Debian User Forums

Freedom from corporate greed !

Curiosity. Then work, and how useful it was for some tasks, even if it was absolute crap at other tasks.


Went something like DOS > DOS + Windows shell ( 3.x / 9x ) > NT 3/4 / Win9x > WinME / 2K / XP / RedHatL5 ( and RPM hell - Note, not RHEL ) > 2K / XP RedhatL6 ( and RPM hell - not RHEL ) > gentoo ( finally dependencies resolved on install request ) / XP / 2K > Debian + windows versions > Debian + Windows + Mac OS/X + *BSD


Basically, it all comes down to what tool fits the job I want to do the best. For some cases that is Linux, for others it is Windows or Mac. I'm not married to any one system, and I am not a FOSS / OSS zealot. I use FOSS when I can, contribute back if possible, but in the end I will use what works the best for the job I need. If it happens that proprietary software handles everything I need it to do for my job better, I won't use FOSS stuff that doesn't do the job as well ( otherwise I would be using it ).

Coherence hooked me into GNU/Linux (1); Aptitude, into Debian.

1. http://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php?p=318067#p318067

Long time ago, as I described @viewtopic.php?f=3&t=54984&start=30#p321579. I never looked back after Debian 4 "Etch" was released. To answer the question, it was because Debian gave me the power, by means of free software, to do my own computing and administer my own desktop and server computers without being dependent on some corporation. But it also gave me a new, enjoyable hobby.

It was actually Debian 2.2 on Amiga, though I only use Debian on my VPS now, having moved to Arch for my main machine (I like the latest of stuff, and you can't get much more cutting edge).

Not that I'd recommend that jump to everyone. You have to have a good understanding of how Linux works, to fix the (admittedly rare these days) breakages that can occur.

What shocked me was that there was no company behind the project but what made me fall in love with Debian was the way to install packages.
I was checking Red Hat 5.x (I can't remember the exact version) but the only fact of installing any software was really a headache. And so many bugs... untill I tried Debian Potato and up to now...

I originally got to Debian via Ubuntu, my first touch to Unix world after saga of Windows starting from Win95. The more I used Ubuntu, the more I grew tired of bloat and stability issues. I started to look for something more robust. I became interested in security and back then a friend had been using Debian stable for a while. I jumped in the bandwagon on Wheezy, of course bricking it instantly with all the stuff I wanted to bring from Ubuntu. Eventually I got around to learn to behave with my repos and I've been using Debian (and other distros) as my main OS for a while now.

I finally got rid of Windows (7) last year after I realized that it had been sitting and occupying my second SSD for a year without a single boot. Guess I kept it for as long as I did to make sure I had a chance for PC gaming if I ever had time or interest to get into it again.

I simply got tired of the pain and anguish that is Windows. A friend suggested openSUSE, which got my feet wet. After continued research, I decided to try Debian Etch. Once everything was set up, it was smooth sailing. I have been with Debian ever since.

I have answered this question on other dormant threads on this same forum, but nevertheless, I will give my answer also to this thread.

I remember I was at work and a work colleague from another section, gave me a CD with Knoppix 3.7 telling me it contained an operating system. At first, I replied in disbelief that an OS needed more than a CD, and that MS Windows was the only real operating system. When, curiosity overtook me, for I didn't even consider booting it to check what the CD contained, I discovered that indeed it was worth looking at in more depth. A year following that happening, I was a new Debian user. Since then, I never looked back at returning to use MS Windows. It seems, with systemd or not, GNU/Linux is still superiour to offer choice compared to proprietary operating systems.

Apple SOS >> MS-DOS >> Windows 3.0 >> Windows 3.1 >> Windows 95 >> Windows 98 >> Windows ME >> Windows 2000 NT >> Windows XP >> Windows XP x86-64 >> Mac OS X 10.6.8 "Snow Leopard" >> Windows 7 >> Ubuntu 9.04 >> Ubuntu 10.04 LTS >> Debian GNU/Linux 5.0 "Lenny" - present release

My first job using computers involved working on a UNIX system--with programs written and maintained in COBOL. Once I got used to it, I really never lost my enjoyment of working with such systems. DOS paled in comparison, and anything microsoft just gets my hackles up...LOL..so Mother's Day was a landmark day for me.

I wandered into Warren Woodford's Simply MEPIS project for a while, after dumping Red Hat, then came straight over to Debian. Mind you, I have a fair number of other distros installed on different machines, and drives to swap-out, but all my daily work is done on Debian.