I switched out of curiosity. I haven't regretted it and never looked back. It's been fun. I had no prior experience with any other operating system other than Windows. The transition has been fun, but sometimes challenging.

I switched because of web design. Way back in the day I taught myself HTML using the "bare-bones guide to html" and free space from geocities (before yahoo! bought them out). As I got more into it, I wanted to add more features (Like cgi scripts, .htaccess files, php etc...) and I realized I would need to install my own server.

So I went ahead and installed apache, perl, mysql etc on my windows box (it was 98 at the time I think, maybe still 95). So now I have this software installed, what do I do with it? Searching around the web for docs, they pretty much all assumed you had a unix machine. At this time, I thought Linux was an archaic text only OS only for use by comp Sci students, however, increasingly frustrated with 'AMP' on Win, I decided to go forth and try Linux. I had to buy a second HDD because this was my Ma's computer, so I installed it and I was off to the races.

I fell in love almost instantly. The openness, the community, the 'cool' factor! It all really appealed to me. About 6 months later I had money for my own computer, and MS software has still never touched it (yes, it is still in use as my router/firewall). So from these modest beginnings I have turned into a total UNIX junkie, and I could never consider running windows again. Even now, when I use my brothers computer, or Internet cafe or somesuch Windows annoys me to the point of almost enraging me (ie: "why isn't the middle button pasting my text"?, and the completely useless error messages for troubleshooting).

Running Linux/Unix has taught me more about computers than an entire lifetime of running Windows could. I love the openness of the system.

I also used to talk trash about windows, and spew venom on the superiority of Unix, but now I don't bother. It is pointless. Instead I just laugh when my friends talk about their Win boxes getting slammed with spy/adware, viruses, and when my brother brings a new CD to my house because windows won't let him rip the DRMed piece of crap...

Plus I am not a gamer, so that aspect of windows has no relevance to me.

I switched because of the free nature of Linux. I am a programmer and got all the languages and compilers I could ever want all for free. I stayed due to the stability, I have had servers run for over a year without a reboot or crash. I challenge anyone to say that about a Windows server that is actually serving. I currently run a server at home and have Suse 10 on my notebook. I use OO for all my office needs. I feel Linux is very mature and stable. Not going any place else for a very long time.

Why i'm switching security mainly. I've heard there's a better os. Surprised to see so mcuh free software for linux and not just free trials.

I switched for several reasons:

1. I could.
2. My background dates back to when mainframes still ruled, and minicomputers, microcomputers, and desktop devices were only just coming into being. I found early mini and micro computer systems to be more accessible than mainframe systems, but lacking in infrastructure and capabilities. Therefore, for the past twenty years or so, I have been looking for systems with the usability and accessibility of small systems with the capabilities of larger systems.
3. UNIX systems offered features, but lacked every day usability.
4. DOS and Windows systems offered usability, but lacked features and flexibility.

In 1995, when I first tried out Linux, it, too, was lacking in completeness, but I saw in it the potential to blend some of the best features from UNIX and Windows and come up with a range of flexible, extensible solutions.

It's taken a long time, but I would now argue that Linux, viewed as a broad thing, offers the range of capabilities, from very small implementations within embedded devices, scaling all the way up to highly complex, networked, scaled multiprocessor, multi node supercomputer infrastructures.

Linux has proven it can handle tasks from the device to the data.

All it lacks now is acceptance and common applications. I can use it, nevertheless, for every day Web browsing, Email reading, text editing, moderate complexity office work, and most of my general computing needs. I do so at home, and I even use it at work, where Linux provides the server environment for some of our applications, and a terminal server for access to multiple UNIX, Linux, and Windows server systems.

Ha!

Same thing happened to me. Put a disk in and it just exploded the disk. Now there are bits of broken cd in it and when i put a disk in it opens and closes several times, Seems ti me that it IS a geneeric piece of crap.

I never switched! Bought my first pc last summer and installed mandriva on the empty box from ftp. No problems, quick and what a relief! I did of course use my fathers pc for many years and seen more crashes with dos, 3.1, 3.11, 95, 98, me and xp than i will the rest of my life. And that is an understatement, just once did mandriva freeze up while the ms took a dive about twice a day (or at least 4x a week with xp).

Convenience is not the only reason i use linux. The monopoly, surveillance and all the restrictions, not to mention the hair raising prices demanded for an unfinished product, are a very good reason for cutting out. I like the community based linux, gnu and non-commercial aspects and the fact that i choose the program i want. If i prefer a text editor made in 92 because it is light and works i can use it, this was not an option before as you have to update all the time to read the new document format or something. All alternatives was limited shareware that you had to for, nothing was free, with the end result that you sit there feeling like a criminal because you got serials and cracks from the net. Not anymore.

And that i got all programs in my (small) language was impressing (not previously experienced) and in good translations too. Tux haiting!

I haven't switched entierly yet. But I'm already using 95% of the time linux. The reasons I switched:

-I like that most of the applications are already installed(not like windows, after installing another 2 hours before I have all I need)
-I use it for work(php programming), and I use only free software. No dreamweaver, IIS, and such things
-Curiosity...when you learn how to work on windows you don't get any info on how the system works, it's not like that in linux, you can learnt everything about it, I mean you can check out the source code!
-Better control over the system, I started using slackware so it makes me learn and watch out for my system.
-Much less viruses, better overall security

-I also like the spirit in the linux community, it seems as if everyone is welcome and everybody will help you.

Hope this aint to confusing

I have not fully switched as I cannot use any of my Microsoft games on Linux.

The reason I use Linux is because:

- Lower/No threats from viruses, spyware or adware
- The rock stable operation
- The ability to run on older hardware
- I can easily adapt code to my liking
- Lots of KDE design options
- It is free!
- In my opinion most programs much easier to use

Well first of all I would like to say that im a newbie at linux, I duel boot so I'm not an 100% authentic linux user, but my intro into linux is quite funny and interesting as it happened on a date.

Long story short, I'm a high school student and it was over this summer. I had tried to put all my geeky habits behind me (oh, I had so few now that I'm looking back). You see, I never took the time to fully take full advantage of windows xp and quite honestly could only use it to surf the web and to run/install programs. I used to be skilled at windows 98 if it crashed and such. Soon, I found myself illiterate at windows xp and finally computers in general after so long of rejecting my nerdness.

But I could only hold it back for so long......

This summer me and this girl went on a date at the mall and at the end part went to the borders there. When she went to the bathroom found myself in the computer book section and there it was. It was a beginner linux book all by itself surrounded by empty space. A voice in my head told me to buy it. I fought back yet lost. I do not know why I wanted it nor did I know why it tortured me to not have it, but it was a downward spiral from there. I waited til recently to instal it due to my family computer being well.... a family computer. I was also too cheep to buy partition magic and my father despised the idea of linux on his computer. This birthday my parents decided to give me a laptop which had an empty partition which could be used for d2d recovery......

There is more to this story but that's preaty much why I'm using linux.

I have not switched a 100%: I use statistical software that only Windows runs (my shcool does not buy the Linux version); I switched starting 2006. Why? curiosity, and most importantly, boredom: I could not get enough excitment out of the Win box; th emost I could tinkle was with mozilla/firefox (editing and adding in the chrome folders). Then reading peoples view on OSS, made me more inlcined to test the waters on the other side. I have been windows free since then (except for 2 occasions when I had to turn in my homework using the stats packages).
In short, I am liking it and the grass is definately greener here; I am having fun!
Computing is exciting once again.

I don't know that I've actually switched, but I became interested due to PHP & mySQL.

Macs have always been my preferred platform, but I work with all three platforms - Linux, OS X, and Windoze, with Windoze being my least preferred.

The reason I switched to Linux was my aging PC. It is about 5 years old and doesnt work well with WinXP. I had 2 options, either to upgrade (which was pretty costly) or try other alternatives.

My search for alternatives was interesting and I have tried the following distros till date: FC 4, Xandros OCE 3.0, OpenSuse, Ubuntu 5.1, Linspire and finally am on Mandriva 2006. Everytime, I see a new and interesting (?) I go ahead and install. I do dual boot with WinXP as that happens to be my work requirement (some softwares arent available on Linux yet!).

I am happy with the performance as well as the availability of softwares. I work as part time Financial Analyst (hobby) and get a good variety of softwares to work with.

I have VMWare installed on my Office PC and boot various flavors as required since running a Linux box at office is not allowed.

I 'switched' because Linux and only Linux (and maybe *BSD) supports:
* Loopback block support.
* MAC Changing (Not used, but can be nice when hackers come about, so I can *maybe* get a new IP.)
* VC's
* Multiple Active Logins
* User-Mode-Linux (Windows has Colinux, but crashes on X, instead of sending a signal and Killing X.)
* Honeyd (1.5a is not ported.)
* No $$$!

I am a

My background is close to masinick's: Early to mid 70's mainframes and mini/micro computers, UNIX and others, OSI 'Desktops', Digital computers you programmed Basic via binary throw switches on the front panel (I still have dreams/nightmares about that!), the list goes on.

I've tried all kinds of OS's, from UNIX to Commodore, from Apple to Windows Vista. They all have their place. They all have their unique pluses and minuses.

I started playing with GNU/Linux back in the 90's with a 'Hacker OS': Slackware 3.1 It offered up some of my old memories of sitting in front of a clacking teletype machine, vaugely aware of the incantations and voodoo dancing of the system administrators in the background, talking about various DOS versions and wowing over the Apple II.

Why have I migrated 90% to GNU/Linux? The control I have over my system. I've used all the Microsoft OS's since DOS 2, even still have a copy of Windows 2.0 around here somewhere. I've used Apple/Mac OS's, Commodore 8/16/Pet/64. But none of them has opened up the hood of my PC like Slackware. If I don't like a program: Poof! It's gone. I need a program to work in a certain way? I can change it. I don't want a feature from a program? I can change it.

The main attraction for me is that I decide what I want, not some commitee that decides that for me. That it's 'Free' is just a bonus. That it works is amazing.

Do I still use Windows? Yes. Why? Because the rest of the world still does. Compatability is a huge reason why. Also, no matter what else can be said about Windows, hardware just works. With very few exceptions, you just install a driver and you're up and running.

Is GNU/Linux a viable alternative to Windows? Not for 'Joe Six-Pack'. It still requires alot of configuration to get it working. But, then again., if it ever gets to that point, I'll probably stop using it because I would lose the individuality of this OS. It would have turned into a 'It's this way because most people never use...' type OS.

Well, I guess I've said what I have to say, plus the wife's XP Home is acting up again. Strange that my Slackware based mail/file/webserver has been up for 3 years now.....