Something I've often wondered; typically, serious pen testing tutorials go hand in hand with recommendations of linux-based tools (kali for example). Linux, generally, seems like the favoured choice for certain 'trades', pen-testing being one of them.

What, specifically, does a linux/unix OS provide that Windows doesn't? Linux feels a lot more 'low-level' and a lot less UI, if that makes sense. Is this one of the benefits?