What makes you want to try Linux in the first place?

[MALsPa]

I Found out about Firefox and OpenOffice, then started trying out other open source apps in Windows, and that led to finding out about Linux. I saw Linux as way to free myself from ever having to pay for Microsoft products again.

[karashata]

The first time I ever tried Linux was when I heard about it from my father. He used to mention quite often that if he had to reinstall/upgrade Windows *one more time* that he'd just break down and install Linux or something else... (He never did, and I've taken to mentioning how much I'm enjoying Linux since I've been running it as my only OS...) The first Linux OS I tried was Ubuntu, but I never did actually get into it initially because it looked so out-dated still at the time compared to Windows XP (it resembled Windows 95 in appearance). Eventually about a year or so later I did decide to give it a try again, and by then the initial look of the OS had improved enough not to turn me off of it right away. For a while I ran Ubuntu as a secondary OS, then I hopped around on a few different distros because Ubuntu just didn't cut it for me, I wanted to feel like I had a little more control over things than even Ubuntu gave me. Eventually I came across Sabayon, which I used for a while until it started having stability issues, and when I found out it was based on Gentoo Linux, I decided to try that out instead. I had a good run with that for a while until one fateful day I goofed up something in a configuration file that took down my entire OS, and I couldn't figure out how to recover from it, so I just went back to my Windows setup again. Eventually I did install Ubuntu again 'cause I just couldn't get used to not having a Linux install as a secondary OS to play with once in a while. I'm glad I had when I did, 'cause eventually not too much later my computer suffered a minor hardware failure and one of the cooling fans no longer worked. (I should note here that this system was a laptop, with fans that were not very easily replaced, I did eventually find a replacement but it didn't function either, suggesting that the connector on the board was shot.) My Windows installation would continually bring the temps up too high for the remaining fan to keep cool, and I'd continually get hardware shutdowns due to critical temps. My Ubuntu install would occasionally bring the computer to the same state, though not nearly as quickly, and I eventually solved that by installing the appropriate kernel modules and software to get the CPU to run at a lower clock speed to prevent it from overheating. (I later found out that the module in question actually skipped clock cycles rather than actually lowering the clock speed, and was designed to lower core temeratures by doing so, which worked out perfectly since that's what I needed it for...).

Eventually that system died, and I bought a new one (my current laptop) running Windows 7. I initially planned to install Linux on it as my primary OS after having been using Ubuntu exclusively for so long on the old computer, but I figured I'd at least give Windows 7 a try before I wiped it off or delegated it to a secondary OS position. It did win me back for a while, some things it did were quite intuitive compared to things I'd remembered from Linux, and it was a while before I did get around to installing Linux again as a secondary OS again. Initially I started with Ubuntu again, 'cause it was the one I remembered best from my previous experiences and was the most user-friendly right from the get-go, and I don't recall how I heard about Linux Mint but when I did and gave it a try, I found it to be even better than Ubuntu, mostly 'cause most of my software choices already came preinstalled. I've been with Mint ever since, and it eventually became my primary OS after one too many goof-ups with Windows. I'm currently using the Mint Debian base primarily (due to it's rolling nature, better performance, and reasonable stability even on the unstable and experimental repos, plus I really like GNOME 3 and the GNOME Shell once I got it tweaked nicely), with Mint 11 as a secondary OS (for now) to use to make backups of my Mint Debian partition (or restore them if I ever accidentally break it somehow) and as a backup in case I break my Mint Debian install (until I can get around to restoring the backup...).

...Kinda babbled on there a bit... For those that didn't read the whole story, and to summarize for the topic at hand, it was an idea I got after hearing my father mention it several times after complaining about reinstalling and upgrading Windows a lot. I'm glad I did, and I'll never go back to Windows again.

[k273]

@karashata:

No it's not. A good, honest story is always encouraging!

[lexon]

I was using W98 which was real good but dated and did not want o buy XP. Fall of 2003, I did a Yahoo search for: another operating system. One link that had those words was Lindows which became Linspire after a MS lawsuit. Sounds too much like Windows.
The word Linux was not used much then. I think the owner did not want to use the word Linux at first. Others will no doubt comment on that OS beginning.
I now run Mint 7. Excellent security.
I use a Vista 'Top for Real Player and You Tube music downloads and convert to MP4. I pull the drive and put in the Mint 7 drive.
The only downside of Linux that I found is command line.
I started PC use in 1972 with a DEC PDP8-I and a model 35 TTY and paper tapes.
When PC's came in to use, I despised DOS but it was usable. I was glad to see W3.1 and did quite well with it.
I have found out if your OS is boring, you need a real life.
I run Mint 7 with original desktop and two Icons on the desktop.

L

[MALsPa]

The only downside of Linux that I found is command line.

Isn't that an upside?

[inhiway]

Mainly it looked like a neat pet project

I dual boot with Windows 7 and UltimateOS (KDE). I'll probably end up back with Mint, but I'm waiting to see how the next version of Mint KDE pans out. Anyhow, I like both operating systems and feel reasonably comfortable in either. There is little I can't do in Linux that I do in Windows. I started out with a copy of Knoppix just to see what the hoopla was all about. MEPIS was my most used Linux distro for a couple years, then I strayed away from it. I've tried most of the major distros over the years. I came to Mint via Kubuntu. I've always felt more comfortable in KDE than any of the other DE's.

[exploder]

I sure like the honesty in these posts, there are some great stories here!

[Elisa]

I sure like the honesty in these posts, there are some great stories here!

+1

"What makes you want to try Linux in the first place?"
As for me, it's been question of safety and freedom to live aka to use (enjoy life), not to be scared, when someone hack your another hole in you "perfect" Window$
I remember, 40% of my day time, I was taking care of win$ (like care of a bad tamagochi) - checking logs, win updates, firewall updates and reading various hacking forums to be among the first ones who will get any info about possible holes in win etc.

It's been frustrating
Now, with Linux I feel more free and can do really important, useful activities, using linux for a meaningful purpose...
Jerkishly said maybe but who's been workin' w. win$ for more than 10 years, s/he will agree w. me

[Pilosopong Tasyo]

I sure like the honesty in these posts, there are some great stories here!

Ok, time to spill the beans

IIRC, my first exposure to Linux was in 2005 when (at that time) the government initiated a national crackdown against software piracy and conducted raids at different parts of the country. It was during this period when Linux started making appearances primarily in cybercafes (Ubuntu was a popular choice). The campaign didn't last long though, probably because of lack of funds and resources, and/or more likely, a case of the ningas kugon attitude. Soon after, Linux died out as well and it's back to pirated copies of Microsoft Windows. The usual reasons for Linux not being able to establish a foothold was because of the lack of peripheral support and the software was too "alien" to what the population was used to using. Reasonable enough.

So for the next several years I used Windows. Pirated version, of course. I'm not proud of it, but considering that a single license for it costs more or less 50 times the amount when converted from US$ to PhP (not to mention the Philippines being a 3rd world country), it's easier to set morality aside and be more practical in order to survive (economically).

The opportunity to try Linux again presented itself in 2009 when they revived the crackdown operations, this time under the guise of the Optical Media Board and the Pilipinas Anti-Piracy Team of the government. It was at this period when I had to make a decision. On one side, there was Windows -- ubiquitous, familiar, but expensive, and the horrendous maintenance cost. On the other was Linux -- niche, not as familiar, have to relearn and adapt to some things, but cost-effective in the long run. Since I already had a brief experience with Linux back in 2005, and a good background in computer science anyway (this was the course I took in college), I decided to bite the bullet and gave Linux a second shot. And now, I'm in this forum, and the rest -- as they say -- is history.

I'm thankful for those fateful events in 2005 and 2009. Truly, blessings in disguise.

[kernowmint]

A few reasons in my case, I suppose. I liked Windows at first but thought it went downhill rapidly after 98. Also I don't like the idea of the entire computing world being so completely dominated by one company - I'm all for choice. Then I discovered free (in both senses of the word) software and then realised you could get whole operating systems like that, so i started experimenting with Ubuntu and liked it and tried some other Linux systems as well and ended up a total distroholic. When I got my current PC I had nothing but trouble with the Windows installed on it and ending up not being able to boot at all, so it was goodbye Windows altogether. I still have it on my laptop but dual-boot it with Xubuntu installed via Wubi. Last time I had to use the Windows bit, it only took a few minutes to get fed up with it. In the space of about five minutes I had three different notifications come up in the middle of the screen telling me there were updates available for this programme and that programme, it ran slower, etc etc.

[avantnoise]

I guess it was around 1996 and I just got a computer job that used Sco Unix as the OS for a medical package we sold and supported... well to say the least I did not have a clue about Unix so I used to go to these computer shows and was looking around and saw a CD of Slackware Linux and i was reading the case and it sounded a lot like Unix and I really needed to practice using command line and Unix commands.. so I bought it and installed it. At this time Linux did not install a GUI and I was researching and it took many days to get a GUI to load. You had to know every little spec of your monitor and I got it to work and i felt like i walked on the moon. Things have come a long way since those early days... and I just installed Mint on my Dell Mini 10v netbook and love it. I have always had access to Windows Os's sine DOS 6.1. My first computer was a IBM Clone with a 8088 processor... Yea I'm Old LOL But I have always loved the Idea of Linux and it holds a place in my heart.

[k273]

Looking back at all my experiences with Windows (that took around 15 years), for my part now, I just miss Need For Speed series I used to play for hours...

Keep it coming, guys!

[frodopogo]

0. (Background) Used GeoWorks in the early '90s, so I have a history of liking small efficient OS's that challenge Microsoft.
1. Got a Windows virus from scripts on what should have been a perfectly safe site.. my favorite music site! (I'm a musician).
2. Got tired of dealing with virus checkers AND Windows "mechanic" type programs.
3. Moved to Mozilla Firefox on Windows because IE worked so poorly on my main music site.
4. Had already gotten used to the open source program Audacity for recording.
5. Met another musician who used Ubuntu... that, and some noise about it heard around the net made me think that Ubuntu
was reaching some kind of critical mass.
6. Heard about Knoppix being used as a way of using a computer with a dead Windows install, tried it, liked it OK.
7. Decided I wanted to do a dual boot system so I would have an alternative if my XP install got a virus or Microsoft pulled the plug on it.
8. Did a search for something like "most popular Linux version", found Distrowatch in the hits, read through their top 10, clicked on the distro's pages, read reviews, etc.
9. Mint seemed to have the right combination of philosophy, Live CD, similarity to Windows, and Ubuntu compatibility but with an extra round of bug fixes- and I like the color green a whole lot better than brown! (Even on GeoWorks and Windows, I always went for a plain green or green and black pattern background!)
10. Knowing that Firefox and Audacity for Linux aren't much different than the Windows versions was reassuring, so there would be no real learning curve for what I use a computer for most.

I started with Mint 5 Elyssa, then Mint 9 Isadora, which I'm still using. Over the four or so years, I've been using Windows XP less and less. I've downloaded Maya, but... Isadora isn't BROKEN!!! I will probably install it soon however, but now I'm torn- Xfce, or MATE???

[bimsebasse]

I'm speaking on behalf of anyone who can't really remember:

Stuff. Stuff that seemed interesting.

[che]

I tried Linux many years ago, Red Hat 6 I believe. Since then I have used it but never as my primary desktop. The main reason has been the lack of support for applications I use for work.

The main things I use my sytem for are photography workflow, general browsing and business (process design, documents, etc)

I keep a Mac because Omnigraffle is by far the most useful for when I need to document a process or mock up a UI. I use my Windows system for documentation (MS Office mainly).

I use Linux for part of my photgraphy, Corel AfterShot Pro.

I think next time I purchase laptop I will buy as much RAM as possible so I can run Linux natively with Windows running in a VM.

[Olson]

The artist David Revoy made me want to try Mint. Being a Microsoft certified engineer made me want to try Linux about 11 years ago, haven't looked back

[kurok]

windows sux, apple is way to expensive. Linux is fast and easy to use and mint just rocks cant decide witch desk top to use so I installed all 3 in their own partition and still cant decide love all 3. cant get that with the others

[3fRI]

I started with Mint 5 Elyssa, then Mint 9 Isadora, which I'm still using. Over the four or so years, I've been using Windows XP less and less. I've downloaded Maya, but... Isadora isn't BROKEN!!! I will probably install it soon however, but now I'm torn- Xfce, or MATE???

In brief, before retiring, I used Windows at work and Apple/Mac at home, but was intrigued by Linux when I first heard about it. My first taste of Linux was with Red Hat, which was a poor choice for me. Open SUSE was better...and after trying numerous distros since, I've stayed with Mint for the past two years and I don't miss Windows at all and rarely boot Mac anymore. Mint 9 Isadora is great and was one of my favorites, but if you plan to move up to Mint 13, you might like Xfce if you prefer a leaner flavor of Mint. Long live the freedom of Linux and the beauty of Mint!

[Condorman]

Originally I didn't know anything about Linux at all. Never heard of it. Always thought the OS was free (or at least, it should be).

We bought a PC with XP pre-installed from a small local shop, and all seemed to be fine until about 6 months into owning it we started getting Windows WGA (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Genuine_Advantage) messages saying the OS was not genuine, and I needed to buy a proper key. I was more than a bit annoyed by this, and as bad luck would have it, the shop I bought the PC from had closed down (probably for selling hooky Windows licenses!). Double bad luck, we couldn't even find the receipt, so phoning Microsoft to explain the situation was out of the question. What happened next really really pissed me off though.

Windows locked me out of my own PC!

I couldn't believe it. That a company could have such power to lock me out of my own PC. It really shocked me, and I started to consider just what other powers this company held over its users. I began to think there ought to be a better way. Then a workmate gave me my first Linux disc, Mandriva as I remember. I also remember absolutely hating it at first. It took me a long time to get my head around how it all worked, but I was intrigued enough to want to learn it, especially as this really was Free, and I started to understand the Free Software movement and what GNU meant.

Later on I discovered Ubuntu, and that really was the first time it began to feel friendly to me as an every day home user.

[quentinb]

There are 105 libraries in Cape Town, each with 5 terminals running OpenSUSE linux and flash disks are allowed and they don't worry about viruses - that blasted my imagination in 2009 and got me looking at Linux, first Ubuntu, then Mint.

For 5 years I've tried to support Microsoft at cybercafes with antivirus and guest account for customers, with total failure, even with Microsoft Security Essentials free antivirus from Microsoft.

My ,point, is: what cybercafe POS System (time, till and staff management system) exists? that will work with Linux Mint or Ubuntu, where I can install a DEB file easily. I don't want source code that may/may not work with my desktop for sure, and I don't trust arbitrary software not included in the Ubuntu Software Centre or Mint Software Centre. I have even gone so far as to write a complete user-based specification in these forums, on what functions are required at cybercafes.

I sure like the honesty in these posts, there are some great stories here!

Ok, time to spill the beans

IIRC, my first exposure to Linux was in 2005 when (at that time) the government initiated a national crackdown against software piracy and conducted raids at different parts of the country. It was during this period when Linux started making appearances primarily in cybercafes (Ubuntu was a popular choice). The campaign didn't last long though, probably because of lack of funds and resources, and/or more likely, a case of the ningas kugon attitude. Soon after, Linux died out as well and it's back to pirated copies of Microsoft Windows. The usual reasons for Linux not being able to establish a foothold was because of the lack of peripheral support and the software was too "alien" to what the population was used to using. Reasonable enough.

So for the next several years I used Windows. Pirated version, of course. I'm not proud of it, but considering that a single license for it costs more or less 50 times the amount when converted from US$ to PhP (not to mention the Philippines being a 3rd world country), it's easier to set morality aside and be more practical in order to survive (economically).

The opportunity to try Linux again presented itself in 2009 when they revived the crackdown operations, this time under the guise of the Optical Media Board and the Pilipinas Anti-Piracy Team of the government. It was at this period when I had to make a decision. On one side, there was Windows -- ubiquitous, familiar, but expensive, and the horrendous maintenance cost. On the other was Linux -- niche, not as familiar, have to relearn and adapt to some things, but cost-effective in the long run. Since I already had a brief experience with Linux back in 2005, and a good background in computer science anyway (this was the course I took in college), I decided to bite the bullet and gave Linux a second shot. And now, I'm in this forum, and the rest -- as they say -- is history.

I'm thankful for those fateful events in 2005 and 2009. Truly, blessings in disguise.