First Impressions

[Ashcrow]

I remember installing Linux years ago in late middle school and again in early high school. I had many problems, was super confused about a lot of the ideas, and screwed stuff up all the time when su-ing to root .... and this is what went through my mind: "I have no clue what the hell I am doing! This rocks!!!!"

First time I saw Linux it crashed taking the HD down with it.... I as like...

8) Windows 98 8)

[pbharris]

the first time i tried it i thought - hey excellent!! i can play mtrek w/o that crappy windows 3.1 telnet client.

it was a long time ago...

[TaeShadow]

[quote author=Ashcrow link=board=13;threadid=3901;start=0#39034 date=1024861472]
I had many problems, was super confused about a lot of the ideas, and screwed stuff up all the time when su-ing to root .... and this is what went through my mind: "I have no clue what the hell I am doing! This rocks!!!!"
[/quote]

Hehe... that's exactly the way I felt

When I booted up for the first time, I remember seeing the command line and thinking that this was the first time I had absolutely NO idea how to get the computer to do anything!

[NGene]

After the very first login:

"So this is Linux? Yay, it's like DOS but the prompt looks a lot cooler! WOW!!"

"So the directories are separated with a / and not with \ like DOS does? Wow, it makes a lot more sense than DOS! WOW!!"

"Ok so what do I type here now? Umm... startx? Why the hell does it take so much time to load the desktop, Linux was supposed to be fast, huh? And what is that ugly grey pattern? This thing looks like Windows 2.1!"

After loading the default window manager (later I figured out it was fvwm95):

"OH MY HOLY SHIT!!! THIS LOOKS LIKE WINDOWS 95!! YUCK! AWFUL! HOW DO I EXIT?!"

After exiting and back to CLI:

"Yeah, this is much better. Typing commands just like in DOS, but the prompt looks a way cooler. I like this. This is WOW. Now how do I connect to my favorite BBS? How do I use this Linux thing? I have no idea what to do next. WOW, can this be, I'm on a computer and I'm clueless. I think I'm going to love Linux! And the prompt looks so cool! YAY!!!"

Well, that's it. From the very first moments I knew I'd like Linux because I was able to type commands like in DOS, and because Linux seemed so complicated that I had no idea how to use it, and especially because the prompt looked cooler than the DOS prompt. It's silly, I know, but the little things can make a big impression!

[Schotty]

I got into linux because I fell in love with X terms at the local college. I had no clue really other than the basics. But I got Slackware 3.1 (I think, Slack 96 was what it was called on the book) in some huge ass book. It told me how to program X even! I was told to buy this thing called "Red Hat" and it would solve my problem, but I went with the heaviest book at Barnes & Nobles instead 1500 pages was more than the 1200 that the RedHat one had.

After a month or so, my sound was working.
After another two months I got my modem working (ISA sucks and still sucks big time)

I think that it took me about a full year of pokign around to really know what the hell I was doing since nobody I knew had Linux or was willing to offer assistance.

[Kernel_Killer]

Man, I feel like a total newb now. ;D I remember the days of FidoNet, but unfortunatly, no one told me about Linux. ;( All these wasted years!!!! Oh well. I can remember my first install ( which was in March ), and I never though a CLI would look so nice!! I instantly started installing apps left, and right by the handfulls. ( Good thing I DL'ed all 8 Debian CD's ;D ) Fucked it up a couple, 3, er 4, more times then I can count on my fingers and toes. After 2 weeks, I finally got X working with KDE, and I thought I was going to have a heart attack. ;D

[BurntAsh]

i started out on mandrake 7.1 that i got with my Teach Yourself Linux in 24 Hours book. :P i spent like a week reading it, it didnt make me a rocket scientist but by the time i installed linux i kinda knew some commands and my way around, and some things to change. my impressions were, "hmmm not bad,.. not bad at all". i learned about xchat, and using internet dialer to get linux up and online was a piece of cake, i really didnt have a hard time using linux as a desktop, except when i wanted to install and update my programs. i then learned about rpms : *sigh* boy those pissed the shit out of me, if i didnt turn to tarballs i would have been bald from ripping my hair out because of its dependencies. i must admit, i still have not successfully built a new kernel. ive just waited for new versions to come out. problem was i could never learn it right and people always told me RTFM so i got no help because i RTFM about 80 billion times and still was havin troubles. so now that im a part of linux junior and their PET's and helpful people, im not longer afraid and ill soon try a kernel. so far im doing alright with linux. not too shabby, i keep a stable system, but im still on the look for the distro for me, i think its slack..

[Feztaa]

[quote author=Lovechild link=board=13;threadid=3901;start=0#39037 date=1024862127]First time I saw Linux it crashed taking the HD down with it.... I was like...

8) Windows 98 8)[/quote]

That's kind of interesting, because the last time I saw Windows, it crashed taking the HD down with it... I was linux-only from that day on

i remember when i saw Linux for the first time. it was a friend's house and he showed his Linux system to me. at that time i was already sick and tired of that Windows look-n-feel so when i saw his windowmaker desktop i loved it from the start. it still took a couple of months before i installed it myself though, but once i did.. there was no turning back