PDA

View Full Version : Your Linux conversion chain



penguinbreath
December 26th, 2007, 08:23 PM
I could not find a thread like this, so I thought I would start one.

What is your linux conversion chain, like who got you into linux and who did you get into linux? Who converted linux to the person who converted you to linux? How far can you go back or forward?


This is as far as I know:

Someone gave (yellowdog?) linux to someone I know. Years later myself and someone else I know, after seeing the other person I know's newer linux setup, decided to try linux out. The other person got two of his friends to try out linux.
So there are now five linux users because one person gave linux to someone a long time ago. And the chain is still probably going on :).

Can anyone else post there conversion chain?

Dragonbite
December 26th, 2007, 09:42 PM
You mean like this?

A friend of mine from college introduced me to Red Hat Linux.

I've since helped 2+ people from the computer club and 1 co-worker who are using Ubuntu Linux (part or full-time).

Oh, and my kids are using Edubuntu (not that they have much choice.. it's what I put on the system ;) )

tuebinger
December 26th, 2007, 09:43 PM
Five years ago a computer programmer friend of mine mentioned in a conversation that he uses linux. He said that linux never crashes. I always wanted to try it out, but it wasn't until recently that I had the guts enough to try it on an old laptop. I haven't convinced anyone else to try it yet.

-grubby
December 26th, 2007, 09:46 PM
heard about linux july this year> tried DSL because it was a smaller download> installed ubuntu > have gotten 2 other people to try it > 0 use it :(

loudnlownoma
December 26th, 2007, 09:51 PM
A friend at work a couple years ago introduced me to Knoppix and I found the whole LiveCD concept just amazing. I played around with that a bit, both in trying to learn and using it for helping fix problems for friends(getting data off a Windows hard drive that won't boot for example). Some time later, a buddy introduced me to Linspire, and then later to Kubuntu 7.04. I have since upgraded to Gutsy, re-introducing him in a way and convincing him to try again with the newer version.

I have also helped a couple friends at work start the switch, as well as setting my mom's computer up with a dual-boot for her to get used to Ubuntu for a bit...

il-luzhin
December 26th, 2007, 10:01 PM
I had been using an XP laptop as my main machine for a while. As a curiosity I installed Dapper Drake on an old piece of junk just to see what linux was about.

One day my laptop was pinched, and all I had was the Linux machine to get me through while I figured out where to get the cash to replace my pc. It was a trial by fire for the next few weeks as my work is relatively pc dependent. By the time I got a new machine two months later, it got Feisty on it first thing.

My roommate got a computer for xmas yesterday. After living with my linux machine for the past year the installed MS software was only on their long enough for him to download the 7.10 iso.

fatality_uk
December 26th, 2007, 10:01 PM
About 2001 I had to attend a training seminar about this "Limix, Linus, Linux" thing. We were buying some "Redcap" boxes or something and had to have some sysadmin knowledge within the dept. "Oh my god, it's text based. Phhh. This won't amount to much. They can't even get a Window in the damn thing!" Day 2 of the seminar went onto to dicuss gnome :D

Since then I have usually had a Linux box at some points. Im not what you would call evangelical about Linux :) but I have burned many a CD/DVD, probably 50+. Hard to say. I know of 5 people using Linux full time now because I "introduced" them to it. Hello lads from Rugby club lol. I guess that many others are still using it, oh plus my mum :D

Right now I have 5 copies of Ubuntu 7.10 in my laptop bag. With Gutsy 7.10, I really see a huge benfit for people in installing. Previous versions of Linux, most distros, required a lot of tweaking. With the latest releases, especially 7.10, I can feel confident that most people will have a fairly easy ride!!

bufsabre666
December 26th, 2007, 10:07 PM
all i heard was propaganda of how linux was hard and then eventually i frustration with windows came to a head and i looked into linux and my first try was fedora. since ive preeched it and handed out discs to people with live versions on them, i only know of 3 in converted, my dad, my neighbor and my friend alex. but im not stopping there, more the merrier and im doing my best to fix ubuntu bug #1

jpkotta
December 26th, 2007, 10:40 PM
I first saw it around 2001, at an IEEE meeting. Another student showed me a Knoppix live CD. When I got my own computer at the beginning of 2002, I tried Mandrake, and never looked back. All but one "real" job I've had necessitated me knowing something about Linux/Unix. My current job (which I like) involves installing and programming embedded Linux devices, which might not have happened if I had not been shown a live CD back then.

BTW, he also showed me Opera that night, which I liked much better than Mozilla, and still like better than Firefox.

I haven't managed to convert anyone. I've piqued people's interest, though, and gotten several to try it.

toupeiro
December 26th, 2007, 10:47 PM
I first got into linux by supporting UNIX. DG/UX to be specific. A former co-worker and rest his soul, very dear friend who was the primary UNIX guy where I got hired showed me how to apply some OS patches and how to support the systems, and started talking about a UNIX variant for IBM/PC's called Linux. I was intrigued by it, and also wanted to better my skillset, so I first picked up RedHat 5.2 and so thats how it started for me.

a12ctic
December 26th, 2007, 11:11 PM
When I started playing CS a long time ago, I needed a stable server and windows ME obviously wasn't a shining server platform, so I threw debian on there. About 6 months later I made the swich on all the other PCs in the house excluding my gaming rig. And now all of them use some sort of Linux distribution.

satx
December 27th, 2007, 12:08 AM
My journey into Unix began in 1982, when I was employed by the Tandy Corporation (aka Radio Shack). At that time the workhorse computer was a Model 16 running Tandy's XENIX flavor of Unix.

Quite a machine for its time- The Model 16 was the same as a Model 12 with the 68000 add-on. It was launched a few time after the Tandy TRS 80 model IV. The Z80 processor was used for I/O. Up to four hard disks could be connected (8.4 mb each). It was compatible with the Tandy TRS 80 model II thanks to the Z80 and could run the Model II operating system.

This 68000 chip set and associated memory were much more than a speed improvement. It created a multi-user Unix-based system (actually Xenix, which was just a scaled down Unix). Interestingly, Xenix was developed in part by Microsoft, it was probably the basis upon which some Unix-like functionalities were added to MS-DOS 2.0, like sub-directories, pipes and re-direction.

The 16/6000 had a maximum memory capacity of 768K, and up to 9 serial ports for external terminals. These limits were partly just physical, due to limited card slot space. The 3-port serial cards had jumpers that would have allowed quite a few of them given an external card cage (never produced).

See:
http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=242

I am currently running an HP d4650y w/250 GB HDD, 4 GB RAM, Nvidia 7300, Dual Core Intel 6600/2.4GHz box. I still have a WIN XP partition, and the Gutsy Gibbon running on my Ubuntu partition. Also running WIN XP under VMWARE on my Ubuntu partition for when I need (more and more rarely now) a Windows application.

I have found the Ubuntu forum to be a wealth of information, so that coupled with my prior multi-flavor UNIX background gives me a great pastime that I can have fun with. If Microsoft had such forums (free), they might have done better in their Vista roll out. What a great group of people globally to work with in the forums.

Linux now seems to be the driver for an expanded resurgence of this fine OS. For people tired of the bland Windows environment, this is the OS of choice. I have always put down MAC users- what a narrow perspective on my part. MAC OS X I hear is pretty good (of course it is Linux based).

Bet a lot of people did not realize that the Tandy Color Computer (CoCo to its users) was based on the Motorola 6809 chip, a subset of the 68000. It could run OS 9 Unix very well!

So, while a bit long winded, is how I got involved in Ubuntu! =;

BreathEasy
December 27th, 2007, 12:16 AM
I converted my mother to Ubuntu, mainly because I was curious how a n00b would react to a properly setup Linux system. Turned out fine, but I'm not prepared to convert anyone else, mainly because

(a) they're not interested
(b) they have heavy requirements for windows-only software, like Photoshop/Lightroom, and it would make no sense to run a virtual machine.

%hMa@?b<C
December 27th, 2007, 01:52 AM
I converted my mother to Ubuntu, mainly because I was curious how a n00b would react to a properly setup Linux system. Turned out fine, but I'm not prepared to convert anyone else, mainly because

(a) they're not interested
(b) they have heavy requirements for windows-only software, like Photoshop/Lightroom, and it would make no sense to run a virtual machine.

wine runs Photoshop pretty well

BreathEasy
December 27th, 2007, 11:42 PM
wine runs Photoshop pretty well
"Pretty-well" is different to perfect however, and last I checked, Wine hasn't been able to run CS3 yet. Yes, there are differences worthy of the new version, which is why my Dad wants to run, so instead of fighting the customer I just let him use what he wants. Simple.

Flying caveman
December 28th, 2007, 09:12 AM
I vaguely remember having a few lessons that dealt with Unix command line stuff, It was at a basic computer science course at a community college. The course was mostly about DOS, which in 1995 seemed less irrelevant than the Unix commands.

It was in 2000 I got a terrible spyware/virus on my computer. I didn't even know how to reload an operating system, AOHell has taken over my computer and if your on dial-up you can't download fixes fast enough. At this time I tried installing Mandrake Linux 6.5 but was unsuccessful, except that I did learn about getting into the BIOS and booting from CD. I ended up just buying a new computer with
Windows XP on it.

Finally got cable internet, Chatting with an on-line gamer friend that had a cool website, hosted by Red Hat Linux 9. I though it was cool that you could host you own website that costs extra in windows.

Maybe a year or 2 later my computer I bought with XP on it is still going strong, but I found a computer that someone had thrown away, ( Gateway w/ a 500mhz Celeron) it had windows 98 on it still but I experimented with it and loaded RH9 on it. I played around with it but didn't really use it much, I couldn't figure out how to get my wireless card or the multi-media stuff to work. It installed way quicker and easier than Windows did.

About 2 years ago I was on a PC forum, and there were a few linux users there. most people there were using Suse 9.0 at the time, but for some reason I found a link to distor-watch and started reading about Ubuntu. On a whim, I downloaded the 5.10 .iso failed at burning it properly a few times then dual booted my laptop, and everything worked. I was able to get flash and play dvd's but I still didn't know much about how it worked.

I would play with it until I broke it, Then of course I would have know idea how to fix anything. re-install was too quick and easy eventually I accidental overwrite my windows partition. Leaned what a pain in the butt it is to get a windows install working with all the drivers and everything. So, I learned to get it set-up how I like and not mess with it.

Iv'e been using ubuntu ever since,

I Think I've converted my girlfriend, She hasn't asked my to help her do anything on any of the computers at home for months, Except for one time Firefox hung up after playing a youtube video and she was in the middle of a really long post on one of her forums. I restarted fiefox and restored her session and her post that she was about to submit was still there. I said " There's no way that would still be there in Windows and internet explorer." and she replied "So, this isn't windows?" Me, "No, You haven't used windows at home for 3 months" So, I'm not sure she counts.

I'm trying to get my brother to switch, about a year ago, He had a bunch of stuff wrong with his laptop, so I fixed what I could and dual booted ubuntu but let it default to windows, This time I didn't fix anything, just changed it to boot into ubuntu, and his windows install is still gunked up. The only problem is it has that ATI xpress 200M, I couldn't get the fancy graphics and it takes forever to boot. plus he uses i-tunes, so that might be a problem.

I've been telling my mom about linux but she doesn't seem to listen, Its so sad to see her new dual core laptop running like a slug.

I also, tell people at work about Linux when it comes up, but it must seem too different or hard to use. Hopefully they'll remember what i've told them the next time they break their windows.