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

[root.veg]

I had to learn HP-UX in order to complete my engineering course and so I was exposed to UNIX in the days before I had my own computer.

When I finally got my own computer (after university, once I had a job) I was keen to put something non-windows on it, having seen the difference between the well-set-up, secure, powerful, HP-UX system I used for working on engineering projects, and the rag-tag bunch of Windows NT boxes my college had in its computer room. (at Cambridge, you live in a college, and are taught in a separate department).

Anyway, one of my friends from Uni already used Debian and so had roughly explained to me that it was a UNIX-a-like, but free, so I gave it a go. I used Turbolinux, Debian, SuSE, Debian again, Ubuntu when I got myself a Mac Mini, and now back to Debian (Ubuntu have dropped official support for PPC).

I started with GNU/Linux and carry on using it because I want freedom and control and I don't mind a temporary sacrifice of ease-of-use if necessary. I like the fact that I can generally expect things not necessarily to "work-out-of-the-box", but more importantly, to BE POSSIBLE. Nowadays more things really are working "out-of-the-box", and that's great, but the best thing is that we are free to try stuff out for no charge. Things taken for granted in Linux that you can't get easily in windows:

* decent shell language comparable to bash and the other GNU tools
* remote log-in with ssh and all the tricks you can play with it
* ability to just act as a server for as many or few services as you like, no need to buy a special "server" edition or pay anything extra.
* a fine-grained method for installing exactly what you want and nothing more
* ability to back up and copy however the hell you like.

Anyway, freedom and control of what I do, that's why.

[sunils1973]

I have a passion towards unix when I was taught my course-co ordinator for my pg diploma course.

At that time windows (1995) windows was not available (though windows 95 released most systems were using dos). He told that while learning OS never compare with DOS as an operating system. He taught in detail what the operating system should be and the concepts.

From that time onwards, I am eagre to master(learn) unix. But unix was not available though windows pireted copies of 95 were available. Also perfect UPS system was mandatory for unix.

Years passed and I continued to use windows OS and concetned activities.

And now a days linux has come to the desktop world with the full features of OS - those like of Large Mainframe and super computers. And plenty of softwares.

Another success story

In my small office internet was supplied through (ADSL) modem through a windows xp gateway (a dual network card pc with internet sharing). Even though virus scanners were installed, it required that system was affected by viruses and other malwares and it negetively affected the system which caused interruption of inter net in the network. 6 months ago, I replaced the system with an old PIII system with debian installed. Till date, the internet is like a rock. It this gate way is on internet is ok. I have installed bind9 and it again increased some performance. which was not the case with a pentidum dual core machine with xp installed

[ehawk]

Wow! Great job Sunils! I am sure that everyone else who works with you is happy that they have someone like you that can solve many of their problems with linux! Keep up the good work!

I have been using linux for a long time (since about 1997), but just as an end-user. I used other unix accounts on dummy terminals, then NeXT computers (very nice and powerful for the low hardware specifications!), and later Red Hat 5 linux boxes through one of my university departments. I remember feeling good when I could do simple things like adding a driver for my winmodem or working with kernel headers to get a wireless card driver working under linux. Other than some gaming that Wine has trouble with, linux is just so great!

I also admit that the "free as in beer" aspect of linux was a big motivation for a poor grad student LOL.

I have also noticed many of my friends run into problems with keyloggers and trojan problems on their window boxes, even though a good antivirus/anti-malware/spyware setup seems to catch pretty much everything (I think) on one windows box I use (again principally for gaming). It seems that linux's permissions/multi-user heritage and construction seems to render most of these non-problems by default, and that unfortunately, many windows aren't aware of how to fix these shortcomings on their computers.

Even on my windows computer, I have found myself going to the GNU windows ports for many nice "linux" apps.

[TheCatMan]

I'm one of the rare users who didn't switch from Windows. At work I went straight from MSDOS to Linux.

Cool beans. I've never felt like I switched from Windows, since I've never used it by choice, but work requires it to this day. My story's already been told on this site, and my one regret is that I installed Windows 3.11 on the DOS partition of my first PC. I didn't use it, or replace it when I accidentally hosed the partition a few days later, but it means I can't quite claim never to have owned a box with Windows on it.

[CCTC]

Windows has helped me a lot by using applications like Adobe Premiere, Photoshop, FL Studio, Cubase, AutoCAD, 3DS Max, etc... But you can never trust Windows for storing all you work into it, there will always be some problem like system crashing or BSOD.
So I choose Linux operating systems for storing all my work cause its very stable and sometimes for minor tasks its a lot simpler to use than Windows.

[Zandak]

I started out with Mandrake Linux(it was given to me by a friend, he told me to try it). After I mastered Mandrake, I graduated to RedHat. Redhat lacked something, so i switched to SUSE. Now that was cool. When SUSE made an agreement with Microsoft, I dumped SUSE.

I WAS MAD!

Then I found Ubuntu! I thought Wow, this is cool. Then, to my dismay Ubuntu went with the Unity desktop. A friend of mine from New Zealand gave me the URL for LinuxMint. I was in heaven............Mint is the coolest I have ever seen. I now run Linux Mint 15,Debian Edition, 64 bit.

I'm happy with Mint. but I have been experimenting with Knoppix 7.2. I like it, but i have to do a little more experimenting.

Anyway, Any Linux Distro is better than MS Windows.

[suha52]

Speaking as someone who works in IT, I can tell you that 99% of my users have no idea what an operating system is. This includes the young ones. They've heard of Macs, but by and large nobody even grasps the concept of an operating system. The whole idea that they could run something that's not Windows is completely unknown to them.

[Zandak]

Speaking as someone who works in IT, I can tell you that 99% of my users have no idea what an operating system is. This includes the young ones. They've heard of Macs, but by and large nobody even grasps the concept of an operating system. The whole idea that they could run something that's not Windows is completely unknown to them.

Most people think of (MS)Windows when they think of computers because that's all they have ever known. Not many places where you can buy a Linux computers pre-configured, but this is starting to change.

[bestellen]

Unix tools work logically in my opinion -- I just get things done faster in unix
Linux lets me do things other operating systems do not.
Ethics:
3a) The current software monoculture is a Bad Thing and I want it to end -- so Microsoft is never high on my "preferred suppliers"-list
3b) I believe free software is a really Good Thing that'll be a boon for all of us -- my first choice is always free.

[Zandak]

If you want to buy Linux Desktop Pre installed, there are a number of of good place you can buy one. ie, Sears and Wal-Mart sell them on their websites, HP and Del;l also sell them on their websites, plus there is System76,Penguin computing. And you can also u Chromebooks just about Anywhere(granted it's not Linux, but it is Linux based.)

[je_fro]

I've always had better luck building my own boxes (Linux of course) from quality components. I'm typing this on an opteron box I build back in 2002. It's plenty powerful and looks to have a long way to go. *knock on wood*

[Zandak]

I've always had better luck building my own boxes (Linux of course) from quality components. I'm typing this on an opteron box I build back in 2002. It's plenty powerful and looks to have a long way to go. *knock on wood*

I always build my own boxes(since 1998) I got tired of all the bull from pre-configured boxes, especially Windoze. This way, I know I get the best Hardware and always run Linux and Linux software.

[je_fro]

Amen brother!
These days I use Supermicro boards and hot graphics cards