I just read 2 parts of a 3 part story of a womans transformation from being a Microsoft Windows user to a Linux user. Here, it brought back memories of my conversion.
I am something of a new computer user in all reality. My first system was a Packard Bell (no longer around) loaded with Windows 3.1, the next system I would own and use would be a computer with Windows XP. I actually had 2 HPs with this operating system. Both decided to crash with in a couple of weeks of each other. I had the restore disk and unfortunately neither of them wanted to work, fortunately I did save all my documents to disk every week. So I only lost a few days of work.
At the time I had to have a reliable computer and a high speed internet connection. As a contractor doing fulfillment work for a satellite company, I needed to be able to print out my work orders from a website. After completing the work required me to upload pictures of my work and the related documents of each job.
My first introduction was with a Knoppix Live CD version 3.6 I believe. I did finally get one of my computers to take it's re-install of windows, I downloaded a version of Ubuntu 8.04 with wubi. So I installed an extra hard drive used the wubi program to install it as a dual boot. My windows side of that computer finally crashed a few more times before I got frustrated with it.
The name Microsoft in my opinion is a contradiction, it's neither micro nor is it soft on the computers that it's installed on. I believe this is why the big computer manufactures don't want people to use Linux. It is my personal opinion that the software they install causes the components to stress unnecessarily, this means more money replacing computers designed to break.
My first computer was the only new one I ever owned, since then they have all been recycled or rescued. I find and clean them up the best of my limited ability. As I said I'm fairly new to the computer world, less than 10 years I went from using a webtv system for my internet service to using a desktop, then onto using a laptop.
In the past 4+ plus years of using Linux I have cleaned and used a variety of computers, most have always been upgrades to faster machines. I haven't done a re-install on any of the Linux systems I use. I have only done installs to find the one I like to use. This is for educational purposes to test different distributions and desktops.
I collect live cds and dvds of Linux software. Some are great and work well with the older computers while some require a little more knowledge of the command line that I don't have at the moment. Hopefully that will change soon enough. The base install of my Compaq is from a Debian net install disc, but the rest was done using the command line. Now I'm setting up an e16 Linux Mint laptop, some of the applications require me to know more of how a file system works.
Some how on the Minted Debian e16 set-up, the application I wanted to autostart works. Like the avant-window-navigator and Gkrellm system monitor. The Linux Mint 9 Fluxbox I converted to the e16 window manager needs a little more assistance from me to get the Lxpanel and Gkrellm to autostart.And that is where I am at. Trying to decipher the works of people who have been involved with computers all their lives, some have been reasonably simple to understand while others have flew over my head. I hope to remedy that soon.
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