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View Poll Results: In What Year Did You Start Using Linux?
Distribution: Debian, Red Hat, Slackware, Fedora, Ubuntu
Posts: 13,597
Rep:
In What Year Did You Start Using Linux?
The first semi-official LQ Poll, What Was Your First Linux Distro? now has almost 500 votes and based on feedback in this thread, the idea of regular polls seems popular. Based on that, here's the next poll in the series; In What Year Did You Start Using Linux?
I selected 2004-2005 because that's when I first started using it. I had a one-day experience with Linux (from some computer magazine) around 2000 but that doesn't count as I gave it up after one day.
I selected 2004-2005 because that's when I first started using it. I had a one-day experience with Linux (from some computer magazine) around 2000 but that doesn't count as I gave it up after one day.
Weird. I had almost the same experience. I saw some *nix in a "Boot Magazine" article and the desktop looked like HR Giger had made it.
I wanted that so bad, but,.. wow it was difficult for me to understand back then. So I did what any motivated person would do in that situation... I gave up and promptly forgot about Linux.
1997 here. I knew nothing of it until I was in school learning to code in C++. I wanted to be able to work on code at home but found I had to buy compilers that worked in Windows. I decided to try Slackware instead, after buying a Linux book that included Slack v3.3. I continued to use it after the course was completed.
I think it was 1993 - but it could have been 1994. The kernel version was 0.99 p4, but not certain now (the SLS 1.2 floppy distribution are long gone).
1994/95 - I was introduced to Linux on a job site where I found I needed to modify/use C code for a remote motion control system - all Unix based. The head genius on the project introduced me to a new thing called Linux as a path forward. I ordered a new notebook computer and had it delivered to my hotel room, then spent a few days figuring out how to install and find my way around several distros - Slackware included.
It was a baptism by fire, but I had a strong CP/M and assembler background, and within about a week, with some excellent guidance from some very nice people, I was up to sufficient speed to work with their existing systems, and went on to a successful project completion. Have been a full time Linux user ever since!
I used SuSE mostly until about 1999/2000 when I went with Mandrake 7.1... stayed with Mandrake/Mandriva until about 2005, during which time I converted all family and associates as well.
When Mandriva became an early adopter of KDE 4 I took refuge with Slackware, and beacme a real Linux user!
I played with it as early as 1998 but didn't start using it full-time until 2003 when Mandrake 9.2 Powerpack came out. It had the best installer at the time and the powerpack came with all the CDs I needed so I didn't have to waste a week downloading stuff with a 33.6 kb/sec modem. Stopped using Mandrake about the time the French government took over and company became Mandriva. After that tried just about everything, including BSD.
Anywho, I voted 2003 since playing doesn't count as using. Had my first Windows program publish in 1992 though.
I started learning my way around Linux in 1998 while I was at Uni. I've always used it on home PCs because I don't want to pay for windows. I've worked with Linux in embedded systems, and now I'm learning about web development on Linux.
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