Why do I use Linux?

[Vaughn Treude]

On Sun, 2005-11-27 at 05:46, Siri Amrit Kaur wrote:
> On Sunday 27 November 2005 04:11 pm Ric Whitney kindly wrote:
> > Invoked by June Tate's reply to my post on the 1984 thread:
> >
> > I was never much into Sci-Fi.  The closest I ever got was LOTR and
> > Thomas Covenant.  I used to be a Handyman.  I read a lot of
> > Shakespeaere and Dickens - the classic stuff.  I started using
> > Windows 3.1 in 95, when I got my first computer - a 386 something
> > or other.  As early as 96 I bought a copy of Redhat 5.2.  I guess I
> > became disillusioned with the whole Windows thing very quickly. I'm
> > still left to ponder my reasons for even showing an interest in
> > Linux in the first place.  I installed Redhat 5.2 - couldn't get
> > any kind of dialtone (had dialup til August 99 when my son was
> > born.) . What did /, /usr, /var, /etc mean?
> > I was stuck to C:\.  I'm not sure where I'm going with this, just
> > that I seem to be somewhat ignorant in light of June's post - she's
> > so intelligent.  I realise that we're all ignorant - only on
> > different subjects (Will Rogers).  I'm fairly intelligent when it
> > comes to book lernin'.  I just can't figure out why I turned to
> > Linux like I have.  Can anyone enlighten me? ;-)
> >
> > Thanks for listening!
> >
> > Ric Whitney
> 
> I feel much the same way; some people on this list are SO smart! I 
> know why I first tried Linux, and that was because of all the reasons 
> I didn't like Windows: lack of security, lack of control, "taking 
> over" in ways I didn't like. I also wanted to learn more about how 
> computer stuff worked and figured Linux was a good way to learn. That 
> was four years ago. What I CAN'T figure out is why I've stuck with it 
> all these years when I'm so bad at it all! I took a quiz once to see 
> what O/S I was suited for and it came back "Windows" :-(
> 
> Everything about Linux is hard for me. Remembering commands and 
> commandline syntax is something my brain will never be good at. My BP 
> goes up every time I have to type in a terminal.

I cut my teeth on Unix and "grew up" with the command line. One of the
first things I do on a Windoze box is to bring up the command prompt. 
And it's aggravating when I habitually type in a Linux command, and of
course, the retarded Redmond OS doesn't recognize it.  One thing I've
noticed though, is that the Windows command line is gradually getting
more Linux-like, for example, you can now use the arrow key to recall
previously typed commands.  But even I have trouble remembering some of
the commands I seldom use.  For that reason, I recommend having some
kind of "cheat sheet."  It's also very important to keep a log of every
system setting you change and every library and program you install. 
I've learned that the hard way - if you ever have to reinstall, it
really makes things easier.

> 
>  When I screw up, I 
> screw up hugely. Little things like the clock suddenly going all 
> kattywhompus drive me crazy. I barely grok the man pages.
> 

A Robert Heinlein reference!  :-)  Sad to say, "grok" has bad
connotations for me because while I liked his early stuff, everything he
wrote after "Stranger in a Strange Land" sucked!  (Just my two cents.)

Vaughn

> Linux aggravates the heck out of me, but I've learned to live with it. 
> And sometimes I actually manage to enjoy it. I figure the constant 
> mental battle will keep me from developing Alzheimers in my old 
> age...
> 
> Siri Amrit