How/Why did you convert to Linux?

[TheMyself]

I don't know if there's been a similar thread but I think it would be good to discuss how and why Windows users converted to Linux (even if not completely).

Here is my story. I used to always use Windows. I had a laptop whose HDD and battery were broken. After a while I decided to buy a new HDD and use the laptop as a desktop. When I got the hard drive I realized that I'd lost the XP CD I had received with my Dell laptop. So I asked Dell to send me a new one but it took me some time to receive it. In the middle of this frustration a brilliant idea came to my mind:

:D I can install Linux!!! :D

I started with Fedora but I find it "bloated" and then moved to Ubuntu. Now my computer is dual boot Ubuntu/XP.

The reasons I like Linux:
1-It is a result of collaboration and spontaneous work of people.
2-It allows you to look under the hood.
3-Software channel's are really cool.
4-This very forum is very helpful.
5-You can fix broken stuff without having to reinstall.

and I look forward to be able to (brush up on my programming skills and) contribute a little bit.

I don't use XP so much but the reasons that I keep it:
1-I like diversity!
2-Some specialty software are made for Windows only.

What is your story?

[Kingsley]

I wanted to be 1337. Then I realized how much more reliable, customizable, and faster Linux is compared to Windows.

[Kosimo]

I did try some Ubuntu releases, 6.06. 6.10... But was Feisty the one that make me install and using it as a main OS's. And to be honest, what it really impressed me and made me make the final decision was the 3D support out of the box for my ati 9200.

[ranch hand]

I am a grumpy old codger and like things to work and I stick with them. I ran Win98 untill July when the old computer had a major breakdown, now fixed.

We bought a new Dell420 XSP. Nice box. Preinstalled with Vista Home premium. What a dog.

Took forever to boot, was slower over the same connection than the old one on the internet. Concidering the 350MHz P2 and 128Mb ram on the old one I had a problem with this. Got a real instead of a winmodem. Still slower.

Took me about 3 days to be ready for something else. My better half took a month.

My son told me to try this Ubuntu thing. Read some where that it was simular to the Vista experience. Not a good sign.

Tried it anyway. Love it.

On this box it is just fast. 2.4GHz quad core with 3Gb ram is cool. Haven't got a scanner yet, one on the way. Need to see about fax capibilities.

I love the Gimp. Much better than the Olypus Master 2 that I was using with my E500.

[Sealbhach]

I bought a laptop with Vista on it.


.

[bruc33ef]

I remember using the UNIX and VAX/VMS command line long ago at work and was impressed by what some people could do with it. I've always wanted to learn how to do more than just the very basic commands. Converting to Linux enabled me to get more involved with the command line.

Also, I think you have to be a tinkerer at heart, and I am, and I like being a part of a community of tinkerers. In the Middle Ages I probably would have been an alchemist. Every time I get Ubuntu working perfectly on my system I seem to have to mess it up somehow and then I learn something from trying to solve the problem. In the past when that has happened and I couldn't solve the problem, I retreated back to *******. Finally, though, either because I'm learning more or Ubuntu is getting more foolproof, I use it almost exclusively, except when I'm forced to use XP at work or when there's some emergency and I don't have time to figure out the problem.

[richg]

I had been using W98SE and back in 2003 I realized 98 support might be running out in the near future. I did some searching using Google for another operating system and found out about Linux. After a lot of searching and reading, I chose Lidows. Yes, I know some think Lindows/Linspire is not Linux. After more reading I decided to buy a *Lindows configured PC. at Walmart online. $200.00. Why have heartburn over partitioning and dual booting. Best thing I ever did. I found out some years ago, Pain is natures way of telling you, you are doing something wrong. With removable hard drives, one drive, one OS. Two desktops, three removable hard drives per PC and no Windows.
I have since moved to Ubuntu and bought another better Linux configured PC online, $265, plus a Linspire 5.1.427 wireless laptop three years ago and very recently a wireless Asus Linux EEE 4G PC.
Each desktop has two Ubuntu configured drives with 8.04. If a drive fails, I can be back on in less than two minutes.
Last. An external Firewire 80gb hard drive to back up personal files. Method, copy and paste.

Rich

[Hangwire]

When my free Ubuntu disk arrived :lolflag:
I was sick of Windows XP, sick of gaming, so I wanted to try something new. I always had a thing for being challenged, so using a totally new operating system which I had no experience what so ever with, was just too much of a temptation.

[magnus0]

From curiosity i downloaded Ubuntu 7.10, but I couldn't get it to work. Few months later I found it again and then installed it. It's been about a year now using Linux. For the past 3 months, I've been using Linux Mint

[speedwell68]

I had a PC that would bring up the blue screen of death every time I tried to upgrade XP to SP2. So I thought I'd try Linux, so I went in at the deep end and replaced XP completely. So it was like Microsoft forced me to do it.:D

[lisati]

I'd looked at trying Red Hat but was put off by the install process for a CD-ROM that came with a library book, forgot about it for a while, then discovered Ubuntu & decided to try it for my day-to-day laptop. I decided to stick with it, partly because I like it, and partly because of the seriously reduced need for mucking about with anti-malware..... Sadly the spammers haven't gone away and have somehow got hold of the email address I use for these forums too.....sigh!


I had a PC that would bring up the blue screen of death every time I tried to upgrade XP to SP2. So I thought I'd try Linux, so I went in at the deep end and replaced XP completely. So it was like Microsoft forced me to do it.:D

I had a problem on my Compaq desktop when installing SP3 (either booting to BSOD or continually rebooting before Windows fully loads) - HP have a patch to fix this set of problems relating to SP3 on Compaq/HP machines with AMD processors available.