My initial experience with GNU/Linux wasn't that long ago, but I remember when Canonical would distribute free Ubuntu installation DVDs in 2011, and after I was told about this OS, I went ahead with placing an "order" on one. I received it and was looking forward to trying it out, but somehow never got around to it, until late 2014, which was when I was getting sick of Microsoft with their ever-changing policies and shady business tactics to get people to switch to Windows 8.1, or worse, Windows 10.
As you can tell by the subject line, I'm a Windows 7 "refugee", meaning that up until late 2017, I was a frequent user of the OS, although I was already getting the hang of GNU/Linux by running Ubuntu a few years before to learn more about the kernel and how things worked. Admittedly, I was not really crazy about the OS, often kicking myself and wondering if sticking to Windows in the long run would solve it, but come six or seven months ago, I finally pulled the plug and removed that garbage from my life...forever.
How did I come to that conclusion? While Linux Mint is clearly Ubuntu with a new coat of paint (that's not a bad thing at all), I felt that the way its update system was handled helped make the transition process smoother. That, and also because I was suspicious of the way Canonical handled user data. Unity, I think, was the final nail in the coffin. I hated that I couldn't get rid of that stupid sidebar. So, that's when I heard of Linux Mint, although because I was unsure of continuing with Ubuntu or GNU/Linux for that matter, I gave Linux Mint a fair shake, and it felt more like the earlier Ubuntu builds that I'd enjoyed. Even Cinnamon seemed much less of a bloatfest when compared to Unity, so I was continuing to use Linux Mint more and more.
I really did struggle to find proper alternatives to games and other programs that I'd use during all those years of using Windows, but for the most part, and with the extra hand from Wine (sometimes), I was able to go completely GNU/Linux with all of my machines. To this day, all of them are running Linux Mint, and I'm at version 18.3. I'm going to wait a bit before upgrading, as I'm perfectly happy with my current setup. By the way, although Cinnamon is a very pretty DE, Xfce proved to retain much of that eye candy, albeit with less bloat.
Aside from Linux Mint, I look forward to the day when I can comfortably install and run Arch Linux, as the Ubuntu base honestly feels pretty crippling at times. From there on, I'll get more experience when it comes to compiling software on my own and depending far less on GUI methods. I've actually tried Gentoo for two days straight, so I know that I can get to that level of experience, if I'd simply just try my best.
Sorry for the long introduction, but this is the very first GNU/Linux forum I've ever joined, so a proper introduction would be very well-received by the public.
Cheers!
I also did the Vista thing to my shame and the Windows 10. 
