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For how many years have you been using GNU/Linux?

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edbarx
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For how many years have you been using GNU/Linux?

#1 Post by edbarx »

I have been using GNU/Linux since 2007.

Before the conversion, I studied some Unix terminal commands to be more adapted for the plunge. The appeal from the powerful terminal was too much not to sucumb to. And, the fact Debian had a huge repositiory of free software, which ranged from simple every man's software to sophisticated specialised software, was another attraction which painfully lacked when I used MS Windows exclusively.

Let us be fair and just, I still use some MS Windows software running under WINE. I use LTSpice. Yes, yes, there is an open source circuit simulator, but that, unfortunately, needs its steep learning curve for which now I lack patience.
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Re: For how many years have you been using GNU/Linux?

#2 Post by Hallvor »

Since 2006. It was natural since I almost exclusively used open source applications at the time. I also used a Linux-based router and noticed how well it performed.

My first install was Ubuntu 6.06 Dapper Drake. I ordered a free installation CD and got it in my mailbox. I found breakage in subsequent versions annoying and moved on to Mandriva-based distros, and even briefly tested Debian Etch. The latter was too "old" and conservative for me at the time.

After changing hardware and getting issues, and being tired of bugs (and things not working correctly), I installed Debian Lenny in 2009. It worked perfectly, and I have been here since.
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Re: For how many years have you been using GNU/Linux?

#3 Post by MALsPa »

I started playing around with Knoppix (live sessions from CDs/DVDs), and picked up a cheap laptop that came preinstalled with Linspire, back in 2005.

Did my first real Linux installation (Mepis) about a year later. Been using only Linux at home (no Windows) since 2007 or 2008, something like that.

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Re: For how many years have you been using GNU/Linux?

#4 Post by 4D696B65 »

Since 1999. First pure debian for me was potato.

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Re: For how many years have you been using GNU/Linux?

#5 Post by CwF »

Using since Jessie 05-07-2016, the date of this computers install.
Mandrake, Knoppix, 'Buntus before that, but none qualified as 'Using'

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Re: For how many years have you been using GNU/Linux?

#6 Post by wizard10000 »

Off and on since maybe 1995, hosted my own domain at home until maybe 2005 - I work in Windows but quit using it at home in 2008.

Switched to Debian in 2006 after a Fedora Core 6 meltdown - this is where I learned not to do unattended upgrades on a development distribution :)

Played with a Slackware-based distribution (Vector Linux) for awhile, tried Kubuntu for awhile after that and then migrated to Crunchbang. When #! went away in 2013 I moved my #! config to Sid and have been happy ever since.

My first distribution was Yggdrasil and I got the CD when I bought a big Linux bible :)
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Re: For how many years have you been using GNU/Linux?

#7 Post by trinidad »

Came from IBM mainframe/workstation to Linux around 1994. Seriously changed over to Suse sometime around 1999. Switched to Kubuntu maybe 2003. Came to Debian gnome with Jessie and never switched again. Currently all Buster.

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Re: For how many years have you been using GNU/Linux?

#8 Post by NFT5 »

In about 2002 I started playing with Red Hat. By 2005 I actually had a permanent installation of Ubuntu which broke severely every time there was a major release upgrade, although, in hindsight, I probably contributed to the breakage(s). At that time I had just a single desktop and persevered with an Ubuntu/XP dual boot. By 2014 I had a shop with 15 PCs all running XP and in the lead up to its EOL I'd been testing various Linux distributions. Debian won on stability and usability as well as long periods between releases. XP was relegated to a couple of VMs to run proprietary software and Debian installed as the main OS on all machines. Still the case and I gave up distro hopping years ago.

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Re: For how many years have you been using GNU/Linux?

#9 Post by arzgi »

After some Red Hats, installed Debian Woody at first day I got a broadband connection 2002.

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Re: For how many years have you been using GNU/Linux?

#10 Post by kedaha »

About 14 years' continuous use of Debian, which I've used since shorly after Etch was released on April 8th, 2007. Before that I had unsuccessfully tried to use Sarge. My first contact with GNU/Linux was Slackware but as with Sarge, I couldn't get it to work on my hardware.
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Re: For how many years have you been using GNU/Linux?

#11 Post by LE_746F6D617A7A69 »

"For how many years have you been using GNU/Linux?"
It depends on what You're going to consider as "using".

I've used RHEL and CentOS (now Stream) at work along with Wiblows for ~20 years - but at home I've switched to GNU/Linux around 2008.

Since that time I'm using GNU/Linux as the only OS on my PCs (currently a single workstation, 3 laptops, and 2 RasperryPi's - all running on Debian (Raspbian on RPi).

The only closed source software that I'm sometimes using at home are just few games - they are running in an isolated schroot + customized wine (e.g. Internet Exploder emulation is disabled).
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Re: For how many years have you been using GNU/Linux?

#12 Post by Loci.Cantos »

Since 1994/1995. Off and on. Lots of different distros over the years, so many of them proving grounds for their more stable commercial releases. Moved away from the constant changers to the more stable releases.

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Re: For how many years have you been using GNU/Linux?

#13 Post by Bulkley »

There was a time when there were Linux discs in the back of computer magazines. At first they were 3 1/2" floppies; later CDs. Somewhere around 1996 or 7 I found a Caldera disk in a magazine and installed it, dual booting with Win 95. I didn't know what I was doing and soon replaced Caldera with something else from another magazine. I went through several variations of Linux in those days most of which don't exist today. Looking back it was stunning how complete those early versions were considering the small size of a floppy. The big problem was configuring a dial-up modem to access the Internet. My first Debian based was Libranet which I ran for a couple of years. Libranet was a one man operation and he died suddenly so I changed my sources list to the Debian Stable of that time and never regretted it.
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Re: For how many years have you been using GNU/Linux?

#14 Post by cds60601 »

For me, it was *BSD circa 1998 - 2002, after that... Linux since.
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Re: For how many years have you been using GNU/Linux?

#15 Post by craigevil »

Not sure of the year, but Debian Woody was my first Debian install.
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Re: For how many years have you been using GNU/Linux?

#16 Post by Job »

My journey started in the late 90s, 1998 or 1999 with Redhat > Mandrake > Ubuntu > Debian > Devuan (you know why) + FreeBSD.

Side note: a friend last week told me that his Windows 10 does not boot. The fan goes crazy and he does not get a login screen. Right there I can see a new conversion. This dude does not know he is sliding into the free world :D .
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Re: For how many years have you been using GNU/Linux?

#17 Post by steve_v »

Since 1999, and Slackware 7.
Went something like: Slackware -> Redhat -> LFS -> Gentoo -> Debian -> Devuan + Gentoo... And right now I'm setting up Slackware 7 again, on much the same hardware I had in '99. Full circle it is. :D
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Re: For how many years have you been using GNU/Linux?

#18 Post by Nili »

From my ten years journey (i'm not too sure about the dates), but i have used so far:

2011 - 2013 Ubuntu / Linux Mint
2013 - 2016 #! / LinuxBBQ / BunsenLabs
2016 - 2018 Debian
2018 - 2021 Devuan / OpenBSD / Alpine Linux
2021 - Fedora
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Re: For how many years have you been using GNU/Linux?

#19 Post by thinkpadx »

over 15

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Re: For how many years have you been using GNU/Linux?

#20 Post by tzf »

edbarx wrote: 2021-07-06 07:12 I have been using GNU/Linux since 2007.
\o The same here, since 2007(Ubuntu)-2013 since now(Debian)

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