How did you all discover Linux ?

[edwardr]

About two years ago I got a (then) seven year old Dell CPx laptop from a friend. It was an old work laptop that her IT department told her to get rid of, they didn't even want it back. It had Windows 2000 on it. Since it was a company machine, I did not have any rights to make any significant changes. Eventually it got so crufty and infected that it was no longer usable. I somehow came across on the internet (I don't remember how) and installed Xubuntu 8.04 on it and loved it. I upgraded to xubuntu 9.10, and then started distro hopping, finally discovering Mint 8. I knew that once Mint 9 LTS came out I would have a long term home. I have stopped distro hopping and now have Mint 9 XFCE on two machines and that original CPx laptop has Mint 9 LXDE (running at 64 MB RAM on startup).

[Robin]

I had only known WinXP until April of last year. It had slowed to a crawl in spite of the ceaseless vigil of deragging, scanning, registry cleaning, etc. Only a completely new installation cures that eventual slowdown of Windows even on a good well-maintained machine (people call it "Windows rot"). That had been done twice (professionally both times) and it was slowwwwwwing dowwwwwwn again when I "inherited" this old computer as a hand-me-down.

I was pretty disenchanted with WinXP because of this inevitable slowdown and had WinXP re-installed by a geeky friend who listened to my complaints about "Windows rot."

"That doesn't happen if Windows is configured properly," he scolded, and promised that his installation, if properly maintained (defrag, scan, clean, etc), would never slow down. But a few months later, it had slowed to a frustrating crawl and I thought about switching to Mac. Until I saw the price tag! Omygosh, nevermind... so I Googled for some other alternative and learned about Linux. An online "Distro Chooser" (it asks you abuncha questions about your machine, your preferences, and your computer expertise) selected Ubuntu as good for me and my hand-me-down 'puter, so I ordered a CD and tried it out (Ubuntu 8.10 - just before Jaunty arrived). Wow! It was much faster, a little befuddling, and ugly brown, but it worked well and cost nothing! I was certain I would run into abuncha geeky snobs if I had problems. I kept waiting for the "go back to Windows, kid. You're not ready for Linux yet" reply, but never got one. Most of these Linux forums are very polite and surprisingly accommodating to newbies.

I played with it 'til it broke, learned how to fix it, and started exploring all the choices that Linux offers (whole desktop environments, not just themes and wallpapers). I tried them all, eventually settling on Xfce, still my current favorite. A bit of distro hopping just to sample this new universe, and I ended up here with Mint Xfce, the bestest and most wonderfulest distro in the history of ever!

So I went back to my friend and told him how I "cured Windows rot" by replacing it with Linux. "It must require extreme mad geek skills to configure Windows properly," I said, "since multiple reinstallations - including your own - all gave way to that slowdown. But my Linux only gets better and faster with every new release," I bragged. Y'know what he said?? No lie, and it's priceless:

"Then just stick with Linux, kid. You're not ready for Windows yet!"

It still makes me giggle.

-R

[randomizer]

Looks like Robin just proved that Windows isn't ready for mainstream

[colyn]

I started with Mandrake back in 1999. A couple years later converted to Suse. I stayed with Suse till two years ago when I discovered Ubuntu and have been using Mint for a year now. I just sold my Mac Pro in part because Mint with Gimp and DigiKam was better. My only Microsoft use now is for work...

[indaymadel]

Hmmm.. A very eye catching question.

I can't remember when and how i discover linux. But as far as I can remember, the first linux that I have ever tried was WinLinux. I think that was about Year 2000. I can't remember completely.

[kidflash]

I started with Mandrake back in 1999. A couple years later converted to Suse. I stayed with Suse till two years ago when I discovered Ubuntu and have been using Mint for a year now. I just sold my Mac Pro in part because Mint with Gimp and DigiKam was better. My only Microsoft use now is for work...

i first saw Linux when a friend tried to install "red hat" he never could get it installed correctly.
it has come a long way. they say that Linux only has 1% of the market share but i find that hard to believe.
If i had to guess i would say at least 3%.

its so true once you get comfortable with Linux you never want to go back.

[asymmetros]

I using an old winxp pc and one day, i realized that i didnt use any Windows application (except the os): no iexploder, or office or winfirewall or win-defrag or wmplayer... Many of my preffered applications were opensource.
And then, i bought my very personal, very own laptop. One tech-fan friend was telling me to keep win7 cause they're really good and with Linux you don' t know and maybe won 't support your drivers etc... etc..
So, i kept windows but after a few days, i found out that windows were taking most of the decisions, not me. And the last nail in the coffin, after an update, a windows application (dont remember what) found its way to startup menu without me asking that. It was the funny, little thing that i was looking for in order to leave for good and forever the ship.
And i tried some live-cd's and i ended up with one that had just released -Isadora main edition.
And you believe that? In my laptop, i have only Mint, not a trace of Windows since then. In the office i have no choice than xp. But from the very first days, Linux strikes me more familiar, kinda of more like me if you can say so-and win's are the one os that sounds me strange, despite the many years that i was using them.
I guess i found my place...

[jesica]

stumble in it 10 years back with studies, and keep to it from then

[COSLinux]

I have known about Linux for many years, but only stated to use it daily about 6 years ago. I discovered Linux from my father years ago. I found a LInux mag one day that he was subscribed to and I asked about it. We had many talks about it on its differences, capabilities, versatility and how in many ways it can be implemented and leveraged. Years later I began to tinker with it and learned a lot from personal experience, info from my father, reading, and now from some Linux based classes in College, but sadly a large portion of content in the classes are things I already know. Oh well.

[krauser]

I got sick of MS's updates, virus, malware, and hardware requirements.

Mint KDE got me, but I still boot to Win for Quicken once a month.

[utsuwa]

asymmetros,

you can always install some light distro on USB and boot from it at your office. So, you don't touch that "precious" other OS and you can work in Linux. I use Linux at work for around 1,5 years now, and it is a blast. My co-workers have to re-new and re-update their anti-virus subscriptions while I just keep smiling at them. I need none of it! And I haven't had issues with receiving their documents or they receiving mine.

[utsuwa]

I was introduced to Linux through some ads and my brother. But didn't think much about it. Then some years later I just had an urge to check it out. Saw some youtube videos about Ubuntu, really liked it and started experimenting with it. One of my favourite colors is orange and Ubuntu (that time) was using it a lot. I still get warm inside when I remember Feisty Fawn. Since then, I had a one year without Linux and then came back to it. I don't want to leave it for that other OS. Its too interesting to use Linux!

[ej64]

I'm not sure, but I recall a S.U.S.E. Linux package at a scientific book store near the Cologne University in the early to mid 1990's. Studying physics I came in touch with some geeks and downloaded at a UNIX terminal some 30 1.2MB (? 360 KB ?) floppies with some kind of Linux with X. Perhaps this was even earlier for I remember a kernel version < 1.0

Since then I've been in touch with Linux now and then, usually running Win 3.x, NT 4.0, XP and OS/2 on another disk. But only in 2009 Mint 8, then 9 made it permanently on my Notebook. Since this July it's Linux only and I get more and more upset when maintaining or sorting out some problem at our family's Win 7 desktop ...

[rufong]

@robin: hilarious story!

somewhere in the 90's i did 'net techsupport for AT&T Canada,
linux was rare ubergeek n redhat. eMacs we hated to support. built a win98 desktop to play Everquest on.

moved to taiwan, had an iMac for 2yrs, waay slick after Windows.
dreamed of playin with linux for years until 2007, gf gave me her old laptop. i was playin Fallensword
and a friend mentioned he ran linux. when i asked him to recommend a distro for a laptop he said kubuntu.
burnt the liveCD and WHAM! did i get a hit of joy the first time it loaded..
kubu, ubu, dslinux, puppy, slitaz, #!(still a fan), read about mint's ease of chinese input support
WOW ibus, what a great impression mint makes..
now its LMDE and #! statler dual bootin on this machine.

[SMT]

In 2003 while I was still in the US Navy, my ship was sent to Portsmouth NH to the shipyard for a year long Modernization. I was a Fire Controlman, and we got this brandy new LAN based Commercial Off the Shelf Fire Control System Called AN/BYG-1 TI-00. The system was mostly HP Unix, with 1 windows box and 2 Mandrake Linux Boxes. After being out to sea and constantly fixing the system (we built most of the Unix from Ignite Images) I get pretty comfortable with the Unix and Linux command structures.

Fast Forward to 2009 and I am now out of the Navy, but working as a contractor on that same Fire Control System, but we are now 4 revisions later. I am in the lab trying to create an executable BASH script for the Mandrake (we still use 10.0A, not even the Mandriva, its Mandrake) when some other testing that was going on, was going to force me to come in on third shift (00:00 - 8 am) in order to finish and test the script for fleet delivery on time. This is when i began trying to install Mandrake on my Laptop in order to complete the script without having to work on the lab equipment.

After getting Mandrake to KINDA work on my LT (no wireless, no support, super out dated Firefox) I began investigating Linux for my Dell Inspiron D810 LT, and found Ubuntu. After getting Ubuntu working and hearing about Mint I gave it a shot with Mint 8. Upgraded to 9 and just installed 10 last night. I have my wife using Mint 9 and several of my friends.

I finally blew away windows yesterday when i installed Mint 10, since i had not booted into my windows partition since i can remember.

[dusty832]

In 2003 while I was still in the US Navy, my ship was sent to Portsmouth NH to the shipyard for a year long Modernization. I was a Fire Controlman, and we got this brandy new LAN based Commercial Off the Shelf Fire Control System Called AN/BYG-1 TI-00. The system was mostly HP Unix, with 1 windows box and 2 Mandrake Linux Boxes. After being out to sea and constantly fixing the system (we built most of the Unix from Ignite Images) I get pretty comfortable with the Unix and Linux command structures.

Fast Forward to 2009 and I am now out of the Navy, but working as a contractor on that same Fire Control System, but we are now 4 revisions later. I am in the lab trying to create an executable BASH script for the Mandrake (we still use 10.0A, not even the Mandriva, its Mandrake) when some other testing that was going on, was going to force me to come in on third shift (00:00 - 8 am) in order to finish and test the script for fleet delivery on time. This is when i began trying to install Mandrake on my Laptop in order to complete the script without having to work on the lab equipment.

After getting Mandrake to KINDA work on my LT (no wireless, no support, super out dated Firefox) I began investigating Linux for my Dell Inspiron D810 LT, and found Ubuntu. After getting Ubuntu working and hearing about Mint I gave it a shot with Mint 8. Upgraded to 9 and just installed 10 last night. I have my wife using Mint 9 and several of my friends.

I finally blew away windows yesterday when i installed Mint 10, since i had not booted into my windows partition since i can remember.

When I was in the Navy station in Pascagoula, MS (2005) my XP laptop crashed on me, I could boot up but all you would see was a black screen. Now I wasn't close to a repair shop because we were underway doing CD ops (counter drug operations), so my first thought was to take it to a friend of mine who was a Electronics Technician. He said he could fix it and it was the OS that was the problem, I came back after my watch was done and found out I didn't have XP anymore I had Mandrake linux. It was all fun and good until we got back home and I put XP back on and forgot all about linux.

Until May if this year I kept on rolling with Microsoft, Until I got a virus on Vista (different laptop) that cause me to reformat my HD. I lost everything, I goggled for a better anti-virus (was using Norton). I came across a Ubuntu thread talking about how its very hard to get a virus on linux so I did more research and here we are. As of 2 days ago I got rid of Vista on this desk top and now have Mint 9 it and Ubuntu 10.10 on the laptop.

[jwp]

Some time in 1991 I was reading comp.os.minix and saw some discussion about the new kernel Linus had built that didn't have any Minix code in it. By then I'd been hacking Unix on DEC boxes (mostly) for 14 or 15 years and didn't much like Minix or 386s, but 386 boxes were getting fairly cheap as the 486 had been available for a couple of years. Just something to play with, really.

[kidflash]

I got sick of MS's updates, virus, malware, and hardware requirements.

Mint KDE got me, but I still boot to Win for Quicken once a month.

agreed. the updates on windows machines would take over 1 hour sometimes and you still had to manually update the other programs by yourself. Then the virus updates also took about 20-30 mins it became a work project just to keep it running.

[gizmodo]

simple: i coudnt buy a windows license, so i was looking for a free operating system, i heard of linux before, but not very much. (my computer @ that time conisted of hardware put together and dumped in a cardboard box )

[Txnca]

I've been working and fixing computers longer than I care to remember. I bought one system, an old clone from some company that isn't in business anymore, and have built all the rest myself. I've been using MS products all of that time except for a brief stint running OS/2 Warp, which I like better than Windows any day.
I had been hearing of Linux forever and finally saw it running on a co-workers computer back in 2000. I noticed it because of his desktop. It was awesome to say the least. If you've run Windows you know that what you see is pretty much what you get unless you hack it. His desktop caused me to take a really hard look at it. I asked him what he was running and he told me X-Windows. I had never heard of X-Windows before so asked him if it was some kind of desktop enhancement for Windows. He of course, laughed at me, not in a mean way just in that "if you only knew" way and told me he was running Linux and told me the distro he was running but I honestly couldn't tell you what that is now. Maybe it was Mandrake. He gave me a website to check out "linux something .org". It had nothing but linux ISOs on it.
I got home that night and downloaded something, I can't tell you what it was, although I do still have it on CD somewhere! I never got around to installing it, too busy, daughter just being born, and second in 2002, so it sat in my CD cases and it's still there. Fast forward to 2010. As I pointed out earlier I build my own systems. Because of that I never got the new OS with the new computer. Of course what I did get was computers that HP or Compaq or any of the boxes couldn't compete with, high end components and better performance.
Finally though I realized that I was through giving my money to Microsoft. $200 for an upgrade to an OS is outrageous. So, I started looking at Linux again. I've known that it was out there, and knew that it had different "flavors". After all I've met one of the owners of Red Hat Linux, Bob Young. He came from Hamilton which is really close to where I live here in Canada, and being a "computer guy" I felt it was time for me to spread my wings so to speak and finally learn Linux. So I looked around, found some place that asked you questions about your computer knowledge, hardware etc, and it suggested a couple of different distros to look at. One of them was Mint.
I checked out all of the sites that they mentioned and when I hit the mint website I stopped. I don't know what it was about the site that attracted my attention. Maybe it was the colors! The light green has been one of my favorite colors forever! I'm not sure, but I think that Helena had just come out and I downloaded it and installed it beside XP. I've used it off and on since then although I still use XP. I have games that require it and I've been unable to get them to work in Linux. I can live with that! I use Linux mostly on this old laptop which I am running at this particular moment with a 16GB MicroSD card, something I couldn't do with XP! For a long time, I just used the LiveCD since I don't have a HD in this thing. It crapped out last summer along with the fan in my desktop. But I could boot into Mint with the DVD drive and that is how I've used this thing for most of the last year! That is something I can say I would never have been able to do with XP! I think I've found where I will be. I haven't even really looked at any other distros. Just all the different flavors of Mint is enough for me. Right now I am running Gnome from the MicroSD card, I have an external HD that I have KDE and LMDE installed on and that is how I use this laptop. It works great!