Happy Birthday, Ubuntu!

[DeathKitten]

So, on one of the numerous syndication feeds I watch, I think it's the linux flavored one I picked up from the home page of our forums, I was linked to this article today (well, yesterday, but details...): Happy Birthday, Ubuntu! - Our favorite operating system is turning 5 years old.

I have to admit that I only kind of skimmed the article in question, but doing so made me stop to think... How long have I been running kubuntu? I've been running Linux as my only OS on my home computer/s since May 3rd, 2004, but my first distro was Mandrake. It was what my friend who was helping me out used. I eventually made the switch to kubuntu due to a mix of things: the before mentioned friend no longer talking to me and therefore no longer helping me out with linux stuff, a couple of other friends who never seem to agree on anything both recommending the ubuntu project to me, and my hesitance to stick with Mandrake during the changes going on when it was turning into Mandriva. However, even remembering all these details, I was still unsure of when I'd actually made my switch... until I looked up chat logs from pidgin tonight. I found out that I've been a Kubuntu user since November 2005, which means my first install was 5.10, Breezy Badger.

So, what about the rest of you? When did you first install *buntu? (Any flavor, not just kubuntu!) Was it your first trip into the Linux world, or were you a seasoned veteran when you did it?

[Ole Juul]

Re: Happy Birthday, Ubuntu!

I first installed Slackware from disks that I downloaded at (less than) 14.4 from a BBS. I can't remember when that was, but it wasn't very useful to me. I'm pretty sure I installed it on an MFM HDD and I'm definitely sure I couldn't have afforded more than 4Mb of ram. Later I ran Redhat 5.0 and still I didn't have much success. Debian started working for me around 2003 and I began contemplating a switch. When Mandrake 8.1 came around, I was hooked. I fooled around with that until Ubuntu 6.04 came and here I am.

All that time, I refused to use MS-Windows. I had tried win3.1 and the whole GUI thing combined with the rude and abusive licensing just turned me raving mad against anything remotely like that. So I basically persevered with DOS until Ubuntu 6.04 and I still run DOS daily as equally important to Linux. It's amazing what you can do by just being familiar with something, in fact, that's where the real power lies. I'm not a big fan of features and think of them as a cover up. I've slowed down, but dream of some day being fluent with bash the way I am with command.com.

So ... the answer is, that I started with Linux at the beginning and veeery sloooooowly eased myself into it, and finally got comfortable when Ubuntu came around.

[finifly]

Re: Happy Birthday, Ubuntu!

I started using Kubuntu in November 2006, just after the release of Edgy. I bought a laptop from System76 and haven't really looked back since. I've tried other distros and have always come back to Kubuntu. I've been thinking of trying CentOS for school because I need stability when Matlab is chugging away. At some point, I'll also install Slackware on my old computer just to beef up my Linux skills. But I'll stay with Kubuntu for my home and leisure.

[StarWolf]

Re: Happy Birthday, Ubuntu!

i ventured into it with fiesty fawn i have tried a few of the other big ones pclinuxos , pc-bsd , open slowuse (suse) , mephis ,gentoo

it always comes back here to kubuntu. I know im getting better at this when i prefer the terminal for installing stuff. since then i have over 580 uploads at kde look . Only way i can give back to those who have helped me here.

[Qqmike]

Re: Happy Birthday, Ubuntu!

1st time Linux was Kubuntu 6.04, Oct 2006.

(Prior to that, it was Windows through XP. 1st use of PCs: 1981 IBM. 1st time connected to Internet: 1998 Earthlink dialup. 1st time I built my own PC: Nov 2005. 1st time DSL: Sept 2006. 1st time Linux-Kubuntu: Oct 2006. Have tried a bunch of distros since 2006 and settled on Kubuntu and sidux.)

[dibl]

Re: Happy Birthday, Ubuntu!

So, what about the rest of you? When did you first install *buntu? (Any flavor, not just kubuntu!) Was it your first trip into the Linux world, or were you a seasoned veteran when you did it?

Summer of 2006, I needed to perform the semi-annual reinstallation of my Win XP system, and it happened to be on a mirrored disk pair, and of course it puked on the key entry and I had to call 1-800 Microsoft and get permission and new key. In the course of that little chat, they informed me that my license was limited to 2 hard drives, so if I ever wanted to add any more drives, I would have to buy a server license. The next day, I asked my favorite engineer who uses Linux which distribution I should try. He said "SUSE or Ubuntu", so that's what I did. It was Dapper Drake, but by the time I got serious enough to install it, it was Edgy Eft.

Previous experience with SCO Unix 386 in the early 1990s came in handy at the CLI, although I had forgotten all but a handful of the good old unix commands.

In 2007 I set up Ubuntu Feisty and used it for 6 months to do an audio record digitization project, but I kept using Kubuntu in the meanwhile. I forget what it was, but there was something in audio domain that worked better in Gnome -- plus I used a "RT" kernel for that project. But I generally prefer the KDE interface, other things being equal.

[carib]

Re: Happy Birthday, Ubuntu!

I'm very child in the Kubuntu world! 2 or 3 months only!

But, my first contact with Unix was in the very old years 80. As COBOL programmer!

Later, years 90, as administrator, XENIX and SCO Unix (like Dibl)!

More recently, in this millennium, I had a few trips by Mandrake, Mandriva, RedHat and may be another, I'm not sure!

Now, Kubuntu! And I'm liking very much!

Regards,

Carib

[kjjjjshab]

Re: Happy Birthday, Ubuntu!

My anniversary is the same as KDE's... October 14. I didn't know that until the Oxygen icon for the calendar came out a few years back and it had that day on it... so I did a little searching and found out why!

But for some reason my wife only lets us celebrate one anniversary that day.

[monte48lowes]

Re: Happy Birthday, Ubuntu!

I started playing around with linux around 2002-2003. I had RedHat 6 installed with win2k. Then I tried Mandrake, it had some issues... I then moved back to RedHat since one of the guys at work was a certified RedHat technician. I stayed with that until I changed jobs and someone introduced me to ubuntu. I searched the net and found kubuntu (I am not fond of Gnome)*. I have been working with kubuntu since 6.06 dapper drake. It's been a much better experience.

I enjoy linux since I am able to play around and break stuff. And work at fixing it.

Mike

*Gnome: One of a fabled race of dwarflike creatures who live underground and guard treasure hoards.

[Snowhog]

Re: Happy Birthday, Ubuntu!

My first 'intro' to Linux was Debian 'Woody'. It didn't go well. Didn't return to Linux until 2007 when I tried Kubuntu Edgy Eft. Never looked back.

[c2006]

Re: Happy Birthday, Ubuntu!

First experience would have been with Ubuntu 6.06. It didn't like the computer's LAN port, so I went back to 'doze.

7.04, however, did, and that's the first Ubuntu I got to really using. I've used a variety of Linuxes, everything from openSUSE, a brief fling with Slackware in a VM (It actually felt quite homely to me), Fedora (several versions), and I've tried Kubuntu a couple of times. I kept coming back to the *buntus though. I have had a go with Debian in a VM, and probably will use that if I ever get an older system to play around with). I've been dualbooting Windows and Linux since 7.04, and once I'm out of this course, my Vista install is probably going to go bye-byes.

I tried one of the Ubuntu 9.10 Alphas, too. It didn't like that at all. Let's mount / as a read-only filesystem, shall we?

I then tried Win 7 in place of my Linux boot, and I ended up just missing Linux (and I got annoyed with it - It kept going into sleep mode of its own accord, and it didn't recover from that state well, losing network connection).

So I wiped that, Installed one of the late Kubuntu 9.10 Betas, and whammo, success! A few glitches between there and the RC, but nothing that

mv .kde .kde-backup

couldn't fix. It has been absolutely rock solid since it went RC.

[MoonRise]

Re: Happy Birthday, Ubuntu!

Started with Ubuntu 4.10 (Warty Warthog). Was rolling out a Windows Server 2003 environment and the industry we are requires us to "qualify" that network. I wanted to use something outside of MS to say that it truly was working as it should. I figured Linux was the best way. I was quite impressed. Never looked back for personal use. Switched to Kubuntu after I heard about that. Don't remember what release that was. Have at least one machine @ work that is used with Linux. We have too many proprietary MS systems to try to convert all.