Technicality vs Community

[DoctorMO]

I want to know how many of our resident women Ubuntu users come to ubuntu linux through technical reasons such as wanting to find a great programming platform or wanting to be able to control the system and run things the way you want to by customising things.

or on the other hand to you come to Ubuntu because of the great Community we have here, or some friends were using it and you wanted to see what all the fuss was about?

i have managed to convert two women to ubuntu and I might be able to convince a third. but all three of them are non-technical never used a computer before types where I've supplied the computer pre-installed. They seem to love it to as they can get stuff done and it doesn't seem to break.

[sirius10]

I started using Ubuntu because of the problems I had with Windows (basically insecurity- problems with viruses)
That time I found about Ubuntu and installed it I didn't even knew what a huge community is there. I changed the OS just for technical reasons. However, more I found about Ubuntu, more I love it. And the community is part of what I love about it. The simple fact that I can get/give answers to different problems or contribute in a way to this community is just great.:)

[geekchic9]

This will probably sound bad, but I came to Ubuntu Linux because I didn't want to think anymore. I've used various distros: Mandrake (before it was Mandriva), Slackware, Debian, and now Ubuntu. I switched to Slackware because I wanted to know how Linux worked. When I figured that out to my satisfaction, I switched to Debian, and then to Ubuntu because I think it's an improvement over Debian, with its release schedule of every 6 months.

To run MS Windows well, you have to think about virii, spyware, defragmentation, people who try to hijack your system, etc. To run Slackware, you have to think about configuration, installation, updating, customization, etc. Running Ubuntu doesn't make me think at all. It all Just Works(TM) and I can spend my time thinking about other things.

I am not a programmer, nor do I work in the computer industry. The main reason I use Linux these days is because I support RMS's philosophy of Free Software; plus, you can't beat the price. If I ever decide to start programming, I will continue to use Ubuntu because it provides great Free Software for doing that. The computer, for me, is just a tool for me to get things done--not something I am obsessed about controlling.

[DoctorMO]

This will probably sound bad, but I came to Ubuntu Linux because I didn't want to think anymore. I've used various distros: Mandrake (before it was Mandriva), Slackware, Debian, and now Ubuntu. I switched to Slackware because I wanted to know how Linux worked. When I figured that out to my satisfaction, I switched to Debian, and then to Ubuntu because I think it's an improvement over Debian, with its release schedule of every 6 months.

Oh I quite agree, I'm so lazzy too; instead of configuring my scanner to work I'm building a whole project to understand hardware better. ;-)

But I did move from Gentoo to Ubuntu because Ubuntu just didn't require the effort. I wanted a working machine with tv/internet and thats what I got no messin' about.

[Lin-X]

Well, I came to Linux out of bravado. I chose it as a project in a computer class I was taking. I had bought a box full of Linux at a ham radio swap ---
five or six cds and some books: Nortons Guide to Linux, Running Linux, and the Desktop Guide to Linux. Also, Linux Commands and another quick guide, I forget the title now. I'm a book person and, I confess, I bought this stuff more for the books than the software. I had absolutely no idea what Linux was about, I only knew it was some sort of "other" operating system.

The class assignment was to be some project that would be instructive to the class and unique; we would do the project and then make a presentation to the class. Other students chose such exciting things as installing MSWord, adding RAM to a system, and, my favorite, "How to Choose a Word Processor". Can't you guess what word processor it was?

But I am one of those people who thinks schools are not strict enough, lessons are not challenging enough, and students are not brave enough. So my project was to install Linux as a dual boot system, configure one peripheral item, and install one item of software not included in the distro. I had no idea what a big bite I had taken. At one point I told my instructor, "This presentation may not be about how I did this, but about how I failed to do it."

I didn't fail. And once I started using Linux, I loved it. There isn't room here to describe how much trouble I'd had with Windows, how many extra software programs I had to buy to make it behave for me. Linux holds out the possibility of limitless adaptation. No secrets hiding on your hard drive, no spying, no draconion license limitations. I can't get enough. And the philosophy behind it is right on target! Selling a computer to someone and keeping ownership of the operating system is like selling a car and refusing to hand over the keys.

[PrinceArithon]

Well, I came to Linux out of bravado. I chose it as a project in a computer class I was taking. I had bought a box full of Linux at a ham radio swap ---
five or six cds and some books: Nortons Guide to Linux, Running Linux, and the Desktop Guide to Linux. Also, Linux Commands and another quick guide, I forget the title now. I'm a book person and, I confess, I bought this stuff more for the books than the software. I had absolutely no idea what Linux was about, I only knew it was some sort of "other" operating system.

The class assignment was to be some project that would be instructive to the class and unique; we would do the project and then make a presentation to the class. Other students chose such exciting things as installing MSWord, adding RAM to a system, and, my favorite, "How to Choose a Word Processor". Can't you guess what word processor it was?

But I am one of those people who thinks schools are not strict enough, lessons are not challenging enough, and students are not brave enough. So my project was to install Linux as a dual boot system, configure one peripheral item, and install one item of software not included in the distro. I had no idea what a big bite I had taken. At one point I told my instructor, "This presentation may not be about how I did this, but about how I failed to do it."

I didn't fail. And once I started using Linux, I loved it. There isn't room here to describe how much trouble I'd had with Windows, how many extra software programs I had to buy to make it behave for me. Linux holds out the possibility of limitless adaptation. No secrets hiding on your hard drive, no spying, no draconion license limitations. I can't get enough. And the philosophy behind it is right on target! Selling a computer to someone and keeping ownership of the operating system is like selling a car and refusing to hand over the keys.

This is one of the coolest reasons I have ever heard of anyone coming to Linux.

Aaron

[sanderella]

Well, I came to Linux out of bravado. I chose it as a project in a computer class I was taking. I had bought a box full of Linux at a ham radio swap ---
five or six cds and some books: Nortons Guide to Linux, Running Linux, and the Desktop Guide to Linux. Also, Linux Commands and another quick guide, I forget the title now. I'm a book person and, I confess, I bought this stuff more for the books than the software. I had absolutely no idea what Linux was about, I only knew it was some sort of "other" operating system.

The class assignment was to be some project that would be instructive to the class and unique; we would do the project and then make a presentation to the class. Other students chose such exciting things as installing MSWord, adding RAM to a system, and, my favorite, "How to Choose a Word Processor". Can't you guess what word processor it was?

But I am one of those people who thinks schools are not strict enough, lessons are not challenging enough, and students are not brave enough. So my project was to install Linux as a dual boot system, configure one peripheral item, and install one item of software not included in the distro. I had no idea what a big bite I had taken. At one point I told my instructor, "This presentation may not be about how I did this, but about how I failed to do it."

I didn't fail. And once I started using Linux, I loved it. There isn't room here to describe how much trouble I'd had with Windows, how many extra software programs I had to buy to make it behave for me. Linux holds out the possibility of limitless adaptation. No secrets hiding on your hard drive, no spying, no draconion license limitations. I can't get enough. And the philosophy behind it is right on target! Selling a computer to someone and keeping ownership of the operating system is like selling a car and refusing to hand over the keys.

What a lovely testament of experience! I couldn't agree more.:)

[Senak^2]

I came to Linux out of pure curiosity. I heard good things about it's stability and thought I'd give it a try. The thing that attracted me to it was the technical aspects and the ability to tweak. I tried other rpm based distros but didn't really like them then I tried Ubuntu and fell in love with the deb package management... I guess I'm just lazy when it comes to installing. ^_^;; I will say that the community is a big plus but it isn't the reason why I chose Ubuntu.

[DoctorMO]

I hear that lazyness drives the linux community.

'Oh I can't be bothered to always type in 5 commands with 17 options which takes me 2 minutes. I'll now spend 2 weeks creating a nice flexible program that will do it better.'

[Senak^2]

I hear that lazyness drives the linux community.

'Oh I can't be bothered to always type in 5 commands with 17 options which takes me 2 minutes. I'll now spend 2 weeks creating a nice flexible program that will do it better.'
Lol, I suppose that's true and I find it applicable to technology in general. I remember seeing a microwave which had a barcode scanner. The idea is to scan the barcode off the package you want to heat and it'll set the right settings for you. Talk about lazy, it's not that hard to read the instructions on the back. People tend to go overboard and there's a saying for this, "Just because you can doesn't mean you should."

I think what really drives the Linux community are all the questions and just the ability to talk to other Linux users. I'm not sure about others but the only people I know I can talk to in person about Linux are two ITs at work. Specifically for women I think it's mostly the technical girls that get interested then bring their friends in for the ride.

[gamerchick02]

Howdy,

I decided to dual-boot with Ubuntu because I wanted to experience something different. I guess that means I came to Ubuntu for the technical experience, but I stayed for the community. :)

This community is really nice. People actually try to help you out, with no "RTFM or GIYF".

All-in-all, the experience with Ubuntu has been a positive one and I will keep using it!

Amy

[nikkiana]

I'd wanted to switch to Linux for a long time before I actually did. Partly because I was in a phase of my life (aka school) where my life revolved around Windows. (I went to school for Computer Engineering Technology, and a ridiculous amount of the ciriculum was centered around Windows programming).

My husband (then boyfriend), who graduated before me, had more freedom to fiddle with OSes because he didn't have homework to get done. He got fed up with Windows because he had a roommate who would use his computer and download horrid horrid programs like Kazaa to download crappy music and it was constantly getting infected. Suggestions led to Ubuntu. At the time, the version out was 5.10 out and Firefox had just had a little security problem and refused to let anyone download any extentions that didn't have the newest version with the security patch. Apparently it did get patched in the repository, but what didn't get patched was the version number so you couldn't download any Firefox extentions. Our Ubuntu using friends were somewhat unsympathetic, they didn't understand why extentions were such a big deal to my honey...and they told us that it was Firefox's stupid fault for banning people due to version number but they were a big deal, honey couldn't have his extentions, he threw a fit and deemed Ubuntu as crap. And around this time his network card died. He blamed Ubuntu (probably irrationally) for it.

From there, he used his work computer (running Windows) for most things... and then just distro tested on his desktop until he found what he liked... There was a short stint with Vector Linux, he conned a Linux geeky friend to help him install Gentoo (which I think, in the long run, was a good move because it helped him learn the more technical side of things)... Gentoo lasted a couple of months with him.... until he broke it somehow. By then, K/Ubuntu 6.10 was coming out so he figured he'd give it another go.... This time, falling firmly in love with the distro.

When my last full semester was finished (I still haven't graduated, one class to go... I dropped it... Guess what it was? Programming for the Windows Operating System... Maybe I'll be done this spring), I made the jump to Kubuntu. Regrets? None.

[whzz]

I decided to dual-boot just because I have to have some linux distro as well as Windows (I need them both in my studies). Why Ubuntu? The main reason is simplicity. This is the first linux distro I use, so I thought it will be good to start with a simple one. I plan to try some other stuff to find out more about how's the system working.

Community? I hadn't heard about it before I install Ubuntu. But I have to admit that it's really helpful :)

[zoetrope666]

Hi,

I first began using Ubuntu a couple of months ago, after writing a research essay on linux vs. windows for a 'history of technology' unit I was doing at uni. While I was writing it - on a Windows system - I thought 'What the hell am I doing? I'm writing a pro-Linux essay on a Windows OS??!' So soon afterward I installed Ubuntu. And it's a dream.

My choice to use Linux was a combination of technical and community-based reasons. However, the community-based ones were definately the initial trigger for my change. In researching my essay I went on the Ubuntu website and read a heap of books on Linux/Unix philosophy, and I just loved it. I like the idea of having an OS that is non-corporate-based, and which is built with the user is mind rather than profit alone. As a humanist, I love the 'humanity to others' mantra of Ubuntu and its endorsement by people like Nelson Mandela. I like its multi-cultural outlook and its concerted attempts to help people shape their computer into something that will cater for all their needs. It seems like such a rare philosophy within this world at present, and I feel genuinely happy to use Ubuntu knowing that the people who made/make it actually care about my interests.

On a more technical level, Windows just simply drives me up the wall. I probably spend about 70% of my time on Windows just doing maintenance, updates, trying to fix problems - or at least it seems that way. Its a chore using Windows, and after about a decade of putting up with its stupidity Ubuntu seemed a breeze to install, update and get used to. I love how on Ubuntu you can download a huge range of additional programs, allowing you to get hold of better and up-to-date software not only for free, but with the peace-of-mind that it wont bring unwanted spyware, viruses, and wont expire in 30 days. I like too that when I fix a hardware problem on Ubuntu, it takes some time but I learn a heap in the process and it generally stays fixed. On windows, the same problems recur, regardless of all your efforts, and you don't really learn much other than that Windows is a heap of junk.

So, in short, it was a combination of the community ethos and the general hate I have for Windows that inspired my conversion :-D

Cheers,
zoetrope.

[marianlibrarian]

Why did I go to Linux and away from microstink? Well, I am the library director for a rural library. When I realized how much money I would save by using Linux instead of windows, I was sold. Literally! Instead of getting four computers with full blown windows bloatware, I can get ten computers with Ubuntu and get the tables and chairs and other furniture to put the computers on. Really nice stuff too.

The move from winders to Ubuntu is not for the faint hearted. I still have to figure out how to make a printer with a non ethernet connection available to the network and how to get our old "wedge" barcode scanner / readers (that worked fine with win98 and old ps2 keyboard connection) to work with USB keyboards and Ubuntu and how to get my webserver (debian sarge) to be seen by the world from behind my router. Other than that I am doing okay.

Our library is in a town with just over 4000 people. Over 50% live at or below the poverty line. Our library is a connection to the outside. Most of them cannot afford a computer every time microstink wants to upgrade the OS. Furthermore, we have people here who can barely afford a telephone much less DSL or a decent computer. Our library offers computers and DSL. We are going from two public access computers to three this week. And when I can get wireless working we will have six public access computers. We currently average 230 people per month using two machines. That averages out about 12 people per day. We are currently open 5 days a week from 9 am to 5:30pm. Each person is allowed 1 hour of access time.

I am just tired of the strangle hold that microstink has on the world. I can't fight them but I can now walk away from them. If I don't need them then they have no power over me.

[Pikestaff]

I began using Linux because I've gotten really interested in open source and privacy issues and I decided I didn't want to support Microsoft anymore.

I started using the Ubuntu distro because my boyfriend told me it was a good one, and then upon doing further research I decided it would be a good choice for me.

The community is definitely a huge plus, but I probably would have installed it anyway.

[mkurdziolek]

But I did move from Gentoo to Ubuntu because Ubuntu just didn't require the effort. I wanted a working machine with tv/internet and thats what I got no messin' about.

Word. I moved to Ubuntu from Gentoo for the exact same reason. pretty much.

[gldvxx]

i just discovered the ubuntu community. i'm still really new to everything. i'm a mac os x user, i've been a mac person my whole life. i am a technical person, i work in IT as a freelance database admin/web developer. my reason for switching is i wanted to be able to build my own pc and choose my own hardware. i'm starting to get into 3d modeling and i need a desktop system that is as stable as the mac os i'm used to but where i can swap out parts and upgrade components piece meal as i see the need. i'm also interested in a system i can recommend to windows users who are stuck on old hardware. i've always wanted to be able to use a Linux system as a primary OS but usability was always an issue for me. Also the community is a bit different, Apple has a great user community/evangelism model. Ubuntu is attractive to me because of the community and because of the responsible business model.

a friend of mine in IT recommended ubuntu after he'd heard i'd installed fedora. i used Redhat when i was in college so i just assumed it was *the* linux distro to use. ubuntu is very easy to use and set up, and the community is very prolific and full of useful information. i'm no stranger to how-to's and listservs especially when it comes to configuration files.. but the community is important to me and i think ultimately that is what is going to keep me using ubuntu. (i don't think i'll ever give up my apple laptop tho haha but i may be tempted to switch it over to ubuntu when it gets too old to stay current with os x)

[elizabeth]

For me, all technical. It's a great bonus that the Ubuntu community is a nice one.

I'm a professional Sysadmin at a company that uses strictly Debian, which I've been using for several years. I made the formal switch to Ubuntu on my laptop after Debian had trouble with my wireless NIC and I didn't have the time to sort out the problem. After installing on my laptop I realized that apt worked the same as in Debian, all the config files were in the same places, and everything I loved about Debian was in Ubuntu, except there were newer versions, a more reliable release schedule, a more welcoming community. I just moved my primary Desktop to Ubuntu a few months ago.

As for Linux in general, there are a ton of reasons I use it. Besides, after using Linux for so many years I find Windows harder to use, harder to back up, harder to do software development on, harder to administrate...

[DoctorMO]

Thank you all for answering my questions. Looks like we have some fantastic people here who are not just adept but advocates too :KS Fantastic.

[Pikestaff]

I want to know how many of our resident women Ubuntu users come to ubuntu linux through technical reasons such as wanting to find a great programming platform or wanting to be able to control the system and run things the way you want to by customising things.

or on the other hand to you come to Ubuntu because of the great Community we have here, or some friends were using it and you wanted to see what all the fuss was about?

I came to Linux because I wanted to learn more about computers and programming and networking and that kind of thing, and I sort of realized that I wouldn't be able to learn that on a Windows machine, at least not nearly so well. So far I've proven this theory right, I've learned more about computers in these past couple months of Linux than in several years of Windows.

I came to Ubuntu because I wanted a good stable distro that would be somewhat forgiving for a Linux-newcomer and my boyfriend recommended it to me.

The community has been icing on the cake and I really love and appreciate it... it's helped me several times. But it wasn't the main reason I switched.

[daynah]

That's a really great question darling!

The stereotypical hypothesis would say that the man would go to Ubuntu for the technical, the women because it has a good support community.

I think, though, because, well, we're human, this is going to be too complicated to fit so neatly.

Senak's answer is very similar to mine... We came to LINUX because of technical reasons. Safety from viruses and stuff, but we chose UBUNTU because of it's community.

I think, also, a great selling point is that laziness which was talked about earlier. Only 28% of computer users in general (read: probably all that were polled were Windows) were women. I think "after we win" that number will rise. After everyone knows of Synaptic's easy way to install things, more women will see computing as not something reserved for the nerdy, so it's okay to try it.

I didn't know about synaptic before I got into linux but now that I do... well, I had to install a driver for my boss's printer and I about cried. There were just so many ads and fake sites and when I found it... it was in some mac format! That's when I cried. I've been dumbed down by Linux, somehow. O_o

[leithanne]

I came to Linux because I had a perfectly good older desktop running ME - or , rather, limping ME - and I was afraid to put it online without the patches and updates Micro$oft had decided to discontinue. I've known about Linux since the days of Corel Linux and the various IPOs, but felt it might be "too hard" or that I wouldn't be able to do everything I wanted. But I had this extra box,,,, and boy was I wrong.

I chose Ubuntu specifically because of the community. I knew I'd need help, and I wanted an active community where folks were willing to offer more help than "RTFM". I believe I made the right choice.

Still a newbie, I have a lot more to learn, but I'm very happy, so far, and my son is beyond impressed. ~G~

[daynah]

Do you think there's a higher percentage of women who use ubuntu that are involved in the community than men who use ubuntu and are also involved in the community?

Obviously, that would be very difficult to test. And even asking here, "Did you come here because of the community?" is going to be a bit off in the answers, because the people answering are the type of people who care about the community, not the people who just pop on for their problems and leave.

But nice things to ponder! :)

[cprofitt]

Do you think there's a higher percentage of women who use ubuntu that are involved in the community than men who use ubuntu and are also involved in the community?

Obviously, that would be very difficult to test. And even asking here, "Did you come here because of the community?" is going to be a bit off in the answers, because the people answering are the type of people who care about the community, not the people who just pop on for their problems and leave.

But nice things to ponder! :)

Yeah... running that type of survey is difficult unless you make it so unregistered people could vote... and that only gets your marginally closer to a true subject group. You are spot on about that particular metric being rough to measure.

[macogw]

I came to Linux out of pure curiosity. I heard good things about it's stability and thought I'd give it a try. The thing that attracted me to it was the technical aspects and the ability to tweak. I tried other rpm based distros but didn't really like them then I tried Ubuntu and fell in love with the deb package management... I guess I'm just lazy when it comes to installing. ^_^;; I will say that the community is a big plus but it isn't the reason why I chose Ubuntu.

Same. I know to to handle a Windows system well enough, so I wanted to learn something new. Getting to be able to actually touch the config files and having them be in plain text is a bonus. After I learned about it I really liked the FSF's philosophies too. I remember telling my software-company-employed cousin that it didn't make sense to charge a few hundred dollars for Photoshop because once you've made it, it doesn't cost you one bit to make more copies. When his brother asked me yesterday how Linux and all the software and everything can be free, I told him that if a programmer needs a program, he or she writes it. They would've written it anyway because they needed it, so it doesn't cost them anything more than they would normally do, and it doesn't cost them anything to have more copies made, so letting someone make copies of code you make doesn't really hurt the programmer in any way. I did mention that companies like Red Hat, Canonical, and Novell sell support contracts and there's a non-profit that pays the kernel devs. Anyway, though, I wanted to learn a new system and learn how it really works, and I think I've sort of done that. At least, I know the inside of Linux better than I know Windows. With Windows I know some tricks to fix things that break a lot, and I know how to clean it out after an infection. With Linux, I've started getting used to where a lot of things in the FSH are located (like .configs being in /etc and system logs being in /var/log) so I can find what I need even if I don't explicitly know where it's located.

As far as specifically Ubuntu, I was going to go with Mandriva because I got a little "Linux in easy steps" book that said it was good for beginners. One of my friends said it was ridiculous to be paying for Linux :p When I asked a kid online who goes to my school, he recommended Ubuntu for a beginner distro. He's now more into OpenSuse, I think, and recommends that instead, but I'm happy with Ubuntu. My wireless card works immediately, but in Fedora I'd have to download the rpm for it (haven't gotten around to that yet), and apt, even when using Synaptic or the update manager gui is fast. Yum is extraordinarily slow with the gui. And Sabayon...well, there are some init issues I need to work out (3 minute boot!), aside from its general sluggishness. I could go to Debian without a problem, (guess I'd stop hearing the phrase "Ubuntu is an African word for 'can't install Debian'"...which is the same installer if you use the Alternate cd...), since I'm used to how Debian arranges things and apt (since the file system hierarchy is the same as in Ubuntu, whereas some things are in really different places in Fedora, and portage is confusing) but Debian also wouldn't have my wireless by default (like Fedora). For a server or something, I'd go with Debian stable, sure, because it is really stable, but I like Ubuntu's up-to-date-ness for my laptop.

[ceciliaFX]

First let me admit I am not YET using Ubuntu. I am here to figure out if I can use this on my laptop - and even if it will work on my brother's laptop.

in 2003 I got my Dell Latitude laptop and wanting to make it multiboot, I had a friend help me with that. At that time we installed Red Hat (8, i think) and then Windows2000 (so i can run After Effects).

My first computer in 1989 was an Amiga so I have NEVER had any love for Windows. It's just an OS that one has to put up with.

AMiga is a fun OS and I wanted to experience linux when I got my laptop to see if that was also fun. So far it's been very nice. It's an "old" kernal at this point and can't do everything I'd like, but I have gotten lots done using it. And, linux IS fun. With Windows I have to walk on eggs making sure I don't make any missteps. I must be one of the few people in the universe who haven't had to reinstall Wiindows for the last four years.

This is my 1st post so I have some researching to do to figure out if Ubuntu will work on my system. But I think I need to update my linux and I have to replace it so that it won't touch the windows parts.

My brothers' situation is different. He's got a Compaq laptop that he only wants to use to access the web/email while he travels. He'll be getting a new HD for it (Windows f'ed up the original HD). I want to make that multiboot. This will give him a chance to play around with linux and still do what he needs to do in Windows if he has to. Or wants to.

And, one of the reasons for looking at Ubuntu is because I've heard it's Easy to install and Easy to use. and, yes, I'm damn lazy. The proof is that I haven't changed my linux for four years :)

[eljalill]

Well, I came to ubunut for the safety mainly...
and secondly for legal and financial reasons. I never felt quite comfortable to have the illegal programs on my computer, that I needed... and I wouldn't have the money to buy them. I guess that kind of thinking is unavoidable, when you do a law major :) .

BTW talking about minorities... I kind of feel like we need a forum for social science people here ;)

[angrykeyboarder]

Ubuntu. What Debian should have been by now.

[leithanne]

Phew. I'm back. I took a Linux class and had to use Fedora Core. Small hard drive. Nuked Ububtu. Finished the class and ran back home.

I guess one really has to try to use the Community Support/Message Board of another distro to fully appreciate the way Ububtu treats us newbies. I don't care what distro HP wants me to use for Linux 201. I'll take it on Ububtu or not at all

[Lucifiel]

Having used Windows from Ms-Dos until Windows XP, I've made my way through countless of Windows problems and errors.

a) I was tired of trying to fix spyware and malware issues.
It had come to a point whereby restricting my surfing to only a limited number of sites, no longer worked. After all, even some of the "safest" internet sites can be hijacked by ads containing spyware and malware. And then what? I'd have to give up using the internet for good?

b) I used to be a real Windows fan. But one day, after having dealt with so many problems, I just couldn't take it anymore. Yet, it'd take years later for me to actually switch to Linux. From simple problems like missing icons to explorer crashing and to really serious issues like .doc opening in Winamp, .avi opening in Explorer, etc., I'd faced many of them. And the really worst issues would be Windows trying to do something annoying to critical system files.

But it wasn't a sole problem that broke the camel's back. It was dealing with years after years of problems in Windows that often sucked away a good part of my time, where I finally manifested a real dread for Windows. And that delight at Windows when I was still a child finally turned into bitterness at Windows as an adult.

c) Got really tired of Microsoft's behaviour.

I used to love Windows until it had its' problems. And I used to really like Microsoft until it turned out they were a bunch of scumbugs from the day MS was founded. That even the ideas for Internet Explorer were "stolen" from other companies. (If I'm not wrong, that is). And finally, one day, all that admiration at Bill Gates turned into pure annoyance.

d) I can't afford Vista.

Vista sounds cool but I can't afford it. I mean... that's a few thousand bucks! And all that for Aero which can't even compare to Beryl? Besides, going green is a huge issue right now.

There are many more reasons though but these are the ones I can think of right now.

[DoctorMO]

That even the ideas for Internet Explorer were "stolen" from other companies

The licensed code from the (can't spell the word, you know those large pictures made with small tiles begins with M sounds like mos-ache) browser for their first IEs and then took the Mozilla 4 code for IE 5 and above. that is why I often laugh because IE 7 is based on Mozilla 4 where as Firefox is based on Mozilla 5.

[angrykeyboarder]

The licensed code from the (can't spell the word, you know those large pictures made with small tiles begins with M sounds like mos-ache) browser for their first IEs and then took the Mozilla 4 code for IE 5 and above. that is why I often laugh because IE 7 is based on Mozilla 4 where as Firefox is based on Mozilla 5.

Microsoft Licensed the code for IE from Spyglass, Inc (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spyglass%2C_Inc.). Spyglass in turn licensed it's code from the original graphical web browser, NCSA Mosaic. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCSA_Mosaic)

I don't know where you get the "took the Mozilla 4 code for IE 5 and above". Every version of IE through 6, credits Spyglass (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Internet_Explorer_6_About_window%2C_scrolled _to_Spyglass_note.png).