What age did you start using Linux? And What's your first distro?

[dnns123]

Hope to see some interesting ages :guitar:


17 - Damn Small Linux (DSL)

[MatthewPlanchard]

17 - One Ubuntu Live Boot before switching back to Windows
18 - Totally switched to Ubuntu

[Ric95]

I first tried linux when I was 42, ( 2 years ago). Ubuntu 6.06 beta was first. I currently use Sabayon, but Ubuntu still feels like home.

[padlan]

I never even touched a computer until I was 62 years old, starting with Windows in 2000,switching to Linux (Linspire) in 2004 and to Kubuntu (Dapper) in 2006. I am totally sold on Linux. I have experimented with a number of Distros: Linspire, PCLOS, Mepis, Damn Small Linux, Puppy Linux, etc., but Ubuntu/Kubuntu absolutely sends me.::)

[cjazz]

I was 45. Red Hat, Mandrake (now Mandriva), Debian and finally Ubuntu.

[ldesilva]

Started at 32 with Red Hat (before it became Fedora), Mandrake and finally Ubuntu.

[thelocust]

22 ubuntu dapper then on over to kubuntu and never looked back (still dual boot W for games)

[sstusick]

The first time I played with Linux I was 18, using Red Hat and then tried Mandriva ... but I didn't play with either for more than a few days.

The next time I tried Linux was when I was 19, with Kubuntu, and that wasn't much longer than the previous time.

I had just turned 20 when I decided I wanted to try Linux again and this time I was more serious about it and I was determined to leave Windows for good. So I tried SuSE 10.2 and things were okay for awhile, until it started crashing and behaving oddly... Windows was stabler at that point.. I used SUSE for 5 months before switching back to Windows.

I was on Windows for another month and a half until I decided to try Ubuntu 7.04. I downloaded, installed, and tried Ubuntu and haven't looked back.

So right now I am 20, soon to be 21, and happily using Ubuntu 7.04 for the past few months with very little issues.

[NovaAesa]

17, Ubuntu Fiesty Fawn and planning to migrate to Gutsy when my exams are over.

[koushic_dk]

16 - First started using REDHAT 6(free then)
23 - shifted fully to ubuntu

[Scruffynerf]

At 29 (3 years ago) when a collegue gave me a knoppix liveCD. I was stunned.

An actual install... about a year ago. Ubuntu 6.10. No dice. Just did not want to install. Later, TheeMan's Ubuntu Ultimate version did install without a hassle. Later, installed Feisty. Have since played around with various other distros, but use 7.04
All up, I've been using it for about 8 or 9 months.

[jrusso2]

I started 11 years ago with Slackware 3.1 I think it was. When I was 14 there was no personal computers.

I started using DOS in 1983 with my IBM 8088.

I was 40 years old when I started using Linux in 1996

[hessiess]

17 found ubuntu

17- about a munth later switched completly

[Martje_001]

11 - found ubuntu 6.06
12 - completely switched to 6.10

Now I'm using Gutsy :)

[escobar_]

I was 16 (2001) when I installed Debian for the first time. 2003 I tried Mandrake but it didn't feel right so I went back to Windows. Finally in 2005 I tried Kubuntu Breezy and been using Kubuntu ever since. :)

[Irihapeti]

56 - saw Feisty liveCD offered with a PC magazine in the local supermarket. Installed it the same day, dual-booted for a couple of months and erased Windows about a month ago.

Is it really only 3 months? Seems like longer. I think I'm here for the foreseeable future...

[tribaal]

18 - Debian (that's 6 years ago)

Fully Ubuntu/Debian now...

- trib'

[bsh]

i was using unix based ibm workstations while i worked in my previous job, and i first installed linux on my home server two months ago, when i was 31.

[EdThaSlayer]

At the age of 15 I started with Ubuntu. I have tried FedoraCore 7 but that didn't work out. So now I'm using PClinuxOS and waiting till Kubuntu 8.04 comes out.

[meborc]

i tried linux in school in 96-97... we had red hat (don't remember the version) as the school didn't want to pay for windows... everyone hated the computer class... to print something you needed to ACCESS THE TERMINAL oh-noes :D

well... didn't think about linux at all (it was like a secret society) until my win me (yes i used it for some reason) got way too many trojans to work properly and broke down on me... didn't have win cd with me at the time (was studying abroad)... the university's campus had ubuntu server 5.04 running... that is what i used in the beginning... switched to 5.10 soon and was hooked after that...

as seen from the release, that was more then 2 years ago... i'm now 23

[Eric the Grey]

I think I was 29 or 30 at the time, it was shortly before Windows 95 came out, which is the only reference point I have.

I have no idea what distro it was, or if there even was a distro, I just remember downloading "Linux" using 56k modem on my Windows for Workgroups pc at home, and it taking a long time. Heh.

The install was on an old IBM PC we had laying around the office. I had to find a patched kernel that supported the microchannel architecture that IBM was using on those machines, and I eventually even got X running, sort of. It was loads of fun.



:cool: Eric the Grey

[SunnyRabbiera]

well I am 26 now and I started using linux in general about four years ago or so.
My experiences began with all the hell with windows SP2 where I was getting too many headaches with Microsoft.

[Bloch]

I was 33.
Year was 2004.
Distro was Libranet 2.7

Wheen I announced myself on the forum some member calling himself "Morgoth" replied:

"Welcome over from the dark side."

[vietunion]

23 with Ubuntu 5.10

and now 7.10

[khurrum1990]

I started last year when I was 16 with Novel Suse 9.2, but I couldn't get it to work so switched to Windows. Then I tried Ubuntu 7.04 and loved it so kept it for some time. After upgrading my computer 7.04 would never work due to drivers and vga cards so I switched to OpenSuse 10.2 and with the release of 7.10 I switched to it and everything works great. I am 17 now though.

[Rhapsody]

20, with Kubuntu Breezy. I've used every release since.

[hard_i]

18, with Ubuntu 4.10

[conehead77]

30 (some months ago)

[Lster]

I started using Ubuntu (my first Linux OS) a couple of years ago so I guess I was 14 or 15 then.

[daynah]

I don't know how old I was, but dad took our secondary computer (not the family computer) and put Red Hat on it. I was very little, maybe like 7 or 8. Dad sits me down to explain to me that the computer is going to look different, but it will do the same things, just in a different way. I'm like, okay, whatev, you're just wasting my time. I hop on the computer and try to figure out how to play my favorite video game. When I figure out that I cannot play my favorite video game anymore. the only words out of my furious mouth are (and furious 8 year olds are adorable), "Just... get me my Mario Teaches Typing back!"

Dad thus reinstalls Windows ASAP to prevent a tantrum out of his only child.

I switched to Ubuntu when I was 17, and I still have a vendetta against Red Hat, for no good reason except that childhood trauma!

[GrumpyBob]

I was 40 (8 years ago) - Red Hat (5?). Also tried Mandrake and Suse, been using Ubuntu for quite a few versions now.

[mikedep333]

I was 16 (5 years ago) when I first did dual boot with Mandriva (it was considered the easy to use distro at the time.) I didn't get into it much, partly because I didn't know how to install the official AIM client.

I first tried out Ubuntu 5.10, but found it lacking too many features compared to Suse (we still need a GUI for configuring PPPoE for example.) I have been using Ubuntu primarily since 6.06, largely because of all the cool things in universe.

[keithcleaver]

My first distro was Red Hat 9 about four years ago (I was 20)

Since then, I've used both of the DSL family, Puppy, Ubuntu, and have finally settled on Xubuntu, although I'll be testing Fluxbuntu when it finally comes out!

[zach12]

12 i installed ubuntu 6.06 on my lappy

now i have 8 computers runing linux :guitar:

[aroth87]

20 and I started with Feisty. Just upgraded to Gutsy.
I started working for my campus's IT dept over the summer and to waste time I decided to learn more about Linux. The guy I work with ran Ubuntu so I decided to try it out since I could get a hold of him quickly if I messed anything up. I didn't encounter any problems and have been using Ubuntu ever since. Not that I haven't tried other distros...

Adam

[daynah]

12 i installed ubuntu 6.06 on my lappy

now i have 8 computers runing linux :guitar:

You have 8 computers running linux? Have you thought of giving any to charity? I mean, at most I think a spoilt westerner could use three effectively... A desktop, a laptop, and a media center. Any past that, IMHO, is a waste of space and effort.

[-grubby]

14-found Ubuntu too much to download so I downloaded: DSL
14-found Damn Small Linux it was kind of an emergency disk
14-downloaded Ubuntu, wasted 4 CDs before I found out I was burning wrong I eventually (after I downloaded it) installed Ubuntu on the 2nd Hard drive

[KCPokes]

You have 8 computers running linux? Have you thought of giving any to charity? I mean, at most I think a spoilt westerner could use three effectively... A desktop, a laptop, and a media center. Any past that, IMHO, is a waste of space and effort.

So anyone running a mailserver or firewall would be a waste? There is an overkill limit, I agree, which I'm far above, but we do use the term "computer" liberally. In that group a person could have multiple servers that provide a specific service. Depending on your setup you do not combine services for security purposes (i.e webserver is in the DMZ, while your file server is on your local network).

Anyhoo, I started using Linux when I was 23. First distro I tried was RedHat 6. Eleven years later and I think I've tried a vast majority of the different "flavors" by now.

[Mr. Ksoft]

10. Installed Topologilinux. Kind of kept it as something on the side and didn't use it tons.

[Sunflower1970]

36. Dec 30th, 2006. Knoppix & Ubuntu 6.10. Used both the same day and in the following weeks to save data off my hard drive cuz Windows crashed. Then installed Ubuntu Edgy. Haven't looked back :D

[dnns123]

My first distro was Red Hat 9 about four years ago (I was 20)

Since then, I've used both of the DSL family, Puppy, Ubuntu, and have finally settled on Xubuntu, although I'll be testing Fluxbuntu when it finally comes out!

I'm excited about Fluxbuntu too! :P :guitar:

[lancest]

Was introduced to redhat 4 or so at my college at age 37. Barely usable but I was so fascinated by it on my 200 mhz pentium. Through the years I ran:
Mandrake, Storm Linux, Caldera (first Linux on my cable modem), SuSE, and FreeBSD, Ubuntu 5-6, Slackware live. Many of these were box sets. A few years back while using Ubuntu I noticed that I did not need to go back to Windows for anything. To be able to actually use Linux to get all work done was/is so liberating! Frequent tweaking and distro hopping days are over.

[Mazza558]

13 when I first tried Knoppix, then 6.06 when I was nearly 15.

[Cochise]

mandrake 6.2 was the first i tried or maybe it was corel linux i tried both really closely together anyway around 1999 or 2000

[beercz]

40 - Debian - in 2002