A couple of days back.. one guy called green_mamba asked me.. “Why do you use Linux (GNU/Linux) and not Windows? What is it that makes LinuxGNU/Linux] so special for you?” I avoided that question then.. {I was in no mood of answering questions… Exams had finished just the day before!!} I am trying to answer it now… green_mamba also told me that Roopesh said, “I use it because I can look at the source code. I am allowed to look at how things work and fiddle with the way they work!”… I knew it immediately that this was not the reason for me.[I rarely looked at source code… and making changes to it.. haha..] So what is it? I think I can answer this question if I get back to the time when I started using Linux…[hehe.. not too long ago!! :P]

So how did I start using GNU/Linux? How did “we” first meet? It was during last summer holidays.. that Voods sent me this link … [I had definitely used GNU/Linux on a few occasions before… but.. this was when I really began using it…] and within hours I was a fan of GNU/Linux!\![and Richard M Stallman (RMS)]

So its the “philosophy”… The philosophy of Free Software… [Free as in Freedom, not as in Free Beer…(English is a wierd wierd Language…)]… The philosophy of Open Source… that brought me to it… This song says it the best…

Free Software Song –RMS

Join us now and share the software;
You’ll be free, hackers, you’ll be free.

Join us now and share the software;
You’ll be free, hackers, you’ll be free.

Hoarders may get piles of money,
That is true, hackers, that is true.
But they cannot help their neighbors;
That’s not good, hackers, that’s not good.

When we have enough free software
At our call, hackers, at our call,
We’ll throw out those dirty licenses
Ever more, hackers, ever more.

Join us now and share the software;
You’ll be free, hackers, you’ll be free.

Join us now and share the software;
You’ll be free, hackers, you’ll be free.

now I continue to use it.. for a variety of reasons..[they are NOT in the order of their priority/importance]

• Firstly, using Linux gives me a sense of community… a sense of oneness [this can’t happen with Windows.. because you can’t share stuff… :-(]

• I have begun to hate the concept of Proprietary Software… can you believe that.. “Sharing stuff.. makes us PIRATES!!”

• I am a growing fan of the Command Line… It simply rocks!!

• There’s almost no problem of Viruses/Malware.. You simply don’t need an Anti-Virus..(that needs to be updated every night.. or u’ll have nightmares…)

• Then there’s this wonderful concept of Live-CDs.. {specially Knoppix.. Its absolutely awesome!} It put me(us?) out of soup… a lotta times…

• The fiddle factor… I have just started to fiddle with things(…source codes… I added a small feature to my dc-client Microdc2].. the feature of away messages.. it feels gr8! :P)

• One of my best friend is using it too! [you know who…]

• The Mascot looks cool!! ;) [I liked the GNU mascot too! (It’s on my side-bar) ]

• The name “LINUX”!! [There’s so many flavors(Distros) of Linux.. that I can keep trying different ones.. all my life :P.. presently with Slackware!]

• Its Fun!! and I want to use it…

• and finally… Windows sucks! [I don’t have to use it… :P]!!

Value your freedom or you will lose it, teaches history. “Don’t bother us with politics,” respond those who don’t want to learn. –Richard Stallman

When you say, “I wrote a program that crashed Windows”, people just stare at you blankly and say, “Hey, I got those with the system, for free”. –Linus Torvalds

“What happens when you read some doc and either it doesn’t answer your question or is demonstrably wrong? In Linux, you say “Linux sucks” and go read the code. In Windows/Oracle/etc you say “Windows sucks” and start banging your head against the wall.” — Denis Vlasenko on linux kernel mailing list

“The box said that I needed to have Windows 98 or better… so I installed Linux.” – LinuxNewbie.org