Hello,

Just have a few questions regarding Linux/Open Source. I guess the number one question would be why you moved to the Open Source community, or why you decided that linux was something that was right for you?

Being a Windows user most of my computer career, I was naturally curious about Linux and all it had to offer. I decided I was efficient enough in Windows and wanted new air. Linux is more than that, and as a beginner, it seems like the air is too rich! I am currently playing around with ubuntu 4.1 through VMWare.

Playing around with linux made me realize I could never fully get rid of Windows. My dependancy on it is too great. Maybe because I'm so familiar with it. But I want to make my linux experience justified. I don't want Linux to be something where I'm running WINE just so I can get my dose of windows. I see linux being used in things like xboxes, iPods and other things. I keep saying to myself, "WOW! That's really cool!" That becomes my drive.

Another question I have is how linux has made your life easier compared to windows? What new things are you able to do or explore because of linux?

I think Linux somewhere down the road will be the path for me. For now, I'll keep messing around and learning about it.

Don't mean for this to start flamewars or nothin', just want some insight Sorry for the length...
Thanks

Honestly, I got tired of all the annoying problems windows had. Somethng went from like explorer crashes, and you could do nothing to fix it aside from re-install. Linux ofers a system where you can fix anything that could possibly go wrong without re-installation.

It also crashes less...

and isn't owned an supported by an evil monopoly...

If you want to learn it you need to switch to it. Format your windows drive, shred all your windows CDs and programs disk and install linux. It takes a while to learn your way around a new OS, but if thats all you use you will learn.

If you still have windows installed you will try to use that when you have problems in linux and it will prevent you from learning.

After a few months you should know your way around pretty well.

Linux can be amazing if you have the knowledge to set things up right and install the right programs.

Hey
Well, I know what you mean lol I just started using Fedora Core 3 last week I think it was. Got really use to windows, and wanted to try something new. Don't have money for a mac, so thought linux would be fun. So far I haven't really found much thats easier, but thats prolly because I's doing some of the stuff the hard way, and got to use to the way windows does stuff. Though I am having a few problems with linux (Can't play tuxracer...lol) I am having fun with it.

linux isn't necessarily supposed to be easier, but once you learn it decently it will be much less of a pain in the behind.

i started with linux bcause i was bored with windows (lol) its pretty fun

I respect that position. For me, wine was just a curiosity to see that I could run a Windows app in Linux. Then I never used it again.

As for why I switched, I had played with Linux back in the Red Hat 5.1 days and found it interesting, but either I wasn't ready for Linux, or it wasn't ready for me. And, I switched back to Windows 100%. Then I got the itch (after several Windows problems bugged me) and dual-booted for nearly a year. Two years ago, I decided to completely drop Windows, and have been happy with using Linux ever since.

I am not an advanced user. I am not "1337". I use it every day, and only touch WIndows at work (where I don't choose the OS).

For me, Linux is a problem-free OS to enjoy using for every task I need.

markjensen, that's pretty much the way I started out with Linux.

I remember getting Redhat 5.1, back in like '98 or '99 and man was that some experience. Then I went through phases of dual booting and going back to Windows only. I switched to using primarily Mandrake though instead of redhat, and I would always try each new release as they came out, but always dual booting or going back to Windows.

Now, finally I am sitting at my first Linux only computer. I'm running Mandrake 10.1 and have no desire to break my Windows XP cd out.

Trying not to stray too much off topic here. Do you remember back in the Redhat 5.1 days, getting X to run for the first time? For me it was like pulling teeth. And when I finally did get it going I was greeted by FVWM. I then switched to Afterstep which was very cool.

Anyway I'm reminiscing a little too much here.

I'd have to say that my main reason for using Linux is that I enjoy tinkering and getting under the hood. I also enjoy learning new things. I have no beef with Windows, it never really ****ed me off or anything. But I think now Linux is at the point that you can just sit back and use it as an everyday OS, if you don't feel like hacking that is. And when you do feel like hacking away, you can.

I use Ubuntu, i prefer it over windows because...its new.
I recently got into computers, i am better then most of my peers, but when some of my lan mates come around, they're skill pwnes mine.
I decided to try Linux as a way of standing out, to be different. I stuck with linux because, in my eyes at least, it suits my needs more adequatly.
However, the major problem i have is support. For example, my zen touch can't be mounted as of yet.
I am sure it is only a matter of time before this is resolved however

I've used a few different distros of Linux starting with Red Hat Server 7 (In school) and Mandrake 9. I've always been interested in Linux, and wanted to know what the hype was all about.

I never really got into Linux until about 3yrs ago when my hard drive died, and I had to borrow one from a friend, and he brought over that and a copy of Mandrake 9. He ended up bringing over 2 Hard Drives which I thought was rather odd at the time. Later I found out that one was for the Linux Swap! And thats what really got me started. I had to use linux for about a month while I waited for a new hard drive.

I used Linux off and on. Going from Red Hat, to Mandrake, to Lindows (or Linspire), then the most recient one that I used was SuSE for a while while I made some security changes to the network, and while my laptop was in the shop. All the while, my brothers complained.

I've reciently become fedup with Windows and wanted to use just Linux. I tried to install Mandrake 9.1, and then Red Hat 9 in VMWare, but for whatever reason, they both failed. I ended up downloading Mandrake 10, but it didn't want to run properly in VMWare. So I tried SuSE 9.1 and since that failed in VMWare (I think my windows was fux0r3d at this point) that I just formatted the drive, and installed a dual-boot of SuSE 9.1 and Windows XP.

I've been learning a lot, and use SuSE 9.1 as my primary OS. I go back to Windows now and then if I need something from a drive, that I can't write to in Linux. I've now learned how to manually mount a USB Hard Drive, and how to install an RPM. What I need to learn now, is where to find (and install) the make command so that I can compile an installer for some programs that I download.
I can watch movies, and download torrents and burn them, I can copy discs all with Linux!

I find that Linux is customizable, and its also very fast! Well, compared to Windows anyway. Booting into Linux takes half the time, and its also more secure!

I did a test, where I loaded a few pr0n sites that I knew had a lot of Spyware and adware on them. Linux came back clean, but when visiting them with Windows (as we all know) became infested with them, and a virus! So, for security I deffinetly prefer Linux.

I'm going to be making the final switch to 100% linux soon. I just need to convert my external 160GB Hard Drive to FAT32 so that I can write to it in Linux, and then my transformation will be complete. I have VMWare for Linux installed, and if I ever need Windows for something (to test a Windows program) then I'll just use the virtual machine! But other than that, I will rarely use Windows (unless I'm at work, or fixing a computer). Linux is the best choice that I have made!

EDIT: WOW! I just wrote a small book!
EDIT2: There we go. made it all nice and readable... well, more readable than before

Yeah, now you just need to send it to the editors to make it readable!

Well I'm still not 100% linux, as I'm running XP on my laptop. But I have a verizon wireless highspeed modem that I don't think has Linux support. Actually I haven't really hit the search engines to see if anyone has it working in Linux yet.

Ya... its not very readable is it! LOL Maybe I'll edit it up a bit!

Cool, now it could be a bestseller

I played around with linux off and on but never really got into it, always ended up going back to Windows because of hardware problems ie video issues in this Distro, sound issues in this distro, but that was back when I only had Mandrake 8.0 and SuSe 7.3 from which I bought at compusa and dial up. Of course I never could get Linux to work with dial up so it always ended fairly soon.

Enter broadband, a really long night, and my last warez download (Partition Magic) anyways after a few weeks, some fustrating nights, several distros, lost of help from everyone here in the linux forums I think I have found my home with Linux.

Anyways, I felt my knowledge if Windows had peaked, of course I don't know it all, probably not most, or even alot, but I rarely ran into a Windows issue I couldn't fix. Linux seemed like the most logical step in my quest for knowledge.

mass-deployment, maintenance, manliness.

I am kyro . I am linux admin. I like linux. I use linux.

For me, I switched to Linux about two or three years ago, with SuSE 7.? (don't remember). I was doing lots of 3D work and some coding, using Windows 2k before. A lot of things bugged me about Windows, but I'm pretty tech-savvy, using computers since the mid eighties. My Windows installation was quite stable and secure, but after replacing my graphic card, I had a lot of problems (BSOD every few hours). I tried everything, reinstalling Windows, different drivers, different hardware setups - but it kept crashing... So, I had to live with it. Then, someday, I worked on a big project in Maya, hit Ctrl+S - bluescreen. After restarting, my project file was corrupted, the backup was corrupted, the work of several days just vanished. I knew that Maya was availble for Linux, so I used a small partition to set it up. I fired up Linux, was quite overwhelmed, couldn't make my tablet and my soundcard work, and rebooted Windows...

Every single day I started Linux, tried to make it work, and switched back - 'till one day, I succeeded. From then on, I worked on Linux, and only booted Windows to play a game or write music. Over the following weeks, I used Linux more and more, found more software that suited my needs, started to understand how things worked, and as I ran out of diskspace, I deleted my Windows partition. I never installed Windows again on my box, and every time I have to use Windows to help my father, I feel very uncomfortable - I miss the power and the ease of Linux.

My reasons are pretty much the same as yours - I liked GNOME's UI stuff (nay, love, it's the first shell other than explorer I don't feel clumsy in), and love playing with "different" OSes - I even get a little bit of a sick jolly from running Win98 with the 95 shell using 98lite.

Once I got my fglrx driver setup and working, I managed to get myself to start spending a lot more time in Linux... now all I have to do is prepare my wallet to get copies of VMWare and Cedega