Many data scientists work on many data science tools. Some of these tools work fine on Linux while others on Windows. Linux is used as it is known for its reliability, security, breadth of available open source tools, control, resource management, interoperability, and better community support. Also, Windows is characterized by having the latest applications, fast operations, friendly user interface, compatibility and multitasking. Therefore, data scientists must maintain both operating systems on their systems. One way to do this is to set the system to dual boot mode, but then it becomes very inconvenient to constantly switch between the two operating systems. You can also use virtualization, but that’s also resource intensive. There is a third option where you can use both operating systems simultaneously. Keep reading.
The third option is Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), which acts as a bridge between the two operating systems. Now in its second edition, WSL 2 can help power users in the fields of data science, ML, and deep learning to work with both operating systems simultaneously without performance loss.
Conclusion
Although there are several options available with Linux, there is no doubt that Ubuntu is the distro that stands out the most. The fact that it is popular and the most widely used distribution also says a lot. Many data scientists and programmers recommend Ubuntu as the best fit for the tasks they want to perform.
Fedora Astronomy Suite
Fedora Astronomy is a suite of programs installed on Fedora that provides functionality for photometry, spectroscopy, and imaging. The packages are designed to work together and to be used in a particular order.
During installation, the user is prompted to choose which applications the package will contain while minimizing friction. Simplicity is one of the goals of this project, as it further reduces the amount of configuration and installation that may be required to get started.
Job Application
Due to the speed of Linux, it is in high demand in data scientist job profile or any software role. Most data science companies use Linux because of the obvious advantages it offers for data analysis. Most of the data scientists have their codes developed and deployed on the Linux operating system. That being said, there are also companies that use Windows as their operating system, so you have to be flexible enough to adapt to both operating systems.
Generally speaking, it is not the operating system that matters for effective data science work, but the tools and environment that an operating system provides for the work of a data scientist. A good operating system will have a better amount of tools.