My Linux story

How I got started with linux

     I have been running Linux now for about 4 years or so and in that time (really it was within the first few months) I have realized one thing, windows sucks. I will never return to windows. Sure I have a windows partition on my system at the moment, but only because I have to use it for my software engineering degree, once that is finished, windows will be gone forever. So what is it you might ask that got me to switch? Let’s go back to the beginning.

     I was not a computer fan at all, we had a home computer but it was used for online banking, email, my kids homeschool work, and some mild gaming (my kids, not me, I’m not much for anything beyond NES or SNES). As an automotive technician, a lot of my resources were going away from books and becoming accessible only though computer, so I bought a laptop to access wiring diagrams and the repair manual and that sort of thing, my laptop came with windows (as they all do) and so that is what I used, I hated it. As much as I disliked using windows, that was what I had and all I knew, so that was that.

     One day I watched as my kids were playing a video game and, being the do-it-yourselfer that I am, I thought I bet I could make a video game, so I told my kids my plan and set to work to make the best video game ever made. Once I started, I realized what I had gotten myself into, and quickly found myself on youtube watching tutorials on basic coding, and game engines. While watching, I noticed something different about some of the creators systems, I thought what the heck is that? How do I make my system look and act like that? And that is where it all began. I found out that they were using Linux and I was sold.

      I knew nothing of Linux, I only heard about it years prior from a “crazy” guy I worked with, but other than that I had no clue what to expect or how to get it up an running on my system, so Google and YouTube to the rescue. I was so green I actually googled “What is better, Linux or Ubuntu, after searching and finding a ton about ubuntu but little about Linux specifically. Every time I looked up “How to install Linux” it showed me a tutorial about Ubuntu, so I did not know any better.

      Fast forward to me figuring out Linux has different distros and getting an iso downloaded and virtualbox set up, I created and booted a VM of Ubuntu and as soon as the login screen showed up and I saw the awful orange and purple, I closed it down and said nope. Next I found Linux Mint, and went through the process of setting up a VM of Mint and once booted and seeing that welcoming green colorscheme and that cinnamon desktop environment, I thought “This is more like it”. Cinnamon was intuitive, windows like, and an easy transition from what I was used to so I took right to it. I played with Mint in the VM for a while, and before long I found myself spending more time in my VM than on my windows machine, so I thought, “there has to be a better way”. Again, Google to the rescue. I quickly learned how to partition my drive and dual boot Mint with windows, since I still felt I needed my security blanket, I did not get rid of windows. Before I knew it, I was cruising and learning everything I needed to know and I spent less and less time in windows, and eventually, windows became unnecessary, at that point I wiped that side of my drive and let Mint be my daily driver. From that point on, I was all about the Linux life, no more windows for this guy and found I actually enjoyed using my computer. THE END……BUT WAIT, WHAT ABOUT THE BEST GAME EVER MADE!?

      You may be wondering, “What ever happened to that game you set out to make? Where can I find this marvel and play it?” Well, I made it, it was horrible, and I quickly erased any hint of its existence, but that being said, I did what I set out to do, create a video game, and in the end I wound up gaining so much more than just the sense of accomplishment from creating something from a few lines of code and a desire to show my kids that even if you are clueless at the beginning, if you are willing to work and study, just about anything is possible, I gained all that, and this amazing neckbeard (oh, and the experience and knowledge of using Linux).

God Bless,

Jacob Pedersen
Jake@Linux