Do you use linux because it is free?

[AlexenderReez]

i wonder....how many of us use linux because of it is free....for me,it doesn't really matter ...because too many illegal windows cd and software around me (via peer to peer) available for free....so talking about price,it doesn't really make sense....it is just same...anybody want to give opinion?

[Wiebelhaus]

Eh , I can get any software I want from work virtually free & legal , But I CHOOSE to use Linux , But essentially it's all free to me , If that says anything it says my choice is Linux and Open source.

[yatt]

I use it because it is free, but not because it is free.

[starcraft.man]

LOL! I use it because it is the superior operating system. I could list the reasons I think that is but I don't feel like it right now... price certainly is far down the list though.

[Ralob]

sure being free is nice. but I use Linux because it is better than Windows for what I need. Anyone can get any software for free if they look hard enough, but it is a rare thing to be able to actually TALK to developers of software to give input and make it better. the transparency of development in comparison to Windows and the advantages of having said transparency is why I chose Linux. being free is just another perk :)

[xfile087]

I certainly love how Linux is free but I mainly use it because it's so customizable, it's pretty much virus free and of course it doesn't crash like Windows does!

[bghost1979]

i use it because i don't like mirosoft

[Hex_Mandos]

I use Linux because it's free as in freedom. And because it's a great OS.

(As for illegal copies of Windows, it could be argued that they aren't really illegal in many jurisdictions, including mine, when intended for personal use. IANAL yet, but I'm a law student, and I'm pretty sure you can't get fined or jailed for having "non genuine" Windows in my country, as long as you're not selling copies or using it commercially).

[Depressed Man]

That's a partial reason why I use it. (though then again I'm sure I could find a Windows disc for "free"). But the real reason is its customization as well as the lack of Dr. Watson. -_-

[Nekiruhs]

That's a partial reason why I use it. (though then again I'm sure I could find a Windows disc for "free"). But the real reason is its customization as well as the lack of Dr. Watson. -_-
:lolflag: Dr. Watson Post-mortem Debugger! I didn't think too many people payed attention to that!

[kevinlyfellow]

I can get windows for $free through my school. Linux is just simply more fun. If I had to pay for linux, I would not have tried it in the first place (that's a lie, I wouldn't have continued using it after redhat 7.3, which I didn't like, but I did buy with a book). But I don't use the os because it is $free, and I certainly don't wish I had a different and more expensive os.

[zero244]

I probably tried it because its free and able to download it. I had not even heard of Ubuntu 7 or so months ago.
I would still use Ubuntu even if it wasn't free. Its a good enough OS to pay for. Its a better OS than Windows in most ways.
Hopefully I wont have to buy another MS product.

[smartboyathome]

I do use it because it is free. I can't pay for much online (I don't have paypal, or a credit card), so I had to revert to using stuff that was free (which wasn't very abundant on windows). I wondered over here after seeing an article on one of the windows sites saying to use Kubuntu to get the full Windows Vista experience. I looked at it, got it, installed it, and haven't regreted it since.

[lisati]

:lolflag: Dr. Watson Post-mortem Debugger! I didn't think too many people payed attention to that!

I've even had Dr Watson crashing too.... don't know why and don't care! Now to get back to my old Win98SE machine to see if I can get it to behave itself.......sadly I don't think it's up to the task of using Ubuntu. Big sigh! Apart from fixing muck-ups and learning how to drive it (different isn't necessarily wrong....there are a few habits to "unlearn") I've had less trouble with Ubuntu (cheer!)

[siimo]

I use it because my hardware works better. Notably my sound card screeches like mad on windows xp and vista when playing games or music.

[MetalOverlord]

I use it because I'm so sick of all the security and licensing issues with windows.

What finally spurred me to switch to Linux was Intuit disabling Quickbooks' online functions for no reason other than to force me to upgrade to a newer version I don't need or want. The version I'm using is 2004. It's only 3 years old and they've dropped support for it already. Not only that, they actually disabled program functionality that was working just fine. Two weeks before that I had just spent $100 bucks to renew my AV and spyware subscriptions, and now Intuit cripples a perfectly functioning product to twist my arm to spend another $300 bucks for a new version? No thanks. This kind of stuff is just getting totally out of control in windows world.

I own a business and do a lot of banking and tax returns online, so security is another big issue for me. Windows is by far the least secure OS out there so you have to run firewall, AV, and spyware scanners to give yourself some measure of protection. Linux is probably the most secure OS; running a secure OS that doesn't require a ton of extra security software to plug all the holes is a big plus.

So for me it's more flexible and rational licensing and better security that got me to switch.

Free software is nice, but I don't have a problem with paying a reasonable price for software, so linux being free isn't that much of a consideration for me.

[keyboardashtray]

Yeah, free is why I tried it, and after trying Vista over at my brother's I don't think I have a future with Windows. I think this is the future of computing - proprietary will be a thing of the past, except maybe games...

I mean, there aren't proprietary programs in Star Trek, except sometimes on the holodeck.

[the_darkside_986]

I use it because it is free as in speech not mainly because it has no monetary cost. If it were just another closed-source free/mal-ware floating around on the internet then I would not be very happy about using it. If I wanted a non-free, unaffordable Unix-based system then I would have gotten a Mac. But if I am going to use a system that can't play any of my Windows games natively, that's fine but I'm not going to pay any amount of money for it except what is required to burn the bootable CD image.

[juxtaposed]

No, I have windows for free anyway.

I use it because it is better for my uses and gives me much more control over my computer.

The freedom (gpl, source code available) stuff is cool to.

[Scruffynerf]

I've a legal copy of XP Home (OEM), and I dualboot. I only use XP for games now.

Why do I use linux? several reasons (in no particular order).

1) Vista. I can't use it, and when XP reaches the end of service life and they stop providing patches ,no doubt there will still be exploits being found. I'm learning the environment now, so currently I can benefit from both systems.

2) Security. It's downright annoying having to install operating system patches as well as updates for antivirus, adware and spyware blockers, peerguardian, in addition to updates to things like MS Office. At least with linux, there's 1 update for pretty much everything from the repo's, and moblock updates itself.

3) Legal freeware (as in $$) - whilst I appreciate the sentiments of the Freeware crowd, and to some extent sympathise with their goals, I'm perfectly happy to use proprietry software on linux when I need to (think: Flash or NVidia drivers)

4) Customisation. I fall in to the category of a habitual software tweaker. Not purely for performance, but just for fun. There's much more customisation options in a linux distro than will ever be in windows.

5) My computer is getting older, and cannot afford to keep on updating hardware for all the latest and greatest. It's a reference point for 1) above.

6) Performance (overall). I've found that (for me) a fully patched linux distro with eye-candy boots and performs faster in most things than a fully patched XP install.

7) Support. Whilst there are still the annoying twats that say "RTFM!" or "Google It", there is better support available for most problems from well-developed communities like here than can often be found from the MS Knowledgebase.

That said, there are a few disadvantages, however it's not against linux, rather it's a force of marketshare.

Range of software that is available (generally - I'm well aware of exceptions to this)

Range of hardware driver support

Look & Feel - these days, with stuff like Compiz out there, it's a close race, however I think that XP may just have it. I can't comment on Vista other than I've tried to try it, but it barely works.

Still too heavy on reliance on the command line and programming stuff into scripts. Not sure if this is a byproduct of how linux distro's are actually designed (everything being in files as opposed to services / registry settings etc), but for people crossing over, GUI's are a good thing. Gnome & KDE (& XFCE) are highly developed with similar concepts to how windows behaves, and there are the other window managers out there such as enlightenment and fluxbox.

Yes, there are those out there that like the command line - that's good. However please accept that there are a great many people interested in linux, and support the concept of Free Software that are turned away because of the implied requirement to be a decent programmer to get the system to run. For those so interested, there is Gentoo and Slackware, however I think that one reason behind Ubuntu's success is because there are GUI's that give a professional look and feel to applications.

Just my thoughts.

[juxtaposed]

However please accept that there are a great many people interested in linux, and support the concept of Free Software that are turned away because of the implied requirement to be a decent programmer to get the system to run.

I know nothing of programming (except a few basic visual basic things but that has nothing to do with linux or anything) and I can run linux fine. You don't need to know how to program to use the command line or edit text files (honestly, how hard is editing a text file?).

[panther_sn]

I chose linux, because
a. Yes I admit it I am cheap and refuse to pay for Windows, (not really a problem I had a free copy of XP ;)
b. I wanted control over my system, rather than microsoft told me I could control.
c. I wanted something different so my wife would learn more than just point, click.
d. now I have it the kids prefer it, and my 8y/o son even just wrote his first bash script (he is 1 step ahead of me)
Overall LINUX ROCKS, and UBUNTU ROCKS EVEN MORE

[stmiller]

I use it because it is free. Free in many ways other than just cost.

[Scruffynerf]

I know nothing of programming (except a few basic visual basic things but that has nothing to do with linux or anything) and I can run linux fine. You don't need to know how to program to use the command line or edit text files (honestly, how hard is editing a text file?).

Depends on the text file. I challenge anyone without a level of programming ability to set up a conky.rc file.

Or get lmsensors to actually work.

Or create a script (without copy/paste) to get something to run.

Or to install something that isn't in the repo's or is neatly bundled for a user as a .deb

[SunnyRabbiera]

I mainly use linux because I hate microsoft, however if I had some extra cash I would buy a mac faster then you can say rubber baby buggy bumpers

[eentonig]

I have legal copies of Windows. But even if I didn't, it wouldn't stop me from implementing windows. My reasons for using linux are more pragmatical.

- it's legally free (as in "it's ok not to pay for it.")
- It runs faster.
- I don't have to search through hacked porn sites to find the keygen for some obscure soft I want to try but not pay for because I don't know if it worth the diskspace it consumes.
- I don' have to worry about virus or spyware killers that consume half my system ressources and slow everything down because they first want to examine that document I want to read.
- I don't have to hunt the entire internet and remember which apps I installed to find the latest security (or functionality) upgrades. Correction, if I want the latest functionality, I'd might have to do just that. But security wise, the system is always on par.
- I'm allowed to do whatever I want with it. If I want to install on a third, fourth, fifth, ...pc, it's no issue.
- No 'validation checks'
- Good support community.

[tcoffeep]

For myself, I use Linux because :

1 ) The community is active, and is appreciative and helpful. (wow...wasn't that butt-kissing :))

2 ) I've been watching it for some time, but was skeptical until I actually tried it.

3 ) It runs smoother, and crashes far less (for me, anyway) than Windows ever has.

4 ) I can't get sidetracked with too many games... (simply because I have a crappy graphics card, and not even early 2000 games run very smoothly...Thanks ATI)

5 ) I'm actually learning something new, rather than doing the same old thing...

6 ) The philiosophy itself is inspiring. :)

[mindtrick]

I would pay for Ubuntu. Bloody Windows caused so much problem recently, I just can't get my video card work right. I would choose linux even if it was the same price as Windows.

[misfitpierce]

I use it because it's free... but not only that reason... I also use because of open source, security, more customization, innovation, and many more reasons!

[aysiu]

Depends on the text file. I challenge anyone without a level of programming ability to set up a conky.rc file.

Or get lmsensors to actually work.

Or create a script (without copy/paste) to get something to run.

Or to install something that isn't in the repo's or is neatly bundled for a user as a .deb
That's an artificial challenge.

I've been a Linux user for over two years and have never had to do any of those things.

[Frak]

I use it for curiosity, as I use a broad range of other OS's. Such as RISC OS.

[kevinlyfellow]

I challenge anyone without a level of programming ability to...

Or create a script (without copy/paste) to get something to run.


Actually, that's were many people start to learn programming. So, many people without programming do do that



Or to install something that isn't in the repo's or is neatly bundled for a user as a .deb

I didn't know any programming at the time, yet I remember the first thing I successfully compiled was hp-printer drivers (before they were packaged up for red-hat). I admit that I didn't really understand what I was doing, but I did it, and I did it successfully. Armed with ./config ; make ; make install I succeeded in installing at least a few programs.

[eentonig]

That is aysiu, because you're an average Joe Doe when it comes to computer use. :mrgreen:

A whole lot of the users here can hardly be judged as being 'regular' users. They install Ubuntu and want to try everything. Install everything. costumize everything. Just to see what is possible. If I were to give Ubuntu to my mother, she wouldn't want conky on her desktop. Not only would she found it ugly and distracting. If I explained her the use of it, she would call me every hour to scream that something is wrong because 'counter x' changed suddenly.

A relgular user can indeed run linux without ever needing to resort to one of those tasks.

[glaubergoncalves]

I've paid R$ 300.00 (about US$ 160.00) for an original copy of Windows XP, in the year 2004... even thought, one year later, I was onto my first experiments with a livecd of Kurumin Linux, a friendly Brazilian distro. A couple of months later, I discovered Ubuntu, and started to try it out... By April 2006 I was dual booting Ubuntu/Windows, and by October that year, Windows was gone... So, did I choose Ubuntu because it is free, even if I had already paid for Windows? Yes! But not just because it's free as in beer, but mostly because it's free as in speech (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gratis_versus_Libre).

To have in my computer a piece of software that I can interact with in a developmental way it's pretty cool, after all, even not knowing any programming language quite well, I still can file bugs and exchange knowledge about the software with other people, which I think might help on it's development, and on mine too as I learn more and more about this software. And, most remarkably, it's a software that stimulates me to interact with people around the globe, exchanging ideas that can even go far beyond the technical talking... to me this is priceless. I think this is the spirit of Free Software!

[AlexenderReez]

to be honest....i start to use linux when i saw beryl...(:lolflag::lolflag:)..and heard people keep telling linux is free as free speech not free as free food....wow..this words are really cool right?i want to able to say that to my friends too..hehehe:lolflag:....but as the time being i realized that i learned a lot from linux especially ubuntu.....so i guess i think i change my mind and set i use linux to gain more knowledge :)

[ashvala]

Obviously not... Linux might be a free ware... But I use it because it is Open Source & a open kernel. I also use Mac OS X tiger 10.4.10 & Windows XP SP 2... But I have found linux most comforting

[AlexenderReez]

for somebody who already work or student that have a lot fo money...this question doesn't really make sense right?but for student have average life and need to spend money to study ...i guess linux help them a lot..

[Tuna-Fish]

I use it because it is better than anything else I have tried. The fact that it is free probably caused that, but the freedom is just the way quality was achieved, not the primary reason to use it.

[bomanizer]

- Curiosity
- The damn thing can be downloaded free & legally. This is a big point nowadays. Sure it was fun to exercise piracy and wave the fist at the time, but nowadays I don't want to get a pirated copy of XP or Vista. I like my system clean, legal and free (as in beer and/or freedom).

[EdThaSlayer]

Well, linux being free is one of the reasons I use it. :). The other reason is that it just "works" out of the box, unlike windows where you have to mess around with drivers and if you install a wrong driver...it gives you a real headache.

[AlexenderReez]

- Curiosity
- The damn thing can be downloaded free & legally. This is a big point nowadays. Sure it was fun to exercise piracy and wave the fist at the time, but nowadays I don't want to get a pirated copy of XP or Vista. I like my system clean, legal and free (as in beer and/or freedom).

yea....but my friend said vista original is available for free in torrent....and there is xp crack either....hm..i wonder...how long bill gates will allow this....

[UFF]

Good old fashion curiosity really. I don't have some vendetta against Windows, I use it quite often and although I admit I have had some problems with it in the past and it's performance sometimes leaves a lot to be desired I wouldn't start saying I hate it.

I've had bad experiences with Linux in the past, trying to set it up and get it to actually work has wasted countless hours of my time and on things that Windows has no problem with configuring/setting up but I wouldn't simply say "Oh I hate Linux, never going near it again"...

That's one thing I don't like about a lot of Linux users (or non-windows users in general), they count the hits but never count the misses. They speak about their non-Windows OS as if it is flawless.

With all that said I am happy with Ubuntu so far, but if it starts to become problematic and I can't resolve any issues within a reasonable amount of time with a reasonable amount of effort I'll get rid of it and move on. Simple.

[insane_alien]

at first i used it because it was free. then i realised it was better. i honestly would not mind paying for it now. i've donated £50 anonymously now. not all to ubuntu and not all at once but thats all to linux in one form or another. probably more to come.

[Ultra Magnus]

I have questionable ethics and get all my software for free anyway - I tried Linux because I used it a bit at University and quite liked it - Now I rarely boot into windows because I prefer it - although I still use windows to play freespace 2

[Brandel Valico]

I started using it for that reason that and a screw job from Microsoft about my legal/not so legal preinstalled at the store copy of windows. But I stay with it now and will from now on because I love the control and customize ability of it. As well as the fact that I have access to synaptic and upgrades as well as this community and the people here all combined with it being free.

[argie]

When I first got into it, I had no money and was on Windows 98. Now I've gotten so used to it, every time I have to use Windows (at college) is like a downgrade. In any case, I do have a copy of Windows XP installed on this computer that I don't ever use (legal, preinstalled).

[kingof1981]

i use linux, not because it's free...
i use it because it's much more secure then windows is...
i use it because do you know one pc crashing linux virus... (there's many for windows out there)
i use it because i can edit it by my own...
i use it because it's much more stable then windows is...
i use it because if something goes wrong, to reinstall linux takes less then 8 minutes, windows at least 20(+) minutes...
i use it because normally people can do much more things with linux then they can do with windows...
i use it because i don't like people's witch get rich because other must pay for everything they do with the pc...
i use it because i can use the full potential of my i-net-connection...
i use it because it's easy to use...

and many more things...

[Taino]

Do you use linux because it is free?

No, But it being free is nice, I use Linux because i dont trust the MS folks in Redmond,
And therefore the thought of there being no alternatives around to use but them is
more like a nightmare than just a thought, So i feel i should support the alternatives.

Not to mention, I really just like Linux more at this point. :)

[%hMa@?b<C]

i don't use it because it is free in price, but if Linux was not free in price, I probably wouldn't use it.
Price is a determining factor, but really freedom and customization is why I use Linux.

[Scruffynerf]

I have questionable ethics and get all my software for free anyway - I tried Linux because I used it a bit at University and quite liked it - Now I rarely boot into windows because I prefer it - although I still use windows to play freespace 2

Did you know that FS2 has been ported over? There's also a largeish modding crowd with svns.
http://icculus.org/freespace2/
http://icculus.org/~ravage/freespace2/

and the wiki:
http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/Fs2_open_on_Linux

[juxtaposed]

I challenge anyone without a level of programming ability to set up a conky.rc file.

That's just something extra and I dont use conky.


Or get lmsensors to actually work.

Never heard of it.


Or create a script (without copy/paste) to get something to run.

I don't need to do that. The closest i've ever came to it was having the terminal do something then && to do another thing when the first is done.

Those things arn't really essential to the normal use of linux :)


Or to install something that isn't in the repo's or is neatly bundled for a user as a .deb

Most compile from source programs tell you what to do anyway (I just do checkinstall -D make install instead of normal make install; I got that from googling how to make .debs), and what dependencies you need, and if they don't it will tell you what you missed when you do ./configure.

Most of the time it is easy, though often annoying when it takes so long to do stuff then you realised you missed something and need to install it.


hm..i wonder...how long bill gates will allow this....

One of the vista scene releases had a group name of BillGates ;:P

[Lin-X]

It really helps me that Linux is free because I am unemployed and really up against it for money these days, but that isn't the first reason I started using Linux.
About five years ago I had a ton of trouble with my computer. During that time, I just got really fed up the whole MS licensing routine. I was very naive up to then; I really thought that when I purchased software, it belonged to me. I paid a lot of extra money, above the cost of a computer, to have some really great software. When I started having some serious hardware problems, I quickly learned that I was only renting the software on a very limited basis. It made
me furious, to say the least.

At the same time, my computer runs like a racehorse on Linux. One of the first pleasant surprises I had when I booted into my first Linux install was that my monitor showed a much sharper, crisper image. I could hardly believe the difference! And everything works much faster with Linux that it did with Win98.

I have a second computer now, with WinXP Pro. Same slow performance, same snotty error messages for no apparent reason. I couldn't get Ubuntu on that hard drive fast enough!

Oh, by the way, I live in a rural area with extremely bad telephone service. It isn't two tin cans and a peice of string, but close to it.
Since I started using Linux, I have not been disconnected from the internet once. I love using my computer without having to wrestle with it.

[jviscosi]

I started using Firefox and Thunderbird several years ago when the exploits of Windows XP started popping up where your computer could be compromised without your doing anything. After a month or so I decided these open source products were pretty good, so I thought I would try Linux (first Linspire, which wouldn't install, then Mandrake). Mandrake didn't support my RAID card so I bought a new one, which required me to reformat my RAID partition, so at that point I had to either reinstall Windows XP and continue to dual boot, or just install Mandrake. I just installed Mandrake and never looked back. Last year, I switched to Ubuntu, because my Mandrake (now Mandriva) version upgrades never went smoothly. Ubuntu version upgrades do.

In addition to the security benefits, I continue to use Linux for the customization (Fluxbox looks just like I want it to) and the freedom as in speech (if a program doesn't work quite right, I can tweak the source code), not to mention the performance. My computer at work is newer and faster (CPU) than my computer at home, but my home machine runs circles around it, even when it's compiling a new version of Fluxbox and simultaneously running updatedb. Besides, you can't run Amarok on Windows ...

Jim

[Frak]

As said above, I did use linux because it was free, and because I was curious about linux. I had used it earlier but it was very bad. Installing was hell. Configuring was worse than hell. Note this was back in '96-'97. Windows wasn't as good either. At the time I owned a computer that ran Windows 95, with a Cyrix 486, 32MB of RAM (Wow!) 16MB Video , 3GB HD, and a Floppy and a 16x CD-ROM Drive, as well as a NextStep (that at that time I heard that development ended on NextStep, but IBM released a PPC version of OS/2, so a NextStep Workstation with OS/2). Plus I had just bought a Compaq PC Companion, a handheld with Windows CE. Remember like it was yesterday.

Linux was pretty good at servers, but thats about it. The only graphical interface at the time was the K desktop enviroment by Matthias Ettrich. Wasn't free though, Gnome came out some time later, and was completely free. At the time though, the K desktop enviroment was an eyesore. There were no real good apps for linux either. So I went back to Windows...

Later I upgraded to Windows XP, for about 3 years of pretty good use, besides 5 viruses and loads of spyware. Until about 2006 when I couldn't use my computer anymore because it apparently wasn't genuine anymore, randomly, with a fully licensed system backed up with a store recipt. Time to turn back to Linux.

Then just about a year ago I found Ubuntu, and most of my thoughts about it were disdainful at first. Then I actually used it, and I liked it! Linux has come A VERY LONG WAY from what it once was. People gripe about this not working or this not working. Well back in 96 my mouse worked, and my keyboard kinda worked, and everything else was partially kinda on. Now my dial-up modem might not work. I do not care though as I have no need for it. I am also using an ATI Rage/Fury Pro, which is entirely ATI's fault.

Linux has come a long way.

[sanderella]

Yes.
And I use it because I don't have to buy antivirus stuff or anything. And I like the community.:KS

[UFF]

Not having to worry about anti-virus software was a HUGE incentive for me. They usually waste so many resources and often block and prompt you about legitimate software.


But to be realistic, Linux being free doesn't have any real bearing on my decision.... I like the philosophy of free software don't get me wrong but considering the availability of pirated software is that really a serious pro anymore?

[BigSilly]

I started using it because a trusted friend recommended it after I got sick of the Microsoft merry-go-round with WGA. I believe operating systems should be free in cost to the public at large anyway, but that's another thread altogether. I certainly continue to use it now because it is "free" (as in open and free to use how you wish), not because of its price.

[marco123]

It being free is just a perk to me.

The real reason I need Linux is because I leave my computer on downloading, sometimes for months, and Windows has never lasted longer than 2 weeks for me.

[belshed]

mm not actuly becuse it's free - first it's better than windows - it's a software for free use and noone feeds you what he want becuse he is the god of the world - becuse it's communism and ms os is capitalism - becuse it's fun to use it - it's looks like a piece of art - its comfortable to use - becuse ms is a crame organization tool and ubuntu is a freedom tool - becuse when i use ms things like msn i only see blind and dump ppl who are slaves for ms and in ubuntu i see ppl that ready to open there mind and eyes to see new things without a plastic smile :)


:guitar: im a ubuntu studio user (new) :guitar: it's also the freedom to make art

[lepz]

i wonder....how many of us use linux because of it is free....for me,it doesn't really matter ...because too many illegal windows cd and software around me (via peer to peer) available for free....so talking about price,it doesn't really make sense....it is just same...anybody want to give opinion?

I doubt very much that finance has anything to do with people switching to Linux.

[dada1958]

No, I use it because Ubuntu Linux seems te be a serious alternative for Mac OS X to me ...

[lyceum]

I use Ubuntu for 3 reasons:
1. I like the business model.
a. You pay for support (if needed) rather than the software. I don't shell out money for something I may not like and I don't just try it for 30 days they wish it was not on my PC any more.
b. You can add code and help out (in some way) if you like, in other words, you are more active in what goes into FOSS, it is not all just a marketing department calling the shots.

2. I like the "forum" aspect. You feel like a part of something when you work with a community learning the mew OS and other software. You can buy books, but there seems to be more help on line.

3. I like the stability and the quick releases. If something does not work the way I want, it is okay because it really is getting better all the time. I don't have to suffer for years then shell out more money for something that may STILL not work they way it should. I have been using Ubuntu for a year now and I have seen 3 releases. The improvements are so vast and quick, how could I not be impressed. But this may just be going back to the business model again. So better business model.

:guitar:

[Matakoo]

I use Linux because I prefer it. I could get Vista or XP, and just about every other program I could possibly want or need (save games but I'm not really a gamer anyway) for free, and legally free at that. Even if I did have to pay for the windows-software, I think I still would consider the no cost of Linux as a bonus and not a necessity. Actually, I have paid for boxed versions of Red Hat in the past (I think RH was at version 7 at the time. Not sure, but it was the version that stirred up quite a lot of discussion/flames because of the gcc version included). Not because I needed to, but to show my appreciation.

[Motomo]

I have been thinking about trying linux for a while. Was going to rebuild an old machine that has a bad motherboard and set it up as a secondary. My main machine that ran windows crashed and fried the restore partition and for whatever reason my restore CD would not work as well. So my transfer to linux came quicker than I expected and went on my main machine. I would have tried it even if it wasn't free. Years ago I had set up Mandrake on an old system and found it interesting but then the system died and I never got around to setting up another one.

[Old Pink]

LOL! I use it because it is the superior operating system. I could list the reasons I think that is but I don't feel like it right now... price certainly is far down the list though.

I'll drink to that :)

[DjBones]

lol pff, if you had to pay for linux everybody would be usin BSD ;)

[tcoffeep]

I'd pay a good hundred for Ubuntu if there was better hardware support. That's the only drawback IMHO. So money has nothing to do with it.

[Nolander]

if i wanted to use xp or vista i wouldn't pay 4 it. the free part of linux i only 1 of a hundred reasons to use ubuntu. and if they did charge i would pay.

[BigSilly]

It's a silly question really. No-one pays for Windows! People either perceive that they got it for free with their PC's (which of course they didn't, they paid for it) or they grab a pirate copy. There can't be many regular home users who have actually gone out and paid up to £200+ for Windows.

As I've said previously, I reckon operating systems should be free to the public at large, including Windows.

[_narayan]

yes

[Nessa]

I'd pay for Ubuntu if it wasn't. But yeah, the free part is a plus. I've only had it for a few day but it's so much better than xp! :)

[deanlinkous]

i wonder....how many of us use linux because of it is free....
free as in freedom or free as in price?

I use linux because I prefer it to using windows - no other reason in general but the free(dom) aspect is one reason that I prefer to use linux. Plus you can do soooo many things on linux that you cant on windows. I would gladly pay for my linux as long as it could still be shared and everyone was able to *afford* it.... An up to date OS and technology in general should be possible for everyone, not just the rich.

[Razman]

I would have to say that I do use it, because it is free... Legally.
Over the years, I have shifted to a mentality of trying to abstain from illegally free products.

Unless the OS came with the system... then I have no problems using it or dual booting/etc.

Of course over the years of using Linux, I have come to enjoy it, and thus use it these days as primary OS cause of the features and customizations.

But I still need Windows for gaming. but nothing else really.

[Bungo Pony]

Yes I use it because it's free, but that's not the only reason. The whole WGA thing REALLY turns me off. That's why I have Win2k on my other partition. I don't have to Genuinize my copy of Windows to use it and / or get rid of nags.

I was threatening to move to Linux for years and I finally did it earlier this year. The release of Vista convinced me that the future of Microsoft isn't the way to go anymore, and I'm not going to spend money on RAM and a new video card just to make Vista run and look pretty. I'd rather use an all-text OS (DOS) and have my computer run well.

Oh yeah, and the lack of viruses and spyware is a bonus along with easy to find / install software.

[FuturePilot]

I use it because it's free as in Open Source.

[BOBSONATOR]

I dont use linux because its free, i like it because the way it is designed around a kernel and its functionality. Aswell as the packetmangement. One of the major factors that makes linux attractive to me is its looks, and desktop enviornments, and its customizeability. I love the customizeablility.

[deanlinkous]

customizeablility. Is that a word? ;)

[gnp421]

I use linux because it is easier for me to do my daily work. I use Magic VLSI editor and in order to use it with Windows its takes a server and a little bit of setting up. I dual boot Windows XP Pro/ Fedora 7 on one computer and Windows XP Pro/Ubuntu on another. I am a student and get vista, visual studio pro, office, Server 2003 etc for free so it does not bother me. I need linux for my job.

[hfw]

I switched to Ubuntu because it is free (and those great Beryl vids on Youtube).

I had an emachine Motherboard die, and got told by the friendly help desk people at emachines and Microsoft that my copy of XP was OEM and I would have to purchase a new copy for the enw motherboard I had just bought. Uhmm, No....

Now I am enjoying my time with Ubuntu, which handles all the tasks I throw at it with ease. (It did take a little while to get everything running smoothly, with a couple of reinstalls.) Now I have a dual boot, two hard drive sytem. Both running Feisty. One for me to play with, that I am sure I will break at some point. And one that I have set up very vanilla for my wife and two year old, so that it always works.

Everybody is happy. I can see no reason to ever purchase a copy of Windows again.

-hal

[BOBSONATOR]

Is that a word? ;)

in the land of ubuntu it is :)

[Cope57]

Do I use Linux because it is free?

Free is nice, but I would rather pay for Linux than use Microsoft Windows for free.
But since Linux is already free, no harm done. ;)
I use it because of stability, security, and reliability.

[lnicolao]

Definitely. But not because you don't pay for it, but because it's free.

[Niko38752]

Not really... I started using because of curiosity, but now I keep using out of habit (all the programs I use are in linux and it feels more natural to do all the routine tasks in linux). Being free is a nice plus, though.

[xpod]

Free`s great,i wont deny that but i dont think we still use Ubuntu one year later simply because it`s free.
Every copy of Windows i`ve had has also been free,including Vista(not from torrents sites mind you) so the cost itself has no real bearing whatsoever.......

Remarks about us Scottish being a tight fisted lot are of course welcome @xpod:)

[Skeith]

I actually started using Linux so I wouldn't get distracted and start playing games while I was working on a paper. Now I use it because it looks good and runs fast, while still allowing me to do anything I need to do except play games better than on Windows. The fact that its free is a bonus, but not the deciding factor.

[ubuntu27]

i wonder....how many of us use linux because of it is free....for me,it doesn't really matter ...because too many illegal windows cd and software around me (via peer to peer) available for free....so talking about price,it doesn't really make sense....it is just same...anybody want to give opinion?



I use it because it is free, but not because it is free.


I use it because it is Free, FREEDOM Libre Software:

Please read:

The Free Software Definition (http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html)

http://www.gnu.org/

[Dark Aspect]

I use Linux because is a better OS then Microsoft's Windows and its Free in the sense of Freedom to edit the code not free as far as money.I will always use Linux even if it cost money (provided it does not have insane price tag).I also find it funny being a little bit of a gamer that some games run though cedega and wine better then on their native OS,Windows.

[tomcheng76]

fake reason
1.it is free (however, u can get XP from p2p, if u like)

real reason
1.it is free (freedom)
you can customize the softwares bundle in Linux easily and legally since most of them are open source.

2. Easy to search free softwares comparing with windows OS....and offen with suprise

I think the only thing that linux lack of is

1. Gameing (Dx is microsoft product, i just hope that with the increase of Linux user, Game Manufacturers will develop games using openGL)

2. Some Programming Language that is designed for windows to run...
(writing C# VB .net will require me to use windows)

Havent touch MacOS, no comment...

[AlexenderReez]

fake reason
1.it is free (however, u can get XP from p2p, if u like)

real reason
1.it is free (freedom)
you can customize the softwares bundle in Linux easily and legally since most of them are open source.

2. Easy to search free softwares comparing with windows OS....and offen with suprise


agree++1

[AlexenderReez]

lol pff, if you had to pay for linux everybody would be usin BSD ;)

then if we need to pay for linux...BSD ask us to pay too...LoL

[hammad1337]

I use it because it is differesnt...and mebbe better ;)

[SeanCly10]

I use Linux because it removes the chains from my computer that Windows puts on it. My machine is free to perform as it was built to, e.g. like a bat outta hell.

[mike102282]

i wonder....how many of us use linux because of it is free....for me,it doesn't really matter ...because too many illegal windows cd and software around me (via peer to peer) available for free....so talking about price,it doesn't really make sense....it is just same...anybody want to give opinion?


I use linux because it is more secure and I can customize it to my needs and I am sick of MS!

[mytwobears]

I use Ubuntu because I have never been satisfied with Windows and over the years I have only become more and more disenchanted and frustrated with it as an operating system. When Linux and particularly Ubuntu started to become more known as becoming more user friendly, I started reading up on the available user friendly distros and decided on Ubuntu. After successfully installing Ubuntu and using it, I am now an Ubuntu user!

This is a great OS, it really has more ease of use than windows. Everything is integrated, intuitive, symbiotic even, there is a certain elegance to it's simplicity. Certainly, there are problems, but even the problems are more fun to solve because in the process, you learn oh so much.

Now, I am quite aware that not everyone wants that, and so I would just say how happy I am that there is finally a new marketplace where there are now available a variety of operating systems, where people can now make their own choices about what OS and software they want on the computers they are purchasing.


Personally, I will be purchasing one of the DELL Computers with Ubuntu installed for my Dad in a couple of months, and am really glad that I don't have to deal with the whole windows world at all. Just Ubuntu straight up!

[cobrn1]

I often joke with a fellow techy friend that the cost comparison between linux and windows is stupid because everybody knows that windows is free! ;-)

I use both (windows for gaming) and linux as a operating system for everything else I need a PC for (provides core functionality, you might say).

Linux being free allows be to try it out, it's not why I use it. As I say, the free availiability of windows (be it illegals or as a _legal_ free-be from work (but mostly illegally)) makes cost a non-issue for me...

Linux is in many ways superior and is catching up in the areas it isn't. THe only area that it really flags badly in is gaming, and I don't know how to fix that... suggestions?

Anyway, linux because it's better, not free.

[deanlinkous]

THe only area that it really flags badly in is gaming, and I don't know how to fix that... suggestions?
I play fillets-ng, enigma, tuxracer, tuxkart and they seem fine.... ;)

[cobrn1]

While I know you're trying to be funny, and make the best of a bad situation, a part of me dies everytime somebody quotes some novelty linux games they play.

Gaming on linux really sucks. I love linux for practically everything else, but the gaming just isn't there. WINE barely works on some old games, cegeda is a bit hit and miss (and cost money too) and the linux offerings are generally just novelty options, not proper games.

This genuinly worries me, because if it weren't for gaming I'd leave MS completely. How the hell do we improve the gaming situation on linux??? How do we get dev to use the open source alternatives to directX??? (boycott it _not_ an option, this isn't like hardware where you can find a linux supported part, you don't get the game and you miss out on the functionality...)

Please, anybody, how do we fix this sad situation for linux gaming? (I don't want to be sucked into aquiring vista for gaming use, but I can see I'm going to have to. Get a free copy from work or summat...)

[deanlinkous]

Actually the only purpose of a game is to pass time doing something - and to that end - any game suffices for that. At least for me.... :D

[AlexenderReez]

i realized that one of reason why i use linux is it is secure (like had been mention by few users)...i don't want to waste my time and my money to stupid windows because if i got virus then sometimes i need to reinstall..what a waste of time...

[tcoffeep]

While I know you're trying to be funny, and make the best of a bad situation, a part of me dies everytime somebody quotes some novelty linux games they play.

Gaming on linux really sucks. I love linux for practically everything else, but the gaming just isn't there. WINE barely works on some old games, cegeda is a bit hit and miss (and cost money too) and the linux offerings are generally just novelty options, not proper games.

This genuinly worries me, because if it weren't for gaming I'd leave MS completely. How the hell do we improve the gaming situation on linux??? How do we get dev to use the open source alternatives to directX??? (boycott it _not_ an option, this isn't like hardware where you can find a linux supported part, you don't get the game and you miss out on the functionality...)

Please, anybody, how do we fix this sad situation for linux gaming? (I don't want to be sucked into aquiring vista for gaming use, but I can see I'm going to have to. Get a free copy from work or summat...)

I'm talking out of my *** here, but why don't you try learning a bunch of programming languages (or whatevers required) and manually port each game to Linux? That way, you get what you want, (from the look of it, taking your leave of Windows), and you got hundreds of Linux gamers kissing your ***. :)

[tcoffeep]

I play fillets-ng, enigma, tuxracer, tuxkart and they seem fine.... ;)

:) I play GNUDoQ, Gweled, and Frozen-Bubble :)

[Compucore]

There are hundreds if not thousands of reasons why all of us here will use Linux over microsoft. What ever that reason may be. On a personal level I was just tired of seeing the same old same old windows with small updates here and there from MS. And coming from the CLI of early dos and Apple ][e command lines.I like Linux and the way it works for me. And from what I have learnt from since the early 80's. The linux OS (I'm refering to here in general to all of linux varients.) is robust enough for those like you and me to be able to use and learn at our own individual pace. Whether if we are just newbies to seasonal vetrans using what ever Unix OS at work that require them to have a linux or a Catia machine on their desks.

Compucore

[steven8]

Read this thread, and you will get a better idea:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=503391

[deanlinkous]

:) I play GNUDoQ, Gweled, and Frozen-Bubble :)
I need to check out the first two...I forgot about frozenbubble but I actually prefer Xbubble but it isn't as cute of course. :)

[andrewpmk]

My desktop computer came with Windows XP (it's from a local computer store, and it was partitioned for dual boot from the beginning) so price isn't an issue. I use Ubuntu because it's better. In particular:

- Windows is bloated. It runs extremely slowly, even on my Core 2 Duo desktop with 2GB of RAM. Perhaps it's just all the gunk (registry, adware, startup programs, etc) but it will come back if I try to get rid of it. In particular, it takes forever to boot. Vista is even more bloated than XP.
- Internet Explorer, even version 7, is bad.
- OpenOffice and AbiWord are better than Microsoft Office, which is clunky and ridiculously overpriced.
- Windows Media Player is bloated. I prefer iTunes, but Rhythmbox is even better.
- Security holes and viruses. Enough said.
- Installation and uninstallation is a pain on Windows. No synaptic.
- I like using the command line for some things (organizing files mostly) and the Windows command line is poor.
- Almost everything that I need (except games) is free software, available through synaptic.
- I don't like Microsoft's business practices.

I use a Mac laptop, which I bought because I didn't like the Windows laptops on the market at the time. Mac OS X is good, but it is somewhat of a memory hog and I want to upgrade it from 1GB to 2GB of memory.

[GregoryMA]

I initially started using Linux out of curiosity that developed after I switched to Firefox. I am intrigued by the philosophy, community, and development process. I also find tech support in the Microsoft world very frustrating. Most of my experiences with it have ended with me feeling like the professional made the problem appear more complicated and harder to fix than it was out of fear that I would learn how to fix it myself. It also annoys me that a 6 month old windows setup gets so bogged down by viruses, adware, spyware and programs starting up with the OS. The fact that it is free definitely plays a roll though. I use a lot of audio programs and could not afford them in Microsoft. I had pirated programs but they were all old and did not work properly. The Linux audio programs I have used have all impressed me throughly. I wouldn't even consider going back to Windows.

[AndyCooll]

One of the main reasons that attracted me to Linux was because it was free. However I now use it because I prefer it to other OS's. And there are many reasons why it is my preferred OS, from its philosophy to its flexibility to its freedom to its cost.

:cool:

[rohan000]

No, my computer came with Windows pre-installed so I'm not saving any money by not using it. I use Ubuntu because it's better than Windows.

[Frak]

No, my computer came with Windows pre-installed so I'm not saving any money by not using it. I use Ubuntu because it's better than Windows.
You paid $50 for Windows then.

[satx]

No. I use Ubuntu because it works, it is flexible, I love Unix (Linux), and it is secure. Also, it is very, very, cool.

[LuisAugusto]

Nope, I use it because I found it to suit better to my needs, and I like the Open Source phylosiphy.

[hellmet]

I use Linux because, it make me feel legal, and free as in freedom, and because I'm loving it!!

[Celegorm]

Yes and no. If it weren't free, I couldn't try out half a dozen distros and plan on trying still more until I find the "perfect" one (and then repeat the process when my needs changed or I got in the mood again). But on the other hand, windows came OEM on my computer, so it's not as if I would have to pay money try it out again (although I would probably have to re-activate it, which would be more of a headache imo than just reinstalling an OS). I use linux because it suits my needs better, and I can customize it as much as I want, and because it is FOSS, and I can learn as much or as little about how it works as I want to, without being limited by some company wanting to keep secrets.

[grayhammer]

I probably would not have tried my first distro (debian slink) had it not been free.

I (as many others here) still maintain a windows install (dual boot with feisty) to play a couple games. I use linux for everything else. I'm much more comfortable using linux than windows, as I have learned a lot about the system since I started.

I like the fact that when I have a problem in linux, I can almost always find a solution either here or somewhere on the web. I like the fact that I don't need to worry about viruses, adware, spyware, malware, etc... I like the control I have over the entire system. I LOVE the current crop of music creation apps (ardour is incredible!)
:guitar:
I am overjoyed that linux has come so far since I started, and am looking forward to an even better future!

Peace all!:KS

[RawMustard]

Yes as in freedom. I don't give a rats about the cost money wise, I would pay for Ubuntu or Debian if I had to, as long as they don't start ramming poop down my throat like evolution and beagle!

[djdicbob]

short answer...NO. If you were to ask a reason......about a million reasons, but I will just give my top 5.

5. ******* NT 4.0
4. ******* 95
3. ******* ME
2. ******* XP SP1 thru 400,567
1. I think and type faster than I can point and click

:guitar:


BTW -- Windows NT 3.51 was awesome!

[nick.inspiron6400]

The best bit about Linux, is it is not from Microsoft.

I use it for:

1.Free
2.Secure
3.Programs

[Arwen]

Well,the fact that it's free tempt me to try a lot of distros,it happened to choose ubuntu and now I'm waiting for it to crash,but it won't unless I force it to! :-P I don't wanna have format every other day and I don't want to full my OS with malware while downloading the last cr@ck of the antivirus that is supposed to help me get rid of a trojan.I have worked a bit in solaris 10 and suse 9.3 so I did have a bit of mentality in the beginning and that helped me from really freaking out in my first steps.Also I really love beryl and themes :-D
Anyway my pc is now a lot faster and more stable and whatever goes wrong I can ask people here or google and it usually works:-) I just wanted to make my life easier,so I jumped of the window :-P ;-)

[Stex]

I would never have tried linux if it cost money, but now I know it I would be willing to pay for it in the same way one does for windows. If the dell initiative pays off, spreads, and comes to the UK I'll buy computers without _that_ OS and it would only be moral to donate the money I saved to the open source cause.

[william_nbg]

I've run Ubuntu pure since 5.04.

Not because it's free as in free beer, but because it's free.

I'm a radical and have never like to support big business, and after over 2 years I'm hooked. I can't image ever going back.

I'm a web designer and my servers always ran Linux, so running Linux as a client just made sense.

Quanta is just as good or better than Homesite.

And, for web graphics, Gimp does the trick of replacing Photoshop, which I couldn't afford anyway.:(

[qcfpunch]

I use linux because its free, fast, and secure. After using windows for so long, and being constantly annoyed by viruses and spyware I made the decision to switch to linux. Having discovered how great it is, I've never looked back ;)

[immortel]

I started with Linux many years ago.

First because it is free but now, it is more for the ideas of it and the community.

Many thousands of people giving their effort and time to develop, document, help... All of this, not for the money, only because they want to do their part and they like it.

I wish to all of you a lot of fun.

[poulhs]

Price is not the issue since my xp copy was "free of charge"
Personally I use Ubuntu(I have also Fedora installed)for the following reasons.
a)Excellent performance of an old system(2.4Ghz celleron,1Gb RAM).performance does not decrease after six months of use as in windows(actually performance does not fluctuate at all)
b)Internet Safety(for the time being at least...)
c)Enjoy customizing and learning a new OS from scratch
d)I dislike one way streets(see Microsoft Windows)
e)At the bottom line I find it superior to Windows and ofcourse totally legal.

[BDNiner]

What really sold me was the concept of open source. The open souce model has the ability to push innovation in some interesting directions. So long as some of the problems get ironed out, like the ubuntu server issue last week.

[Taum]

I use Linux because I want to learn as much as I can about networking. Being free only supports my socialistic ideology!

[Dark Star]

I use Linux cause its stable :) good for programming .. free :p and the best part is that we can explore Linux to a gr8 extent :D well not in case with sucky Windows which hangs every tme .. Plz send error Report to Bill gates :lol::rofl:

[vexorian]

because it is open source.

[original_jamingrit]

Ubuntu is all kinds of free, not just free of charge. And I like that.

[raijinsetsu]

I have a list of reasons why I dropped windows in lieu of Linux:

1) MS does not ship a developement environment, and until recently(2006?), you had to pay for even a basic dev-env. (There is the cygwin alternative, but that's kind of bulky).

2) MS's dev-env, IMHO, is sub-par. It resource intensive, and has no benefit over NotePad2

3) Windows has a problem where it keeps every copy of every driver for every instance of every device you've ever had. For instance: if I plug my USB mouse into USB slot A, I get the normal "Windows is Installing Drivers..." blah blah blah. Now, I move the mouse from slot A to slot B, the driver have already been installed but: "Windows is Installing Drivers..." blah blah blah... HUH?? Boot into safe mode sometime and look at all the stale drivers in your control panel. There will be pages and pages of multiples upon multiples... At least there was the last time I used XP...

4) Windows does not have a standard installation service, and a program that's "uninstalled", is still partially on your HDD.

5) The Registry... WHO thought of this? One central, generally unprotected, remotely accessible, repository for everything from user-preferences to device specifics?

6) Big Brother. Why is it that the security of Windows is geared towards protecting MS's assets instead of mine? Didn't I buy the program? (Yes, I legally own 2 XP Pros, and 1 Vista Upgrade, although they were mostly free)

7) The price tag... Although not high on my list, I noticed a trend with MS products where each new version cost more, and required newer, better, more expensive hardware to maintain the same functionality. And each new version had more protections to prevent me from "stealing" the software I bought, which created problems all of it's own.

[eukhost.com]

Linux being Open Source is an added advantage. But more than that it's powerful, it's secure and works well for me.

[g2g591]

I started using Ubuntu because its free as in $0 and sick of vista's performance and drm. I love it because its open source, better performance, and there's a great community around it.