, you could even compare them with the Game of Thrones characters. Every distribution serves the scope of its development: publishing, multimedia, programming, offensive ethical hacking, business intelligence, etc).
c. It is continuously developing – and the user/developer community is expanding.
d. It is less vulnerable – to cyber attacks than other operating systems around.
e. It is modifiable – up to central core level, if you know what you are doing.
f. It has totally free support – from an infinity of sources.
g. It has a wide range of testing tools – for computer networks, ethical hacking, automation, scada, robotics and so on.
h. It is the fastest operating system humanity has ever created – you could even install it on your old grandma electric stove.
There are two reasons to stick with your Windows or Mac OS:
– you are a gamer
– you find hard to replace the software you already work with.
Of course, the dual boot alternative it is here to help you keep more than one operating system on the same machine. But I recommend to install Linux on an external hard drive and select from BIOS to boot first from USB (this is not dual boot, but it is more effective).
Note: I was kidding about the last part of h.