In What Year Did You Start Using Linux?

michael@actrix · 08-23-2020, 04:33 PM

I ftp'ed version 0.11 on January 23rd 1992 and booted it on 386 PC at Wellington City Council (New Zealand).

I downloaded the 0.11 root and boot floppies after reading this reply in comp.os.msdos:

Quote:

Newsgroups: comp.unix.msdos
Subject: Re: Public domain unix for PC's ?
Message-ID: <H108373.92Jan8144439@naakka.cs.tut.fi>
From: h108373@cs.tut.fi (Hakkarainen Kimmo)
Date: 8 Jan 92 12:44:39 GMT
Sender: usenet@funet.fi (#Kotilo NEWS system )
References: <ARA.92Jan7231737@schwyz.ai.mit.edu>
Distribution: comp
Organization: Tampere Univ. of Technology, Finland.
In-Reply-To: ara@zurich.ai.mit.edu's message of 8 Jan 92 04: 17:37 GMT
Nntp-Posting-Host: naakka.cs.tut.fi
Lines: 78

ara@zurich.ai.mit.edu (Allan Adler) writes:

> Is there one ? If so, where can I get it ?

~ lehtori>finger torvalds@kruuna.helsinki.fi
[kruuna.helsinki.fi]
Login name: torvalds In real life: Linus Benedict Torvalds
Directory: /home/kruuna/tkol/torvalds Shell: /bin/tcsh
Last login Wed Jan 8 09:47 on ttyp4 from LKS500
New mail received Wed Jan 8 12:25:56 1992;
unread since Wed Jan 8 07:55:00 1992
Plan:
Free UNIX for the 386 - coming 4QR 91 or 1QR 92.

The current version of linux is 0.11 - it has most things a unix kernel
needs, and will probably be released as 1.0 as soon as it gets a little
more testing, and we can get a init/login going. Currently you get
dumped into a shell as root upon bootup.

Linux can be gotten by anonymous ftp from 'nic.funet.fi' (128.214.6.100)
in the directory '/pub/OS/Linux'. The same directory also contains some
binary files to run under Linux. Currently gcc, bash, update, uemacs,
tar, make and fileutils. Several people have gotten a running system,
but it's still a hackers kernel.

Linux still requires a AT-compatible disk to be useful: people are
working on a SCSI-driver, but I don't know when it will be ready.

There are now a couple of other sites containing linux, as people have
had difficulties with connecting to nic. The sites are:
Tupac-Amaru.Informatik.RWTH-Aachen.DE (137.226.112.31):
directory /pub/msdos/replace
tsx-11.mit.edu (18.172.1.2):
directory /pub/linux

There is also a mailing list set up 'Linux-activists@niksula.hut.fi'.
To join, mail a request to 'Linux-activists-request@niksula.hut.fi'.
It's no use mailing me: I have no actual contact with the mailing-list
(other than being on it, naturally).

Mail me for more info:

Linus (torvalds@kruuna.Helsinki.FI)

0.11 has these new things:

- demand loading
- code/data sharing between unrelated processes
- much better floppy drivers (they actually work once in a while)
- bug-corrections
- support for Hercules/MDA/CGA/EGA/VGA
- the console also beeps (WoW! Wonder-kernel :-)
- mkfs/fsck/fdisk
- US/German/French/Finnish keyboards
- settable line-speeds for com1/2

Still lacking:
- init/login
- rename system call
- named pipes
- symbolic links

0.12 will probably be out in January (15th or so), and will have:
- POSIX job control (by tytso)
- VM (paging to disk)
- Minor corrections
~ lehtori>exit
script done on Wed Jan 8 14:39:15 1992

I hope this is answer to your question !

Kimmo
--
Kimmo Hakkarainen (h108373@cc.tut.fi)

Fire, walk with me.

trevoratxtal · 08-23-2020, 08:38 PM

1994 SUSE on a lot of floppy's, Took weeks Na Months to get some worthwhile software working, but then it was a steep learning curve.
The reason I kept trying is it crashed much' much' less than Windoze. 3 I think.
Life without Linux is like a life without joy.

KGIII · 08-23-2020, 08:58 PM

This is a convoluted one for me to answer.

In the 90s, I was using a mix of Sun stuff on big iron (we still had that then) and a lot of Windows stuff on the desktop/workstations. However, being a geeky kinda guy, I played with Linux multiple times - but didn't "use" it for much of anything.

I'd keep poking at it, here and there, until the mid-2000s. In 2007, I sold and retired. It was not long after that I moved to Linux exclusively. I've used Linux exclusively ever since.

So, I'm not sure when I started using Linux.

Sreeram sengottai · 08-23-2020, 11:08 PM

I started using from 2013..using it at only embedded systems...so 2013

aoncica · 08-24-2020, 04:45 AM

Early 1998 (Red Hat Linux 5.0)

babeloo · 08-24-2020, 07:45 AM

1999 - I tested using the CDs offered with magazines dealing with Linux.
I tested using the CDs offered with magazines dealing with Linux.

WarumLinuxBesserIst · 08-24-2020, 09:25 AM

1997
I got really pissed of using Windows, always errors, always reinstall, always internet problems, getting slower and slower..
That time I choose S.u.S.E. Linux 5.1 as my first desktop distribution.
To be truth, I was not able to install it by myself. I was not able to choose the right option for Lilo.
And the whole installation took me very very long with Disk and CD-ROM. That time was no USB-memory-stick
After finishing the installation I need to set where to install the lilo boot manager.. failed.. Then I had to reinstall it again for hours. Again and again...
Until a guy, about 30 km away helped me.

hazel · 08-24-2020, 09:52 AM

Hey, I like your handle!

old grouch · 08-24-2020, 10:12 AM

2010 or maybe 2011

dna9 · 08-24-2020, 11:55 AM

1998. I bought the boxed version of Redhat 5.2 at Price Club which is now Costco. It went on an IBM Aptiva with a 333mhz processor and 32mb of ram with Gnome as the GUI. LILO was the boot loader. Good times....