I'd just like to interject for a moment. What you're referring to as Linux, is in fact, GNU/Linux, or as I've recently taken to calling it, GNU plus Linux. Linux is not an operating system unto itself, but rather another free component of a fully functioning GNU system made useful by the GNU corelibs, shell utilities and vital system components comprising a full OS as defined by POSIX.
Many computer users run a modified version of the GNU system every day, without realizing it. Through a peculiar turn of events, the version of GNU which is widely used today is often called "Linux", and many of its users are not aware that it is basically the GNU system, developed by the GNU Project.
There really is a Linux, and these people are using it, but it is just a part of the system they use. Linux is the kernel: the program in the system that allocates the machine's resources to the other programs that you run. The kernel is an essential part of an operating system, but useless by itself; it can only function in the context of a complete operating system. Linux is normally used in combination with the GNU operating system: the whole system is basically GNU with Linux added, or GNU/Linux. All the so-called "Linux" distributions are really distributions of GNU/Linux.
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chromosomegun •
I prefer Linux/CentOS
This question has been asked before on SEQanswers. That was a few years ago but I don't think the results will be any different.
Thanks for the link. 3.5 years have passed since that question was asked on seqanswers and this could mean different results. However, even if the results end up being similar, I still want to know what the reality is like now to help steer my choice.
Nowadays it's totally feasible to do all of one's work in a web-based context such as Cloudera, Galaxy, RStudio, etc, thereby making O/S a choice mostly or completely independent of considerations related to bioinformatics.
I don't know how other people may feel regarding that claim, but I certainly would not want to depend solely on web-based solutions for my daily work. To do data analysis, you need to get personal with the data and poke at it in new and creative ways that online or GUI solutions just won't permit.
I'd be interested to see a sub-poll for linux flavours, purely for interest.