Wilsonsway

Ever ask yourself that question? What got you to try Linux in the first place? I found myself thinking that recently and was figuring it had to do with it being free for the most part but the more I thought about it, the more it became apparant that there was so much more to it than just cost.

I first started trying Linux several years ago when I was becoming frustrated with all the annual fees for virus, malware, spyware, etc. protection. One of which, that was supplied by my ISP at the time (cable company), allowed my system to be hacked over-night. How does 144 viruses and trojans sound to you? Scary, huh? Well, that’s what they found in it after just one night of leaving it on by accident. Yes, it was Windows XP. And yes, all 144 in one night.

This left me feeling even more like a sucker for believing the anti-virus companies had my best interests at heart so the trek to find something more suitable and reliable got started.

I started off trying PCLinuxOS or Linspire first. Can’t recall which one was first off but, never the less, they became my first try at Linux. I floundered badly for a while admittedly, like most Windows users probably did. I was so used to how things went in Windows that I just couldn’t get my head wrapped around how things went in Linux. But, I kept trying. I was totally determined to keep trying and not give up.

You might be wondering about now why I just didn’t go out and buy myself a Mac. Even then, they were expensive and I’d still be floundering away trying to get used to a Mac’s way of doing things. Knowing then what I do now, it may have turned out differently seeing as a Mac is based on Linux anyway but hindsight is 20-20 as they say.

After trying one distro after another and learning bits and pieces along the way, I found myself dual-booting between Windows and Linux because a lot of the programs I had paid good money for back then didn’t work in Windows and I wasn’t ready to give them up. I still had a good business going back then in web design so giving the Windows side up completely was not going to happen. Not yet anyway.

After a while, I figured out I was more comfortable with a Debian-based system and stuck with Ubuntu for a few years. Fedora, openSUSE and others like them were great systems but I was always having difficulty with them for one reason or another. So, the decision to stick to a Debian-based system was made and I ran Ubuntu for a few years. Until I stumbled across Linux Mint.

To me, Linux Mint was a breath of fresh air. It came with everything I needed during the initial install and left little else to be done except for customizing my desktop, apps and programs. It’s said that Linux Mint is the distro to try first when deciding about leaving a Windows system. I believe it to be true. Even after all this time, I still prefer it over any other Debian-based system. After all, it’s all about what one feels more comfortable with, isn’t it?

So, that brings us to this point in time now. I use Linux Mint 8 presently on my laptop and also Win7 Pro on a desktop for games and movies. Yes, Win7. The box had Vista on it and was terrible. Win7 is what Vista should have been but wasn’t. Honestly, I can say that I’m satisfied with it but it doesn’t stay on all the time either. Like Gomer said on TV once before: “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me!”

My home server is Ubuntu-based and is running just fine as well. No complaints there.

Seeing as most of my on-line time is spent searching the ‘net these days for stories, articles and information about what interests me, my laptop is used quite a bit. Admittedly, I do have an anti-virus app loaded on it but, it’s not there to protect me as much as it’s there to protect you. Most viruses out there are only worrisome to a Windows user. I have Avast Home User loaded on my laptop to make sure that IF I wind up with one, I don’t pass it on to you in an email or some other way. I also have it on my Win7 box just in case.

I know that others have had similar experiences in learning Linux. What was yours like? Was it easier for you or harder? Were you able to completely convert over to Linux or still using both Linux and Windows or Mac?

Thanks for reading!

Tags: Computers, Linux, Mac, Windows