Why do you guys use Linux? What is your job?

[simpsonsfreak333]

I switched to Linux after a friend, a KDE developer, gave me two disks - one for Xandros and one for Mepis. I had difficulty with Xandros, so I switched to Mepis, running now. i kept with it because 1) It had already repartitioned my harddrive uninstallign Windows and 2) I liked it...Mostly the first though
Kidding aside though, I do love Linux. Never going back to XP (or later editions)

[budman7]

I switched to Linux, to try something new. Up to last month I kept a partition for XP. this may seem strange, but my Windows rarely crashed, not even once a month. I had very litle spyware, and no virii. No AV either, I just used Spybot, Ad-Aware SE, and spending 3 hours a week in maintenance.
After experimenting with Linux, I came up with the idea of having a Admin user and a regular user that couldn't do much of anything besides surf the net.
This is what I attribute a clean XP box to.

But I like choices, and if I want to change something, I feel I should be able to change it. Without jumping through hoops.

And contrary to popular belief, Windows wasn't all that great with hardware detection, I remember many fruitless searches for drivers while doing my job, which is to repair, upgrade people's pc's. Or whatever they need done.

And Linux gives me many choices, hopefully someday I will have enough money to contribute to my favorite Linux distros.

[bearqst]

Why Linux, good question. My first system was an 8080, which at the time was a marvelous thing to behold, then I upgraded to one of those new Macintosh's in 84, wow, a whole 10 meg of space. We use to say that no one would ever use that much HD space,.. And as time went by I became Windoized, mostly do to work and such (plus a tad bit of laziness).

But I have always missed the fun of using Archie and Veronica (terminal interface) to search the Net. So I guess it's like going back to an old friend.

The Linux community has got to be the best online resource for exchanging ideas and sharing, much more so then MS, and is probable the reason Linux is doing so good today. That and the constent cost to keep up a system with Windoz OS, so I'd say its the fun of the system and enjoyment of the Linux community for me.

[SO(3)]

One of the many reasons Linux beats Windows:
anything bash does donuts around anything batch all day. With three commands for the "Command Line", it might as well be assembly.

[eatinglemur]

Actually, it kind of surprises me how much some people have managed to do with batch. It may not be as robust as bash, but I've certainly seen it pushed to its limits, and they're a bit farther than I thought!

[SO(3)]

Batch files can do anything bash scripts can (to the best of my knowledge anyway), but for that matter, so can punched tape and vacuum tubes.

[eatinglemur]

Are you saying that batch is slower?

I'm not quite sure it can do EVERYTHING it can...maybe not even half, but it does do some stuff.

[SO(3)]

I've never asked much in terms of speed from a batch file, so I don't know about that. My point was that one must write more since fewer commands are defined.

[eatinglemur]

Yes... I certainly hope nobody writes batch code anymore.

[afroguy013]

Myself, I would claim that a lot of linux distros is easier than windows, espesially the install part... Oh well, the last time I saw windows getting installed was win2k so I dunno about the install procedurs of XP. The ultimate phunny would be to get bluescreens during the install, that would rock :rock:

Phooo.... I've actually had those when trying to setup a dual-boot. Not fun, and I finally gave up on making a dual boot... (Don't worry, Linux was installed first!)

Switched to linux because I got my computer dirt cheap (it was Top of the line at purchasing time) and didn't want to shell out another $200 for XP. I'm also a CS major (well, will be this fall! )

It's just better. The reasons have been repeated multiple times, so why use something that sucks when you can have the best? (And for free!)