what do YOU like best <3

[MiKuS]

Hi,
What is your favourite part about linux? freedom? the loving community? open source?
before i start: i know you guys would get alot of these threads, but people opinions are forever changing

i ask because i'm currently having a love affair with breezy badger., not long ago i was looking at linux as an alternative because i didn't have the money to buy an MS Windows xp (i ended up getting an OEM copy of xp for xmas) and i didn't know what to do, so i looked through all my older computer magazines and in a few of them they were mentioning linux, and how great it is getting so i thought i'd check out this linux thing. anyways a few months ago i saw breezy badger and it seemed like love at first sight, it ran perfectly on one of my older computers and looked incredible.


my favourite part of linux is how charitable the community is, EVERYONE is willing to lend a hand where possible

:-({|=
now why do YOU like linux?

[woedend]

most of all - the price tag. I know this crap about free as in speech not as in beer(which never made entire sense to me but forget this)...but if linux cost as much as windows, i'd be using windows. Cmon - games, drivers, ahhh. But I don't have windows, can't afford it and won't buy it(ripoff).
Linux has a bright future if it can just get down hardware support and major vendor software support...and making some things "easier" - (Anything that requires compiling i do not like)
open source nature tends not to include spyware/trojan/etc though as of right now, which is a huge bonus.

[Mustard]

There are a lot of things that I enjoy about linux, and it changes with my moods. Currently I'm enjoying the choices that linux offers as I explore creating my 'ultimate' fluxbox desktop on a debian etch install.

With regards to linux communities I like the Ubuntu community for it's wealth of active contributors and friendly atmosphere.

[xmastree]

I like the fact that it makes people think I'm cleverer than I really am. :-)

[MiKuS]

interesting comments guys.

at the moment i have XP on a gaming machine, but i'm yet to get a new graphics card (nVidea this time :P) so i can atleast play games.then i can scrap XP for a free alternative.

i made an interesting observation, i'm not saying it's like this here in this community, but most people i know who like linux tend to be left wing - how many of you would agree that linux brings out the 'lefty' in all of us?

[Dragonbite]

The price tag was part of what got me into Linux in the first place. Then there's always the "rebellion" factor. But these have fallen off as my reason for wanting to use Linux.

It irked me a lot that my older PC which came with Windows 98 and still worked at reasonable speeds (when first installed, before spyware and etc.) was "obsolete"! It still worked, why not use it?! Linux breathed new life into it and allowed me to run an "up-to-date" system that was fun to learn as well.

Ultimately, though, like linux because of one word : CHOICE!

CHOICE of distro and all their package management
CHOICE of desktop environment for the system you are using
CHOICE of programs (and for many of them; price. I don't want to "buy" any more software in "hopes" it does all I want it to)
CHOICE of using lighter-weight distro/de for older systems or full-fledged for newer systems
CHOICE of consistancy, if I have a Mac and a PC I can have both running Linux and even be the same distro and same programs

So when people say "Free as in freedom..." I equate this to CHOICE.

[fuscia]

i made an interesting observation, i'm not saying it's like this here in this community, but most people i know who like linux tend to be left wing - how many of you would agree that linux brings out the 'lefty' in all of us?

i'm not sure that's true. 'freedom' gets a lot of talk, but 'freedom' gets claimed by both left and right.

and speaking of freedom...i like being able to mess with my computer in any way i can think of. i mostly tinker with different DE/wms and adding and taking stuff out of menus.

[AndyCooll]

As has already been mentioned in this thread, what we like best can change from day to day.

What got me interested in Linux was the fact that it was free (I guess that's the reason why most of us start out using it). What has converted me fully over to Linux has been the "free" aspect in another sense of the word and the learning experience.

It has been the freedom I realised I had to literally be allowed to do almost what I want with my own computer, with very few if any restrictions. With Linux, if I wanted to, I couldn go as far as building my very own operating system from scratch. I have the freedom and choice to install (and remove) software without worrying about licences or how many machines I've already installed it on, I can edit absolutely any file I want etc etc. All this has awakened in me something of the "leftie" in me (to quote MiKuS) I never realised I was. And yes I like that rebellion factor too! It has made me much more aware of my need to protect my personal "freedoms".

Coupled with the above has meant that I've learnt more about how my computer works than I ever learnt in years of using other OS's. I now feel far more in control of my computing experience.

And then of course there is always the good feeling brought by being part of a helpful community.

:cool:

[mostwanted]

interesting comments guys.

at the moment i have XP on a gaming machine, but i'm yet to get a new graphics card (nVidea this time :P) so i can atleast play games.then i can scrap XP for a free alternative.

i made an interesting observation, i'm not saying it's like this here in this community, but most people i know who like linux tend to be left wing - how many of you would agree that linux brings out the 'lefty' in all of us?

Left and right is such an inadequate way to look at a political spectrum.

[Stormy Eyes]

Left and right is such an inadequate way to look at a political spectrum.

And it's inaccurate as well. A more accurate metric is how authoritarian or permissive a person is in matters of conscience, work, finance, sex, speech, thought, etc. Really, there are only two kinds of people: people who want to be left alone and people who can't leave other people alone. Most of the politicians fall into the latter category.

[RavenOfOdin]

The chance to gain knowledge and the choices involved.


Really, there are only two kinds of people: people who want to be left alone and people who can't leave other people alone. Most of the politicians fall into the latter category.

That which governs the best, governs the least. Or as someone else put it "A limited amount of government is a necessary evil for national defense and internal order. Anything else is counterproductive."

[jethro10]

I like the fact that it makes people think I'm cleverer than I really am. :-)

I'm going to use that one from now as well !!

"Hey look at me crazy chick I have a Linux PC".
Is that gonna work :)

Jeff