Why I run Linux

[towjamb]

Friends,
Indulge me as I take a moment to vent.
Firstly, my real name is Rick and I live in Canada. I'm a computer hobbiest and build machines for myself, family and friends. As you've probably guessed, I'm well versed in Windows. And you'd think a guy who knows his way around a particular operating system would stick with it. But it's precisely why I sought an alternative. Why? Read my rant.
Now, I don't mind helping people and giving tech advise for free -- I receive on average an email or phone call a day. And I would happily excuse the intrusions if I thought the problems were temporary and that things were getting better. But, sadly, they're not. Bugs aside, you can't go a day without hearing about vulnerabilities in the code, viruses and worms, spam and spyware bombing XP. And I'm not talking minor glitches. I'm talking, computers slowed to a crawl from spyware, browsers that refuse to disply or install plug-ins, broken networking that defies logic, magical disappearing DLLs. corrupted boot loaders and file systems -- I could go on. Some people are honestly afraid to use their computers. This is absolutely silly.
No more can I swallow the propaganda that Microsoft feeds its customers. If they sold cars, the Japanese would have put them out of business. But because they have no competition, they are able to sell such a shoddy product.
Enter Linux.
About nine months ago, in a fit of frustration, I downloaded a copy of Peanut Linux and installed it on a PC I had that was slated for yet another XP reinstall. I wasn't expecting much as my previous and only encounter with Linux was Redhat 5. The install went surprisingly smooth, and when KDE 3.1 loaded, I just stared in awe -- it was beautiful. I played with it for a couple of days, even the kids thought it was groovy with all the cute games and stuff, wiped it clean and returned it to its owner with bare and boring XP. But my appetite had been whetted.
Further trials and tribulations later proved that, in my humble opinion, Debian truly has the best packaging system going. With a Knoppix base, I was able to build a wonderful desktop that I now enjoy on my main PC. Linux has proven to be solid, stable and reliable for most of my purposes. If an app doesn't work, there is a valid reason and usually a fix or an upgrade that will correct it. The PC is now faster and I enjoy the consistant performance of applications. This thing will run indefinitely without a reboot and all on Debian unstable, a misnomer if any. I too like the Debian credo and their dedication to doing things right.
Okay, I sound like a cheerleader. It's not perfect -- I can't manage to extract multiple .rar files into one, and Open Office still can't handle real complicated Word documents. But it's 98% there. For most people I deal with, it's 100. And when I'm completely comfortable with my level of competance, I will offer this option to my relatives and friends.
It's been a long time since I've harboured excitement and anticipation for anything computer related. My first PC, with Windows 95, intrigued me until I discovered how utterly untrustworthy it was. Further releases got prettier and more bloated with features, and somewhat more stable, but the vulnerabilities remained. I hope that the rise of Linux will knock Microsoft off their pedestal of complacency and force them to build security into their operating system. I certainly don't wish to see them obliterated -- competition is a good thing -- as they do have some neat things that are easy to use and a lot of people like.
As for me, Linux meets my needs and most definitely serves me well. And it will only get better.
I look forward to reading everyones' stories of why they run Linux.
Cheers.

[Cuddles]

First thing Rick,

Use paragraph breaks [giggle] long posts like that - for me - get real hard to read when you don't break it up a little [giggle]

Now, Second, that was the best written testamony I have ever read, second only to my own, modesty is my best quality [giggle]

I agree with you though, for me, the amount of "provided" software was the kicker: games, productivity, system utilities, two web browsers - already updated, not like the shell they give you in Windows, which needs IMMEDIATE updates to just run it.

Then the STABILITY hit me - I no longer measured time in how many boots in day, but rather, how many boots in a week, and now a month - mostly from my insecurity complex from Windows - reboots in Windows are mostly to regain memory resourse leaks, and to ensure the durn thing still boots (in Windows)

Now, I have stricly Debian/Linux system - only Debian, installed from the Knoppix CD, from a new, single hard drive, system. I did have to install a (dummy) Win98 drive, but it only exists for support in Wine - through Debian/Linux. It took two boots for Debian to install, one from the CD, install, and a reboot into the installed Debian on the hard drive. Whereas, the (dummy) install of Win98, took a minimum of four boots - one from the Win98 Setup CD, the next for format and disk partitioning, the next from setup to hard drive OS, the next from system settings updates, and possibly many more, if I was going to add IE and so forth...

In Windows, you learn to accept reboots, one to install, one to enusre it loads, and any amount more to make any changes. In Linux, it just adds, sets up, changes, all running live. The most surpriseing thing was when I did a update, globally, to everything installed in Debian, some of these things were actually running while it updated them. Civilized as Linux is, it updated the packages, shutdown a service, updated the service, and then restarted the service, all from the same update command. No reboots, no "required" reboots, I should say.

Linux is a complete fascination, for me. It just runs, and runs, and runs. You sometimes have to pinch yourself just to imagine you aren't dreaming, or that the devil isn't going to pop up and say something like: Sorry, you have to go back to Windows!

If there is a Heaven, it has to have Linux in it - well, and NO winmodems - or winprinters - or any Win specific hardware [giggle]

( and Heaven has to have a T1, or DSL, or high speed internet - cause dealin with 56k dial-up has to be HELL [LOL] )

Cuddles

[maillion]

Hey, guys (gals, as the case may be) I registered here some time ago, but I've spent a lot of time on general Linux boards lately, and just came here again tonight. I installed Knoppix to my drive some time ago, and it is my most often used OS now. I've spent a couple days lately involved in a couple of Windoze vs Linux debates. Would it be OK with you if I linked to these posts in one of them (assuming the board(s) allow it)?

[towjamb]

Fine by me.

[Ice]

Hi folks,

Nice writeup, Rick!

I just have a little time while compiling Kernel 2.6.1 and downloading some Linux stuff, so I wite a short summary over the past few years. As I live in Switzerland, so forgive my lack of english, won't you?
As I work as a software engineer and Unix/Windows admin, I have a lot of frinds who contact me about some PC relatet trouble, about 2 a week. Some of you may know all these kind of things...
I started using Linux around 10 Years ago. First there was just the couriosity about that new thing, but slowly it got bigger and better until 1998 it became my OS Nr 1 on both my main machines, and still is!
For years, Linux was just a thing for the experts and geeks, just think of all these "install partys". But since 2001 the usage of Linux among Joe Average exploded literally, it seems to me. And guess, everybody who knows me, even those who met me hardly two or tree times in their lives come and ask if I could help them solve some PC trouble. (In fact, these are always Windows trouble, not to blame Hardware )
Now let me point out the thinking of the majority of people using the mainstream Windows, as here are a lot of geeks, probably:
So, in the last month I have started to tell them: "Hey, sorry guys, but I do no longer support windows-related stuff 'n trouble". I am simpy tired of fixing 'magically' messed up OSes. And then they are always surprised and ask about how and when and why and ... whatever, the first question is often "What do *you* use for working?"
During explenation about Linux and its reliability etc. etc. there is always a big surprise how viruses can't get into the system whitout firewalls, why a PC can work over months without crash or any other problem and why on earth a OS for free can be so obviously better than Windows XY?
Believe me, for Joe Average it is totally normal and ok that a OS slowly destroys itself during a few months of usage, that it catches virii and worms, that it crashes if it is busy with more than 4 Applications at the same time, yada, yada...
How can it be otherwise?
No go and explain to them how an *real OS* is expected to behave!
*THAT* is the major obstacle in convincing people why they would suffer much less stress using a different OS. The other reason is the lack of games.

And, as the famous c't magazine in Germany and Switzerland this month includes a Knoppix CD, imagine, I am about to get much more "customers" as Knoppix gets widely known... Is that now good or bad? *grin*


So long