When security and reliability become vital to a software package, a Linux-based operating system is almost always used. For example, software that NASA and The Department of Defense uses to keep their secrets safe are based off of a Linux operating system. The main reason Linux is safer is because it is open source. Being open source allows for anyone to view the source code of the software and find bugs. This is especially true for The Department of Defense. They simply cannot leave the security of the nation up to an operating system that they cannot verify for themselves. Since most operating systems, such as Microsoft Windows, hide their source code they are not a viable option for highly critical applications. The Department of Defense is able to verify every single line of code in the Linux-based operating systems they use, but they cannot view the source code of Windows due to copyright reasons, therefore they use Linux.
Since Linux is open source, bugs are fixed much faster than other non open source software. This leaves less security holes for an ill-meaning person to exploit. Also, Microsoft Windows has the majority of operating systems market, meaning that most viruses and other malicious software is targeted towards Windows, and not Linux. Therefore there is less malicious software that can affect a Linux-based operating system. The end result is a safer and more reliable operating system.
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