The [Main] 'Why did YOU choose Linux?' Thread - Page 3


Page 3 of 13 FirstFirst 1234567 ... LastLast
Results 31 to 45 of 194

Thread: The [Main] 'Why did YOU choose Linux?' Thread

  1. #31
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Posts
    227
    Because it amazes me that developers around the world somehow created an operating system(s) that compete's with software giants w/ bigger budget's than small countries...

    And because Linux is the future, i'm in IT, so I kinda have to like it.

    -Adam

  2. #32
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    150
    as my daughter used to say when she first learned to talk:

    "because yes"

  3. #33
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Posts
    79
    I didn't "decide" to use Linux, I was forced into it:

    1) Microsoft's predatory business practices (the tactics of buying up competition and ceasing development and support of their products)

    2) Microsoft's desire to know when I change something on my system

    3) Microsoft's apparent desire to restrict developers via licensing the ability to write code (it hasn't happened yet, but watch for it)

    4) I was tired of Windows inability to block spyware (or Microsoft's lack of desire to prevent it)

    5) IE's inability to block pop-up windows

    6) The complete lack of security considerations in a default install.


    At the same time, I have a certain amount of disdain for Linux because:

    1) The variety of distros fragments the community, generating a certain amount of in-fighting by zealot groups proclaiming one distro is far superior to any other. These same groups' members switch distros as often as most of us change underware, thus nullifying any previous argument in favor of one distro or another.

    2) The act of installing an application is a joke. There's generally no way to tell where the files are being put on your system, many times the menu isn't updated to reflect the new app's presence, and there is no point at which the user can even specify any of these things.

    3) Not everyone likes/wants to see a commandline, but if anyone said that, they'd be torn to shreds in forums like this because they're "just Linux wanna-be's".

    4) I have to deal with the peurile idiots that continue to use terms like "Winblows", "Windoze", "M$", and other attempts at being cool, "l33t", or an anarchist. Other people (Windows users) aren't going to start taking Linux users seriously until Linux users demonstrate an ability to act like grown-ups.

    Linux ain't there yet, but it's become a better alternative than Windows for people that know the lay of the land in the real world.
    Last edited by JSimmons; 06-28-2005 at 09:08 AM.
    Biostar TA790GX A2+ Phenom 9850 8GB (4x2gb) G.Skill PC2 6400 eVGA 8800GTX 1x 80gb Sata2, 1x 500gb Sata2, 2x 160gb Sata1 Scythe SCINF-1000 hsf Enermax 485w SLI Thermaltake 485W MountainMods UFO2 Case

  4. #34
    Join Date
    Sep 1999
    Location
    Santa Cruz, CA, USA
    Posts
    1,212

    Why?

    Why did I switch to Linux? Well back in early 1999 I had an old AMD K6-II 450MHz system running Windows 98 with 128MB PC-66 RAM and I was still active duty in the Navy. I had a 350+ page manual / report that I had spent close to 6 months writing was almost finished with. It was due to my Lieutenant the next morning and I had about 3 maybe 4 pages left to finish... I was a PC newb and knew very little at the time. Anyhow wouldn't you know it, BSOD and lost the whole document, plus everything else on the drive.

    Well my neighbor heard me cussing and screaming then saw me walking out of my home with the PC under one arm and the monitor under the other. I was heading for the trash can. So he grabbed a beer and yelled at me to stop. So I did, needless to say I was still in a very angry state. He gives me a beer and asks me “You ever here of Linux?” of course I gave the standard answer WTF is Linux? Well to keep it short I went to Fry's and bought Mandrake. And been using Linux ever since.

    Now I am RPM free I am starting to really enjoy Linux again. Between Ubuntu and Mepis, Linux is really an awesome system. I used to really like Mandrake, then they turned to crap, so I tried Red-Hat and they were crap from the start. Next was SuSE and they were good until 9.2 and now they are crap. So I now run Ubuntu for my laptop and desktop and Mepis on my print file server. Windows? Who needs it, oh and I am on a crusade to move as many people as I can from Microsoft to Linux here on the central coast of California! Wish me luck and if you are in the area, I could use your help!
    One by one the penguins steal my sanity...

    Vanpooling now...

  5. #35
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Singapore
    Posts
    2,170
    why??? its the third time my post in this kind of threads get missing!!! and only this kind of thread.

    I'd better get it and link it here again..
    Come under the reign of the Idiot King...
    Come to me ... I love linux!

    Registered Linux user: Idiot King #350544

  6. #36
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Earth
    Posts
    8
    My dad brought home a box from his work running Debian 1.1 and set it up in my room when I was like 11 or 12. I liked it a hell of a lot better than windows 3.1/95 and I've stuck with linux ever since. Been through close to 50 different distros and I've always come back to Debian or Slackware. I'm running Slack 10.1 at the moment and I have no plans to change anytime soon.

  7. #37
    Join Date
    Jun 2002
    Location
    Champaign, IL, USA
    Posts
    190

    mmmm... beer...

    I wanted more control of and better performance from my computer. Linux was, and still is, exactly what I need.

    I was nervous about partitioning and shrinking the windows portion of the computer. I had some vacation time and no money for travel, so I got drunk and installed Red Hat. I tried RH6, but couldn't run X with my video. The next day I sobered up and got RH7. Worked great. Six months later I tried Mandrake and have been using it ever since.

    I may try switching to gentoo sometime in the next year, just so I can squeeze a few more years out of this hardware. I've collected a few discarded machines to play with, and loved how fast gentoo runs. Just takes a lot of time to set up. I'll make sure to take some extra vacation time. And stock up on extra beer.

    -waystar
    ->> Reach for the stars, visit your local planetarium. <<-
    __________________
    Registered Linux User #276555

  8. #38
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    190

    for variety

    I didn't have any huge issues with windows, but I wanted some variety
    and thought it might be cool to have something "unix like" at home.

    I gave redhat 8 a try, and I was impressed by all the software you
    get right off the bat after the install (if you want it all, which I always do).
    Suddenly a mere mortal like me has a web server, ftp server, C compiler,
    and 8 trillion other servers, clients, and languages.

    I thought of switching to a non-RPM distro, but fast forward to fedora core, and
    things are starting to get better, due to up2date and yum.

    FC4 left out tuxracer and nedit, but ah well. Sometimes you have to do abit
    of work yourself. FC3 worked like a dream on my laptop. Why I moved to FC4
    is anyone's guess. I like causing work for myself and re-installing nvidia, ipw2200
    and hotwayd never gets old!

    I think I need to be drunk too, next time I decide to nuke my hard drive and
    slap a new distro on.

  9. #39
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Posts
    1

    Cool Why I've chosen Linux

    Using Mephis and Knopix presently. Will be looking at other distros later.

    I started using the Vic 20 (my friend had one and showed me how easy it was to work with it) and it was cheap. Our school wouldn't teach computer classes...something about it being "a passing fad." It's really cool to write a simple program and not have alot of experience.

    Worked up to the 128 and stayed there. I started with a 286 and would still be there but, all the games,job and internet required change.

    Most any one who uses Windows don't like Windows because it has Problems..problems...problems.
    Hey I still have my Commodore and can run programs on it no Problemo!

    I didn't like what the pc technicians had to say when I brought my pc in to get it fixed and they'd lie to other people who were really desperate for help. I fix/setup my own hardware/software.

    I help people out who really don't understand computers. Just have to have patience and stick-to-itiveness. People act like the tech is a miracle worker.

    Took some Unix classes (hoping for a reprieve from Windows misbehaving) and waited for it to take off. (worked with OS2Warp @that time- they might have been able to do something.)
    I like Linux, because:
    * Can be run from a Live CD if a person is cautious.
    * It finds devices easily,you don't have to have all those cds that came with peripherals.
    * Don't get the "blue screen of death."
    * It does more stable work. It's less stressfull. You have no idea how nice that is.
    * Cheap or free downloadable so people should be able to afford it.
    * Easy to use, has alot of programs. Can run Windows apps under it "WINE".
    * Can get a distribution to run on those old pcs sitting around, that Windows helped collect dust bunnies. Just think of the waste of time and expense the businesses and home users have at total upgrade who follow blindly to "keep up." It should be up to the user to make changes, duh.
    20 year old hammer works as well as a new one. If it's not broke don't get rid of your pc unless you want to.
    * Comes with apps most businesses/families use and not the overkill. Ever try to get AOL and all the "stuff" off a pc it came bundled with?
    * Shouldn't have to perform a "clean reinstallation yearly."
    * Spend less time, but more productive on pc.
    * Can go on net.
    * Won't have to take pc to get it fixed alot...for compatibility and whatever apps are vying for attention and losing device drivers...
    * Can run the cd and get the job done if your Hard Drive is bugging out.

    I'm going to try to get folks interested in this OS. I understand the angst people have for Windows, but people who get downright nasty about it aren't going to have a positive spin to represent Linux. (I've sworn alot when working on Windows, but it didn't solve the problem...Just let it go.
    I wish Linux users could put their anger into this OS and make the effort to demonstrate what Linux does.


    I'd like to see a dent in Windows market. People don't always have a choice at using Windows and don't have the confidence/knowledge to try something new.

    Wasn't there a quote that basically implied that BG wanted Windows in every home/business/school/library. Linux is better suited.
    Quality not quantity that's what Linux is to me.

  10. #40
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    West Texas
    Posts
    586
    Quote Originally Posted by ArtVandelay
    Why I moved to FC4 is anyone's guess. I like causing work for myself and re-installing nvidia, ipw2200 and hotwayd never gets old!
    you do know that you can update all the packages to the current version without having to reinstall, right? that's what synaptic/yum/up2date are for
    JustLinux IRC Channel: irc.freenode.net #justlinux

  11. #41
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    190
    Morpheus:
    Actually, there were things like gnome-media that
    I wanted the current version of and could I couldn't seem to
    get them in FC3. (I had 2.8 and wanted 2.10 for bug fixes)

    I couldn't find it in repositories and I was getting dependency
    hell the old way.

    Other than that, and one or two examples I'm not remembering,
    up2date was indeed doing the trick. Could it have been pointed at some
    FC4 repository(!) and effectively turn FC3 into FC4 by getting the
    packages? If so, I'll keep that in mind when 5 comes along instead
    of being an idiot.

  12. #42
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    West Texas
    Posts
    586
    Quote Originally Posted by ArtVandelay
    Morphius:
    Other than that, and one or two examples I'm not remembering,
    up2date was indeed doing the trick. Could it have been pointed at some
    FC4 repository(!) and effectively turn FC3 into FC4 by getting the
    packages? If so, I'll keep that in mind when 5 comes along instead
    of being an idiot.
    I believe that is indeed the case. But I'm not sure, call on one of your resident FC experts to confirm.
    JustLinux IRC Channel: irc.freenode.net #justlinux

  13. #43
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Posts
    180
    A. Faster
    B. Cheaper
    C. 1000x Better to work with
    D. All the software I could ever need
    E. Video Games run better on it, and never lock up
    F. I've never had this thing crash
    G. KDE makes Windows look, and feel like it's from the stone age
    H. I don't have to worry about Spy Ware, Viruses, and Script Kiddies
    I. It can transform into what I need, i.e. File Server, Web Server, Team Speak server...
    J. Support exists!
    K. I have a solid, fast enviroment to work in, and all the tools I need to program, and script.
    L. If something goes wrong I can figure it out on my own, and not feel hopeless, and resort to reformatting every 3 months.
    M. Rebooting is for putting in new hardware.
    N. GPL is my one true love, and breeds the real computer scieance
    O. Most devices are pre-installed, and already have drivers to support them.
    P. I can get it to run on most anything that's a computer, Nintendo DS, PS2, and Macs.

    There are a million reasons to dump Windows! Since Kernel 2.4 I haven't looked back at Windows, I know where the future is.

  14. #44
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    136
    Quote Originally Posted by MorphiusFaydal
    I believe that is indeed the case. But I'm not sure, call on one of your resident FC experts to confirm.
    I notice you corrected him in the quote
    -----------------------
    "I wouldn't say there are no stable character attributes in a person
    that contribute to moral or immoral behavior, but they are far
    outweighed by where the person is, at what time, and with whom."
    -Lee Ross, coauthor of "The Person and the Situation: Perspectives
    of Social Psychology"

    Registered Linux user number 332965

  15. #45
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    West Texas
    Posts
    586
    Quote Originally Posted by cudaman73
    I notice you corrected him in the quote
    yes indeed sir, i did.

    bad thing about this new forum software: doesnt do nested quotes
    JustLinux IRC Channel: irc.freenode.net #justlinux

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •