Great topic! My first experience was dual-booting openSUSE linux on my windows laptop, as I was trying to get a masters in bioinformatics at the time while working full time as a laboratory manager (didn't pan out). Afterwards, I came across desktop Linux on TH-cam and I became fascinated with what you could do on the desktop in contrast to Linux. Got a cheap Thinkpad and started trying out distros like Linux Mint and I fell down that rabbit hole. Now I am trying to learn more server stuff like bash scripting and ssh to learn bioinformatics and computational biology on my own time while being an assistant professor of Biology (it's a 4 year degree school with a heavy teaching load and I believe it'll be easier to scratch my research itch with more flexibility in time). I love Linux so much now that I'm also trying to use WSL2 on my Windows work laptop as much as possible because I cant stand how bad Windows has become since the early 1990s-2000s.
Thanks for sharing your story! It’s similar to mine in many ways. I also got introduced to Linux through my research work in computational physics ( computational bio sounds very interesting!). I also owned a ThinkPad for many years (passed it down to my daughter a while ago and it’s still working 😅, with Ubuntu running on it). My workstation at uni runs Windows now temporarily (with Fedora on VM on it too). But I just recently learned that WSL exists! I’m going to try it next, when I need to communicate with the HPC cluster again. I can’t stand using Windows PowerShell for that and switch to Fedora VM every time:) All the best with your work and research projects!
I recently made the switch from Windows to Linux. I installed Nobara Linux about a month ago and have been on an extreme learning curve for weeks now. I finally have a stable system and everything working on it that I want, but it was an endeavor to get there. I am enjoying the computing experience much more now that I don't have Windows shoving things down my throat. I can't recommend chatgpt enough for beginners. I use it to navigate the terminal by asking it commands for the things I want to do. I understand how operating systems work, but I don't know all the commands. It has been a life saver.
I’m glad it worked! Being able to efficiently use a new system (or a software, or whatever) is always a win worth being proud of. And yes, ChatGPT is like personal assistant always at your fingertips. Even if it sometimes gives you answers that are not entirely correct, it can still point you in the right direction, where to look for the information you need.
I can empathize with you, despite working with legacy UNIXes since 1989 and with Linux since 1996. There are just so many complicated developments (Kubernetes, Ansible and Jenkins, for example), and they keep on coming. Cheers, Julia!
It was sometime in the 90s. I saw that Linux thingy in a magazine. So I ordered it through the post . . . A CD arrived and was Mandrake, Vitamins. I installed it on my 486 machine and off I went. I worked around it and was amazed to even SEE Windows files! I had to run down the road to tell my buddy that the thing actually GOES online. It was Dial-up era and I had to go offline to make a call or walk. We messed around but it still a NOVEL thing . . . until recently. I'm in pursuit of Red Hat's RHCSA. My Windows machine messed up and I'm FORCED to use a Linux Box. I just joined the Apple Empire with a humble MacBook Pro 2009, which I've installed VMWARE and VirtualBox. These will accept Kali and Red Hat distributions. I'm totally taken in by the Command Line!
Your storytelling skills are 👍😁 Thanks for sharing such a vividly written story! It also reminded me of the time when I had to go to an Internet cafe to write and send an email😅 Also my first time writing a program was on a PAPER notebook! And… then hand it in for marking. No computer labs were in sight just yet for us at that time (late 90s - early 2000s). All the best with your undertakings!
@@juliaifrank TH, forgot to mention, Caribbean Island boy, St. Lucia🏖🏝☀ Sorry but things are just coming back -->> entered Emacs and I couldn't get out
On my first Linux era, I was playing around with the terminal and accidentally entered Vim. Off course I didn't know how to quit hehe. Today I love Vim and use ir whenever possible.
That’s just great 👍🙂 Tbh, I’m still using nano editor most of the time when working in the terminal. I was just too lazy to learn Vim or Emacs. Though the admin for the HPC cluster we are using for research stuff has now removed nano. We are forced to use Emacs now. But on the personal side I’m still using nano😊
Starting to learn Linux (or in my days, Unix) definitely is Daunting. But you persevere, and keep at it, and there comes a day when you just can't even imagine using a Mac or (heaven forbid!) a Windows machine. But, trying to explain this to people who are not yet Linux users, is almost as hard as trying to convince somebody in a European country to learn not only English, but also a couple of the neighboring countries' languages. -- The counter argument is always: Hey, I've made it pretty good without ever needing any of those. Or trying to convince somebody that they should get a Masters Degree instead of just working after compulsory school. Today learning Linux is unbelievably easier than in the 1990's when you had to compile the Kernel for your own machine, and information, knowledge and experience simply weren't available -- not least because the WWW wasn't even invented yet.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I completely agree-learning Linux today is so much easier than it used to be, and that applies to so many things other than Linux. The only reasons I still use Windows on my workstation at uni are because I work with some specialized microscopes that require Windows-only software for data processing (don’t ask me why 🤷🏼♀️), and I keep my research journal in OneNote since our university provides a few TB of storage through MS 365. Other than that, I can’t really use Windows for much else. I’m even thinking about making my Fedora VM the main OS and running Windows inside a VM instead. But I still enjoy using my MacBook for personal stuff 😊.
What was your first experience with Linux? Drop your stories, tips, or questions in the comments below-let’s chat! 🙂
my first experience with Linux wiped my C:\ drive and Windows :)
Great topic! My first experience was dual-booting openSUSE linux on my windows laptop, as I was trying to get a masters in bioinformatics at the time while working full time as a laboratory manager (didn't pan out). Afterwards, I came across desktop Linux on TH-cam and I became fascinated with what you could do on the desktop in contrast to Linux. Got a cheap Thinkpad and started trying out distros like Linux Mint and I fell down that rabbit hole. Now I am trying to learn more server stuff like bash scripting and ssh to learn bioinformatics and computational biology on my own time while being an assistant professor of Biology (it's a 4 year degree school with a heavy teaching load and I believe it'll be easier to scratch my research itch with more flexibility in time). I love Linux so much now that I'm also trying to use WSL2 on my Windows work laptop as much as possible because I cant stand how bad Windows has become since the early 1990s-2000s.
Thanks for sharing your story! It’s similar to mine in many ways. I also got introduced to Linux through my research work in computational physics ( computational bio sounds very interesting!). I also owned a ThinkPad for many years (passed it down to my daughter a while ago and it’s still working 😅, with Ubuntu running on it). My workstation at uni runs Windows now temporarily (with Fedora on VM on it too). But I just recently learned that WSL exists! I’m going to try it next, when I need to communicate with the HPC cluster again. I can’t stand using Windows PowerShell for that and switch to Fedora VM every time:)
All the best with your work and research projects!
learning linux is really a game changer
I recently made the switch from Windows to Linux. I installed Nobara Linux about a month ago and have been on an extreme learning curve for weeks now. I finally have a stable system and everything working on it that I want, but it was an endeavor to get there. I am enjoying the computing experience much more now that I don't have Windows shoving things down my throat. I can't recommend chatgpt enough for beginners. I use it to navigate the terminal by asking it commands for the things I want to do. I understand how operating systems work, but I don't know all the commands. It has been a life saver.
I’m glad it worked! Being able to efficiently use a new system (or a software, or whatever) is always a win worth being proud of. And yes, ChatGPT is like personal assistant always at your fingertips. Even if it sometimes gives you answers that are not entirely correct, it can still point you in the right direction, where to look for the information you need.
I can empathize with you, despite working with legacy UNIXes since 1989 and with Linux since 1996.
There are just so many complicated developments (Kubernetes, Ansible and Jenkins, for example), and they keep on coming.
Cheers, Julia!
It was sometime in the 90s. I saw that Linux thingy in a magazine.
So I ordered it through the post . . .
A CD arrived and was Mandrake, Vitamins. I installed it on my 486 machine and off I went.
I worked around it and was amazed to even SEE Windows files!
I had to run down the road to tell my buddy that the thing actually GOES online.
It was Dial-up era and I had to go offline to make a call or walk.
We messed around but it still a NOVEL thing . . . until recently.
I'm in pursuit of Red Hat's RHCSA.
My Windows machine messed up and I'm FORCED to use a Linux Box.
I just joined the Apple Empire with a humble MacBook Pro 2009, which I've installed VMWARE and VirtualBox.
These will accept Kali and Red Hat distributions.
I'm totally taken in by the Command Line!
Your storytelling skills are 👍😁
Thanks for sharing such a vividly written story!
It also reminded me of the time when I had to go to an Internet cafe to write and send an email😅 Also my first time writing a program was on a PAPER notebook! And… then hand it in for marking. No computer labs were in sight just yet for us at that time (late 90s - early 2000s).
All the best with your undertakings!
@@juliaifrank TH, forgot to mention, Caribbean Island boy, St. Lucia🏖🏝☀ Sorry but things are just coming back -->> entered Emacs and I couldn't get out
On my first Linux era, I was playing around with the terminal and accidentally entered Vim. Off course I didn't know how to quit hehe.
Today I love Vim and use ir whenever possible.
That’s just great 👍🙂
Tbh, I’m still using nano editor most of the time when working in the terminal. I was just too lazy to learn Vim or Emacs. Though the admin for the HPC cluster we are using for research stuff has now removed nano. We are forced to use Emacs now. But on the personal side I’m still using nano😊
Starting to learn Linux (or in my days, Unix) definitely is Daunting. But you persevere, and keep at it, and there comes a day when you just can't even imagine using a Mac or (heaven forbid!) a Windows machine.
But, trying to explain this to people who are not yet Linux users, is almost as hard as trying to convince somebody in a European country to learn not only English, but also a couple of the neighboring countries' languages. -- The counter argument is always: Hey, I've made it pretty good without ever needing any of those. Or trying to convince somebody that they should get a Masters Degree instead of just working after compulsory school.
Today learning Linux is unbelievably easier than in the 1990's when you had to compile the Kernel for your own machine, and information, knowledge and experience simply weren't available -- not least because the WWW wasn't even invented yet.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I completely agree-learning Linux today is so much easier than it used to be, and that applies to so many things other than Linux.
The only reasons I still use Windows on my workstation at uni are because I work with some specialized microscopes that require Windows-only software for data processing (don’t ask me why 🤷🏼♀️), and I keep my research journal in OneNote since our university provides a few TB of storage through MS 365.
Other than that, I can’t really use Windows for much else. I’m even thinking about making my Fedora VM the main OS and running Windows inside a VM instead. But I still enjoy using my MacBook for personal stuff 😊.
1:28. Frankly, Julia, I think you may have relinquished a chance in Hollywood or the Super Model route, for physics! Sigh!
Thanks for the compliment! But hey, I made it to TH-cam instead 😉