Not the person you replied to, but I do use Linux (arch btw).
Linux is a free (as in freedom) and open source software that basically powers the internet.
A vast majority of servers on the internet are running Linux. It’s powerfully but that’s a double edge sword. It’s easy to cut yourself too if your unfamiliar with the edges.
Because it’s completely open source, there are endless customizations and optimizations you can make. The art is knowing what, how, and where. But that’s true of windows and macos.
It’s vertically less creepy with AI and logging garbage compared to apple and Microsoft.
It’s popular with nerds because it’s free and customizable. IMO that can come at a cost of user-friendly experiences. But it’s all about learning the edges. The other two have plenty, most are just used to it.
It is yes. There’s no central server that logs are collected to or anything like that.
That’s NOT the same as ad blocking.
Borswers will still be browsers just like any other OS and precautions should be made there.