Make Me A Believer

[xArcticGx]

I'm a Computer Science Major with an interest in operating systems and audio/video technology. My first taste of Lunux was Ubuntu 10.04. Since then, I've test driven a few distros, but could never really latch on. I keep going back to Windows for my everyday tasks, and I will still have to use it for several of my classes. However, my school has a ACM/Linux User Group that holds an optional weekly Linux class (which I am attending). The ACM/LUG held a "installfest" last semester, during which they dual-booted a customized Fedora 17 onto our school-mandated tablet PCs. I toyed around and learned a bit of Python with it for about a month and a half, then I gave up and went back to Windows for everything. The ACM/LUG will be holding another Installfest, and I am going to give it another shot.

I know Linux seems by and large the preferred OS for programmers, and and as such, I have a keen interest in becoming familiar with it. However, I have already heard the traditional arguments; "Linux is more customizable", "It's free", "It does everything", "Linux gives you more control". I read and hear those so much I'm almost convinced it is a litany.

I would like to know exactly why people use Linux, and the scenarios that accompany those reasons.

Thank you in advance for your answers.

Sincerely,
xArcticGx.

[omeomi]

This might be a good place to look: http://ubuntuforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=103

[OrangeCrate]

I'm a Computer Science Major with an interest in operating systems and audio/video technology. My first taste of Lunux was Ubuntu 10.04. Since then, I've test driven a few distros, but could never really latch on. I keep going back to Windows for my everyday tasks, and I will still have to use it for several of my classes. However, my school has a ACM/Linux User Group that holds an optional weekly Linux class (which I am attending). The ACM/LUG held a "installfest" last semester, during which they dual-booted a customized Fedora 17 onto our school-mandated tablet PCs. I toyed around and learned a bit of Python with it for about a month and a half, then I gave up and went back to Windows for everything. The ACM/LUG will be holding another Installfest, and I am going to give it another shot.

I know Linux seems by and large the preferred OS for programmers, and and as such, I have a keen interest in becoming familiar with it. However, I have already heard the traditional arguments; "Linux is more customizable", "It's free", "It does everything", "Linux gives you more control". I read and hear those so much I'm almost convinced it is a litany.

I would like to know exactly why people use Linux, and the scenarios that accompany those reasons.

Thank you in advance for your answers.

Sincerely,
xArcticGx.

Here you go...

It's not just about "Why should I want Linux?". It's also about "Why should Linux want me?"

http://linux.oneandoneis2.org/LNW.htm

[arochester]

http://www.whylinuxisbetter.net/

[prodigy_]

A tough question. Someone else's reasons to use Linux most probably aren't yours. E.g. you dismiss "it's free" like it's nothing much but for many people in the world the price tag of Windows is a back-breaking burden.

I have a feeling that you're trying to find a Linux distro that is just like Windows, only better. You won't find one. Windows dominates desktop market for a reason. But if your goal is to learn how OS works, running something less polished might actually be a good thing. With Linux you'll get a lot of opportunities to fix various little issues and write useful scripts (applying your Python knowledge).

The good thing about Linux is that you never run out of problems to solve and that's a great way to learn.

[audiomick]

Firstly, you say you keep going back to Windows. If found that I only really made the jump by deciding to always boot Linux first, and only resort to Windows when I had something that had to be done in a hurry and I couldn't manage in Linux. It turned out that there was practically nothing for which I really had to boot windows for (regarding day to day stuff), and that after very few weeks of that, maybe two, windows started to feel extraordinarily clumsy.

I might point out that I am forced to maintain a Windows install. I use a number of programs relating to Digital Audio devices, and two Acoustic Analyser programs, that only run on Windows (no Mac either...). These days, I only boot windows at all for them, and practically never go into the internet with Windows (even to the extent of rebooting into Ubuntu when I am out on a job and need to download firmware or what have you). I recently had cause to boot the Win7 on my netbook, and discovered that the last updates I had done there where in about July 2010, quite possibly the last time it had been in Win7.

So, on to the reasons for Linux.

One main one is the contrast between, on the one hand, a Company selling a product, taking money for it, and claiming it is practically infallible (which it certainly isn't) and definitely the best choice (which is entirely debatable), and, on the other hand, a group of people offering a product and saying "Here, we think this is pretty good. It works for most people most of the time, but there may be a problem. If there is, tell us, and you can get help here...". I'll leave it up to you to figure out who is who in that comparison...

The other thing is the "help you to help yourself" basis of Linux documentation in general. My feeling is that Microsoft is interested in taking the maintainance of my computer out of my hands an into the hands of one of their trained professionals. Finding out information about how the thing really works (and not just "do this and do this and it just works") is, in my experience, extremely difficult.

As an example: My applications at work involve a fair bit of "out of the box" network stuff on digital audio networks. Windows assumes you are wanting to set up a small home network or an office network, none of which is applicable. I have got it figured out, for the large part, but I always have the feeling that I am trying to do something with my computer that the producer of my operating system thinks I shouldn't be able to do.

The contrast with Linux is that the information is all freely available. A lot of it is extremely complicated, and I might not understand it. I might even choose to take the machine to someone and pay him to solve the problem, but no-one is pushing me in that direction. If I have the time and inclination, I can definitely research it myself and look after it myself.

I know that Linux is not perfect, and likely never will be, but I have got to the point where I almost feel sorry for my laptop when I have to boot it into Windows.

[Warren Hill]

A tough question. Someone else's reasons to use Linux most probably aren't yours. E.g. you dismiss "it's free" like it's nothing much but for many people in the world the price tag of Windows is a back-breaking burden.

....

For many people, myself included, the "free" of Linux is not about money its more to do with liberty. I actually bought a laptop with Win7 installed and the first thing I did was install Ubuntu and wipe Windows. This was because I could not find a computer with the specification I wanted that did not have windows installed.

I like the fact that all the OS, and most of the applications, are open source so I can look at the code to see how things work and use and modify it if I need to. I haven't needed to very often and there are things I am almost certain I will never touch but the knowledge that I could if I wanted too is good,

When you install any piece of closed source software you are putting your trust in the people who wrote it. With open-source you can check for your self and you have the confidence that even if you have not checked your self lots of other people have.

This is why there is much less malware in Linux than Windows. You do not need to run anti-virus and anti-spyware applications because you can be confident of the software you have installed especially if it came from the official repositories. You obviously need to take more care with software from other sources.

Edit:
Do I need to back to windows - Almost never. I can only update my sat-nav with a windows PC but apart from that at home if I cant do it in Linux then I don't do it at all. Work is another matter there I use what I'm told to: some Windows, Some Linux

[PcMojo]

You said you had an interest in audio/video. Have you checked out Ubuntu Studio? It includes programs used to make, edit and produce music you hear on the radio as well as some Hollywood pictures.

You claim you have an interest in operating systems. Are you sure about that? It was my interest in OS's that brought me to Linux. I got sick of banging my head on the desk because I wanted to do something on my Pc and my Microsoft operating system didn't have that feature or wouldn't allow me to change it. With Linux you have total control and are only limited by your knowledge and creativity. Check out all of the distros on distrowatch. Just look at all the different Desktop Environments for the Ubuntu distro and its derivatives (KDE, Gnome, XFCE, MATE, Cinnamon, Unity, etc)! You don't find that interesting?

I used to train people for a living, and I could train anybody except those that came with a, "I dare you to try and teach me something" attitude. Nobody can train them and nobody can "make you a believer". Linux has taken a huge share of the server market. Tens of millions of people not only use it on their pc's, but have switched to it as their sole OS (and without virus protection). It comes with compilers out of the box and has dozens of programming environments for virtually every programming language in existence (even proprietary MS languages). Instead of programming a "been done before" Ms visual basic "hello world" program for your classes, you can find an open source program or project that interests you, download the source code and add to it. Like I said, we can't make you a believer. You either see the value or you don't. Good luck in your studies!

[Adam_GUI]

Customized Fedora 17 on a tablet-PC.

I gotta' say off the bat--that sounds all kinds of tedious.

What is it you want out of an OS?
A particular GUI? Ease of program installation?
What brings you back to Windows? It's cool. Sometimes you just need access to stuff like Vegas or Cakewalk or Access or some kinda payroll software. If you paid money for it, you may as well use it somewhere.

I can't make you a believer by extolling the greatness of GNU/Linux.
You're either going to like it or you won't.
Did you like Fedora's package management using YUM and RPM?
Have you messed with Debian style dpkg, apt, and deb?

Grab you a copy of Virtualbox and distro-hop on your own time. Throw stuff at an OS. Play with it. Change the desktop background and spin icons. Just whatever. You have to spend time with it or it's never going to be anything but an "other."

About seven or eight years back I picked up a book from a Microcenter titled Point and Click Linux by Robin Miller.
It helped acclimate me into the desktop and get me familiar with a few things. (Then KDE 3 or 3.5) It came packaged with a copy of SimplyMEPIS Linux.

MEPIS still exists today. It is (and historically has been) a KDE built distro. It's based on Debian Squeeze with some extra stuff thrown in. MEPIS was my starting point and I think it's still a great enough starting point for anyone else as it was for me.

If you want easier access to some popular media codecs, Ubuntu has the Medibuntu repositories. Heck, the folks at Linux Mint have those codecs out-of-the-box.

Play with Audacity, and LiVES, and OpenSHOT, and ardour.
Heck, play around with any package available to you.

If you like what you find, great! And, if you didn't like it, at least leave feedback somewhere about what you didn't like and why. No one can force you to use anything.

[Linuxisfast]

Beleif comes from inside, those with true intent don't need any except to realize their priority, in your case, you are far better off with Windows till the future where you might give Linux another spin.