So when did it all start?

[paradox]

Just to get a little interaction between the members here, and to satisfy my own curiousity....

When did you start using linux, and what made you do it?

Aragorn

[JimH]

When did you start using linux, and what made you do it?

Aragorn

94 or 95 was the first install. Daily about 97 or 98. Only O/S since 99 for anything except a windoze game once in a while and that is VERY seldom anymore.

I don't remember what lead me to that first install. Probably read an article aboutLinux. Something new to try, more then likely.


Jim H

[Spot]

I first heard about linux about 5 years ago from a friend in Minneapolis, though I had no clue what it was..I'd just started computing with a Cyrix 133 running Win95 at the time. It sounded kinda cryptic and scary.
A couple of years later, I had a newer computer with MSN as my ISP, and was browsing through their proprietary newsgroups one day and I ran across, oddly enough, an MSN linux newsgroup. I reconized the word linux, but still didn't really know what it was at the time, but I lurked there, and was able to see idiots like myself being successful with it, so I thought I'd give it a try. I picked up a copy of Redhat Linux Unleashed that came bundled with RH 5.2.
I remember thinking, My god what a big ass book - I'll never get a hold of all this! Yet, I dual booted it on that Cyrix 133, got seti@home running it, and was able to connect to MSN even, just couldn't check my email except via hotmail because of their proprietary "security" settings. I screwqed around with it a bit, but never really got into it much, it was still a bit scary and still cryptic to me, though I still had that machine running RH 5.2, churning away on seti@home packets almost a year later when they came to install my cable pipe. The drive on that machine eventually went caput and I let linux stay on the back burner for a long time, until I got too frustrated with windows' uptime, or lack thereof, when trying to run servers and such. Though I still boot back once in a while to play a game or something, for the most part, I haven't looked back.

[SkyNet]

I started using linux sometime in 2000 I believe. One of my friends had mentioned that he was going to attempt an install of Linux, and be living the good life. I later found out that his attempt went the way of the dark side (He didn't make it). Not to long after that I started college, and began life learning programming. It quickly became apparent in what windows was lacking. Ex.) GCC amoung other things. I'd also been hearing talk about Linux occasionaly from some odd ball source, but most of the things said were praise. I think the final thing that made me take the plunge was the fact that Linux is GPL.

At that time I decided to go with Linux-Mandrake 7.1 considering that I was a newbie, and I didn't want to drive myself away from linux. That meant that I needed to get a machine up and running ASAP, and have it all working. Well Mandrake did that for me except for my ethernet card, and the internet connection. I spent weeks trying to get it working. Before I began playing with it; I barely knew what an IP was, let alone a gateway, and the many more technical definitions that ensue from that. After a few weeks, and determination I had a perfectly good working Linux machine that dual booted along with Windows 98SE.

A short while after that. Mandrake 7.2 was released, and I made the upgrade. I was able to get 7.2 up, and running within 2 hrs. It was becoming far easier to install then even windows. I great deal of time later say were into 2001 now; I decided to make a switch to Slackware. Boy was I in for a surprise. Slackware had no scripts to set anything up, and almost everything was a manual install. I perservered though, and now I couldn't be happier with Linux or the distro I use today.

SLACKWARE ;D

[nfallon]

I started using Linux about 2 months ago. As a developer and Network Admin. I thought it was time to broaden my horizons.

I was one of the first Visual Basic developers to make their code open source on the Windows/Palm platforms and like the idea of making my code available when I write something.

As a developer I can see some challenges ahead just as there are when developing for other platforms.

Neil

[chadm1967]

I started using Linux about 3 years ago. I've always been kind of a "nerd" and have always loved learning new things in the technology field. One day, I heard someone talking about a UNIX clone that was free so I thought I would give it a shot. I fell in love with it the first day and have never looked back.

[johnqpublic]

I just started with Linux early last Febuary after reading about it in magazines and seeing posts about in BBS' geared more towards windows.Got sick of posting my Win98,ME probs all the time although I got very adept at keeping those pain in the butt OS running.Linux was touted as a rock solid and stable, but complex operating system.So I said to myself, "self, let us give Linux a try".I did and bought and installed Corel.Bad call! Almost ended my Linux adventure but didn't give up.Then tried SuSE 7.1 cool! So now I'm learning Linux and deep-sixed 98,ME but still have Win 2k as I use it from time to time.Also have Libranet,Slackware,Redhat and Mandrake.My plan to master all these OS at the same time with little linux experience ain't working so I'll have to do away with all but two.(SuSE,Libranet) Best move I ever made was to try Linux.I've been called a geek by my winders maggot pals and consider it a compliment.

[blair]

Well

I first started using redhat 5.2 when I was 11.
I installed it on a intel overdrive 33mhz. After a bit of trouble with the startup runlevel I was able to boot up into KDE.

Looking though the book I found that this distro came with doom!

I searched for a while and finally found the binary. It run at about 2-3 fps at full screen. If I hit the '-' key I could make the screen a little bit smaller, and run the game at an acceptable frame rate. The viewable area was about 3cm sq :P

I was hooked after that. I'm 14 now and have my own web/ftp/dns/sendmail/opensrs server running on a 256kb isdn connection. It took a while, but now i can say that I set it all up myself. My dad gave me the server and inet connection and let me go

Eheh, just wanted to say that my computing studies teacher at school just gave me my report; three D's and one E. Just goes to show

[paradox]

Eheh, just wanted to say that my computing studies teacher at school just gave me my report; three D's and one E. Just goes to show

LOL...here in the states we dont' have an E and D's are bad, your parents beat you around with a D on the report card! hehe

But good job!

Aragorn

[x0xCRIZx0x]

Actually started using linux around February, when I got a new computer. The OS that came with it was Windows ME (wow, what a pos that was). Needless to say, the thing kept crashing on me, and I was a bit frustrated with windows at the time. In comes my brother and suggested i try linux. Since I was learning some unix at work (we have a Solaris box we run processes on), I thought I'd give it a try. What would I lose, windows?

In any case, the Mandrake 8.0 cds my brother gave me was my first install. At first it was a bit difficult, but I quickly fell in love with it. I especially liked the fact that if something did not work, it was most probably your fault and you could fix it (not like some other OS's that just reboots your computer). And I'm learning alot more about my computer that I ever did when using Windows, which is a plus. ;D