How did you get started in linux?

[geoffreygore]

I actually just started with Linux this year. I was trying to get wrireless to work, and windows wasn't recognizing it at all. well, I went to the family pc, pulled up YouTube and eventually, after watching in a constant strand of related vids, got to an old YouTube series titled, "The Broken" I heard they used a wifi config from Linux (forgot the name) and decided I'd look into it. At this point I knew it was an OS, but thought it was quite expensive. I was otherwise proved wrong. found Fedora 10, and ever since then, been hooked.

[daffyduc]

I was first exposed to linux in college and absolutely loved the concept from the start. I downloaded fedora core 6 that night. installed it dual boot with windows 2000. after about 2 months I was just playing with it from time to time in class. then i got a virus that completely pooched my windows partition in the middle of a paper. I did not have time to reinstall or trouble shoot the issue. I booted to fedora and wrote the paper. on my way to class the next day I found my self wondering why I used windows anyway.....

the only MS products I touch are ones I get paid to touch.... other than wifey's laptop.... damn vista.... I will bring her to the dark side one of these days....

laptop is ubuntu 8.10 only. servers are all RHEL 4/5.

[Bemk]

I will bring her to the dark side one of these days....

Come to the dark side, we've got cookies.

[daffyduc]

actually I guess that should read "I will take her away from the dark side"

[noprimenumbers]

More of why I want to go all Linux.
In "72" at 7yo I became interested in computers and lasers when my Dad built an 8 bit binary Computator (calculator) on a clipboard with some switches, lights, tubes, and other components. So I got to learn about binary. In "77"ish I got hold of my dads slide rule and learned how it worked. In "79" we got a computer (16k) for Christmas. Dad found it in the back of a mag for $200 and a stack of cassette tapes from a news paper.
Fast forward...
Now I have outgrown the Windows faze of my life and want to get back to the basics. I tried Debian about 6 years ago after getting rooked on a XP. I liked it but... I still went back to Windows. A couple of years ago I set up my old PC with Debian.
Now Linux is the only OS that will get me back to that day when that clipboard lit up and my brain did too and I not only saw the lights but new what they meant. I saw what the computer sees. Linux gets me closer to the binary while Windows keeps getting further from it. How can a computer work well if you keep putting more and more distance (processes) between you and the 0s and 1s. My brain has been stuck in binary mode ever since and I didn't realize that until just now. No wander I have had such trouble with Windows.

[peonuser]

I do not even use windows anymore. Our servers, thin client lab, routers, laptops, and desktops are all linux based, I did play with the w7 beta for about ten minutes after it took forever to install and then quickly installed ubuntu on the machine instead.

[b2bwild]

Once upon a time.................In the age of darkness...

I was a hardcore Windows user 2 years ago... I dont want to remember 'those days' again........Viruses, Spy-Wares, Poor paid-up security, Lack of freedom, Blue screen of death, and that annoying 'Bliss' wallpaper.

M$ started to annoy me, It always required many things for good desktop productivity like good multimedia player, antivirus, firewalls, archivers, image tools, office suites...which was not for free.

As being a Gamer, Windows was the only option for me.
But a miracle happened
my Dad was searching a for procedure to make Wine.
and he found WINE..I looked at the page.. got Linux and then Wine......

And I discovered that "The Windows is a Very bad emulator of Wine"
though I cant play All the games now, but I make my choice with from working ones.
Its also good for my C/C++ developement. and etc. etc.
...........
So, Linux and Me lived happily ever after.......The End

[MikeTbob]

And I discovered that "The Windows is a Very bad emulator of Wine"

Very funny!

[Farmer Mike]

I started getting interested in computers early, in the service around 1990. We has DOS boxes with .bat file menus. I remember helping run McAfees to check systems during the Michaelangelo scare.

I had installed RedHat 7.2 or so on my Win 98 system around 2000 but screwed something up and restored the Windows system. Then a lot of life happened, and I got off of Linux for a while.

In June 2006, the hard drive on my Desktop died. I bought a new drive easily enough, but faced a decision. I could reinstall Win98, but the restore CD was probably configured for specific hardware, and MS had quit supporting Win 98. I'd been thinking about going to Linux lately, and tried the RedHat 9 I had. It worked well enough I went to Fedora 5. Our two laptops ran Win ME () so over time I replaced ME with Linux. Now all 4 computers in our home run Linux. My wife is happy using it too.

[deBebbler]

When I went back to community college in 2001, I had a basic class in Linux. The next year at university, I was required to learn the Solaris UNIX environment for programming.

I bought my 1st XP desktop my first university semester and wanted to try and keep my old Win 98 machine useful, so I tried installing Mandrake. This attempt failed miserably, and I knew it was my lack of knowledge rather than the system's fault, so I put Linux on the back burner.

Fast forward to 2006, and I had graduated 2 years ago, and was trying to build a tech repair business from the ground up (easy, right?) and needed some tools to mask any knowledge gaps I had. Found SystemRescueCD and this reopened my eyes to Linux.

As time passed, I acquired a number of 'obsolete' machines for parts, and wanted a project, so I started looking into small distros. Puppy caught my eye, and then DSL. Pretty soon, I was earning income by installing Linux for those poor saps that can't seem to keep their hands on their restore discs.

Now Mint runs on my laptop, Puppy and DSL at on my home machines, and just one small XP partition for on site network setup. Slackware and BackTrack are next in my sights. Penguins Rule!!!