From testing to using Linux

This is my story of how it happened that I started using Linux.

I am working in a company that sells and supports phone systems and server applications that compliment the former.

Since the advance of VOIP phone systems, nowadays these are in their basis a PC/server running either Windows or Linux as operating system. The same is valid for other servers for either applications, services or networking.

At first servers and their applications (with the Linux OS) were bought for customers preinstalled and configured and one did not have to be too technical to do trouble shooting. Even, 'messing around' in the underlaying OS was discouraged by the developer.

However, I thought to myself that there will come a time that more knowledge in Linux will come in handy. So, why not invest some time in it privately.

After informing myself about Linux distributions I decided to test some Linux distributions at home in a virtual maschine environment at first and later in a dual boot old laptop configuration. This was roughly in the year 2007/2008.

Of course starting with the nicest looking one, in my personal view, I went for Fedora. Soon to discover that this was a bad choice for a stable system, let alone for a newbie doing his first steps in Linux land. So pretty soon I found this a bad choice, though I must say that the main problem for me never was the part of installing it but always tweaking and maintaining it. Than 'all hell broke loose', so to speak, and I had to start over again. Usually after starting out with the basic system I soon ended up with a system that would not boot into graphical mode anymore. Poor newbie at the command prompt! What now?

So I went from Fedora, CentOS, Ubuntu and probably a few others ending up more or less always on the command prompt only. Than finally I started making some progress figuring out more of the basics through online reading. I also ended up testing openSUSE - the least appealing in my view. However I found openSUSE the easiest in all aspects for a person new to Linux. Especially the tool YAST helps a new person a great deal to configure and maintain the system.

After spending some time in testing Linux for about 1 year, the opportunity arose to use Linux in a practical way. My wife isn't a 'computer person'. She uses what she has to use. Office, and mail application. Browsing the internet. Printing etc. Usual administrative stuff - plus some fun with listening audio and watching video. For her it is difficult to administer a computer. Our main computer systems always were running Windows.

One fine day, just one day before a nice vacation we want to go on, her Windows XP pops up with the message that Windows is not activated on her system. 'Please activate your Windows. You have 14 days left". Which is of course crap. She uses the system with a legal Windows installation since years. My efforts just one day before we go on vacation is of course try to activate the license - Windows: NOPE- Please call to activate. O.K. - lets phone: WINDOWS IVR: No succes - please call helpdesk. O.k. - lets call Windows Support. "Hello! You use Windows without a valid license", "No I don't!", "Yes you are.... blah, blah, blah etc". Well - you guess the rest. Either buy a new Windows license or don't use your computer anymore.

Next step. Have a nice vacation and get my anger under control. Come back, wipe the hard drive clean of any Windows crap left and start with a new system. Now it comes in handy to have 'worked with Linux before'. Install the latest openSUSE 11.1 (2009). Put all personal files/data back. Configure our printer - test and done. Works great. Test how my wife is coping with it, some explanation of where is what - off you go - and she does! GREAT SUCCESS!

Wife: "But wait - how about that one Windows application that I paid for and use quite frequently?". Right. I did not think off that. Hmm, is this smart?: Run a Windows virtual maschine with only that specific application. I tried it out and - YES - it works. Was it smart to use Linux in the first place? I my opinion it was. It was a matter of principal in this case not to use Windows anymore on her PC. I still had a valid Windows license from a other - older maschine though.

The best thing of it all is that from 2009 up to end off 2015, I never had to reinstall her PC. It just ran and update without a glitch. Even Windows XP in the virtual maschine ran faster and more reliable than native on the same PC! And by the way - that special app she used to use a lot wasn't that important anymore after about a year.

So there you have it. My wife now has a modern laptop that I bought without a OS. Installed again the latest openSUSE Linux on it and it works for her.
I myself converted to a Windows 7 (now 10) and Linux (openSUSE) dualboot system.

I still think that Windows 7 and 10 are great products. They work fine. But being able to use Linux as well has by now greatly helped me in my job too and privately I use Linux more often than windows. Often I fall back to windows only for special tasks and applications that I have to use. I actually feel a bit saver too on Linux since it is less probabile to get a virus and/or hacked.

By now I do feel confident installing, configuring and maintain Linux maschines. If you want to start too, the best thing would be to get someone who has already some knowledge in Linux. It'll help you greatly. However, if you are handy with a computer just a little bit, to install Linux should not be a problem at all anymore. And if you need a tip from me about a distribution for a beginner: I can recommend you to start either with openSUSE or Linux Mint.

If you are technical and want to learn more of Windows and Linux, I can also recommend you this website from dedoimedo - "a place to learn a lot about a lot!": http://www.dedoimedo.com/

Greetings from Zebulon