The REAL reason we use Linux

[allix]

We tell people we use Linux because it's secure. Or because it's free, because it's customizable, because it's free (the other meaning), because it has excellent community support...

But all of that is just marketing bullshit. We tell that to non-Linuxers because they wouldn't understand the real reason. And when we say those false reasons enough, we might even start to believe them ourselves.

But deep underneath, the real reason remains.

We use Linux because it's fun!

It's fun to tinker with your system. It's fun to change all the settings, break the system, then have to go to recovery mode to repair it. It's fun to have over a hundred distros to choose from. It's fun to use the command line.

Let me say that again. It's fun to use the command line.

No wonder non-Linuxers wouldn't understand.

The point with us Linux fans is - we use Linux for its own sake. Sure, we like to get work done. Sure, we like to be secure from viruses. Sure, we like to save money. But those are only the side-effects. What we really like is playing with the system, poking around, and discovering completely pointless yet fascinating facts about the OS.

There are three main reasons Linux is so much fun:

1. Linux gives you complete control

Ever tried stopping a process in Windows and the OS wouldn't let you? Ever tried deleting a file - and you couldn't? Even though you had admin rights?

Linux lets you do anything. That's the great benefit of usually logging in as user. If you login as the root, the OS assumes you know what you're doing. Once you become root, everything is allowed.

2. Linux isn't widely used

This is a paradox. We often complain Linux isn't more widely used. But that's one of the reasons we use it. It gives us a feeling of being a special clique. Like we're better than "those ignorant masses".

If Linux becomes widely used, we'll probably switch to something else. Or at least develop an obscure distro that only we will use. Because, let's face it, we want to feel special.

3. Linux is free (as-in-speech)

We can get the source code for all our applications. If we want to know how a certain part of the OS works, we can. This lets us tweak and play with our systems. And we absolutely loo-o-o-ve tweaking our system.

Of course we can't tell non-Linuxers we use Linux because it's fun - they'd stick us into a mental asylum quicker than you can say "antidisestablishmentarianism". So we'll keep telling them the false yet plausible reasons for using Linux. But deep inside, we'll know the real reason we use Linux.

And maybe, just maybe, next time someone asks me why I use Linux, I'll flash a huge smile and answer: "Because using Linux is FUN!"

Its a great little blog post , which I can agree with on most points.

source: http://blog.anamazingmind.com/2008/03/r ... linux.html

[snarkout]

Obviously written by a non-admin.

[LinuxMint-4]

My reason was different. A year ago I was shopping around for another computer. All the stores only had Vista at the time. I didn't want Vista, looked for alternatives and found Linux.

[Wally Balljacker]

The real reason I use Linux: Windows Vista sucks, and I'm too poor to buy a Mac Pro.

[allix]

The real reason I use Linux: Windows Vista sucks, and I'm too poor to buy a Mac Pro.

so your saying linux is a poor mans osx ?

[Wally Balljacker]

The real reason I use Linux: Windows Vista sucks, and I'm too poor to buy a Mac Pro.

so your saying linux is a poor mans osx ?

It's free isn't it?

Well, to be serious for a moment, I still prefer Gentoo/AMD64 with Compiz/GNOME over Mac OS X. Mac OS X is slick, but it really isn't for power users and computer hobbyists like myself. There are so many more things you can do with Linux on the command line, and it's far easier to fix a Linux system. When something goes wrong with OS X, it's like poking around in a black box. Not to mention, every time you update iTunes or Quicktime, or install a program, you have to reboot your system. On the other hand, my Linux desktop has been up for 15 days and I generally only reboot it for kernel updates.

[greggh]

The real reason I use GNU/Linux is because it's free, in every sense. I don't have to worry that there is secret code working against my interests, spying on me, and betraying me. I don't have to worry that I'm violating license terms if I install it on two notebooks as well as my desktop. I don't have to worry about calling up Debian and begging for permission to do a reinstall because I changed my motherboard. I can carry around a live cd and put my OS on any computer I damn well please as many times as I damn well please. I use GNU/Linux because it gives me all the freedom I could possibly ask for. If tomorrow versions of Windows and OSX came out that have three times as many cool features as GNU/Linux and was three times as fast and cost $1, I would still happily use GNU/Linux because I value my freedom.

[snarkout]

Mac OS X is slick, but it really isn't for power users

This is 100% pure bullshit. At a recent NANOG conference, the number of Macs was roughly 50% of total computers, and as far as I can tell, they were all running MacOS. There was even a thread on the NANOG mailing list discussing the trend. Or do you mean something different by power user than people who, you know, run the MFing internet? I understand that you actually use MacOS, so I'm not barking at you in particular, I'm just getting tired of the way-beyond-any-mac-user-I-know smugness coming from the I-like-to-sit-in-my-mom's-basement-and-tinker-with-my-peecee set.