How Did You Discover Linux ?

[n2ize]

For me it was around 1995. I had a new computer on order, a 166 mhz pentium to replace my old IBM PC XT and I was browsing the O'reilly books in a bookstore and came across a book called "Running Linux". I started reading it and I found it interesting. A multitasking, multiuser Unix-like clone. It reminded me of the systems I used in academia. It came with 2 discs. So, I bought it. When I got my new Pentium I partitioned the 2 Gb Windows drive and installed Linux. It was an early 1.x kernel. It was crude, primitive, needed a lot of recompilation and reconfigs and it was nerdy/geeky as hell. But I liked it better than Windows 95. I've been using it ever since and loving it even more these days.

[NQ6U]

Someone left it in a basket on my doorstep with a note pinned to it asking me to take care of it.

[WØTKX]

1985, I had a loaner Unix PC for almost two years from my employer.

http://oldcomputers.net/pics/att-unix-pc-right.jpg

[NY4Q]

I don't remember the year, but I'd heard about it from a buddy at GA Tech. I found a BBS that had Slackware ver 1.0 in the downloads list and although it took me nearly a month to download the floppy set, I kept on and installed it, and never looked back. I've used it at every place I've worked since then.

[ad4mg]

Windows ME is how I found Linux (Slackware). XP almost dragged me back, but then I found Ubuntu Linux. Started with ver 7.10 and never looked back.

[NM5TF]

was introduced to Unix over the years at different jobs.....

bought a new Dell desktop in 2007....came with Win Vista installed ( tried to get Win XP,
but Dell is in bed with MS so no choice of OS).....struggled with Vista for almost 9 months
until it finally got to the point of not booting without dreaded BSOD.....

wiped HDD clean & installed Ubuntu ( don't remember distro, but most likely 8.10 ) in 2008
and have been a friend of the Penguin ever since.....love it!!!!

[WØTKX]

Have had better luck with Windows than most it seems. The last time I used Linux a bunch for personal use was about 7 or 8 years ago.

These days, I use a Flex 3000, so I stick with it. But I do know how to smack Windows around, instead of just blaming "Bill the Gates".

The hive doesn't give me the hives. :dunno:

[n6hcm]

Have had better luck with Windows than most it seems.

thing about windows ... i came to it after UNIX, and knowing UNIX made it easier to use windows. i've never had significant problems with windows that i couldn't resolve. i still prefer contemporary linux to windows, but i can make them both work ...

[WØTKX]

True dat. And yes, I did do Unix before Windows. Well Xenix in my case.
My outdated SysAdmin Certification was for freaking Apollo Domain. ;)

And before that, we used to "PIP" our files. Aaaaaand, we liked it!

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xb9Y-7y3mkw/TsHjecshbHI/AAAAAAAAASA/GEYEhr1DCJ4/s400/Grumpy%2Bold%2Bman.jpg

[W2NAP]

someone handed me a debian disk back in 2000'ish played around with it liked it but it was kinda rough but stuck with it. then in 04 came ubuntu. ran that till Freespire showed up then freespire died and moved over to linux mint..distro hopped a bit then linux mint came out with the linux mint debian edition.

started with debian and after all the distro hopping im back to debian

[W4GPL]

I worked at an ISP when I was 15 minutes years old. The Linux server was something 'we shouldn't touch'.. one day it broke and that's when I became the Linux exspurt.

[n2ize]

Before Linux my "computing world" was primarily with the DEC systems PDP-11, Dec 20 / TOPS20. Vax and Vax/VMS. Mainly used these systems for my undergrad and grad work but in the process I became very familiar with the underlying systems and operating systems. So much so that when i was in the computer room students and professors would often interrupt me to ask "how do I do this... that... etc ??". When I n o longer had working accounts on those systems I started playing around with IBM PC XT/AT systems running MsDOS and was never too happy with them. After a brief time with WINDOWS I found Linux as described above and haven't looked back since.

[NY4Q]

Before Linux my "computing world" was primarily with the DEC systems PDP-11, Dec 20 / TOPS20. Vax and Vax/VMS

I worked for a defense contractor and was the support dude for PDP-11 / PDP-8e, etc. Pretty cool stuff really.

[KC2UGV]

Like Jeff, Windows Me introduced me to Linux. I've been playing with UNIX however, since my Buffalo Freenet "internship".