My life with Linux: A retrospective

3 years ago 454

To privation Linux a 30th birthday, Jack Wallen describes however the operating strategy changed his life.

Linux is 30 years old. What started arsenic a pupil task by a young antheral studying machine subject astatine the University of Helsinki, has go an operating strategy that endeavor businesses astir the globe beryllium on. It's massive. It's crucial. And without Linux, astir businesses wouldn't beryllium astir arsenic agile, flexible, and reliable.

Huzzah! But that's not what I privation to speech astir close now. I privation to marque this a spot much personal. Why? Because Linux changed my life. Sounds similar hyperbole. It's not.

Let maine explain.

SEE: 5 Linux server distributions you should beryllium using (TechRepublic Premium)

My beingness was going really, truly well. I was, rather literally, surviving the dream. I was a nonrecreational histrion making a surviving doing what I was astir passionate about. Nothing could halt me. And though I wasn't making what anyone would telephone a tenable surviving wage, I was capable to enactment myself (albeit by eating a batch of Poptarts and Ramen) doing what I loved.

But past 9/11 happened and things took a crook for the worse. I was a nonmigratory institution subordinate of 1 of the largest, astir well-respected children's theaters successful the country. In the post-9/11 world, schools stopped going connected tract trips, which meant children's theaters astir the state took a large deed to their bottommost lines. After 10 years with that 1 company, I had to marque a precise hard prime ... 1 I ne'er thought I'd person to make.

I retired from the happening I adored and sought retired thing new. Said thing turned into maine attending yet different assemblage (I already had a bachelor's grade and a Master of Fine Arts), this clip astir I would beryllium studying machine science. That was 1999.

Here's the thing: Back successful 1997, I had purchased a Pentium 75 machine and was increasing bushed of the Blue Screen of Death. At immoderate point, my curiosity got the champion of maine (as it is wont to do) and I sought retired an alternative. Being connected the poorer broadside of the economical tracks, that alternate needed to beryllium cheaper than Windows.

And better. Did I notation however overmuch I hated Microsoft Windows?

SEE: Linus Torvalds' top hits: A retrospective of the Linux kernel founder's interaction connected exertion (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

So, 1 fateful day, I was visiting the section CompUSA (remember those?) and recovered precisely what I was looking for: Linux. I'd work astir it and understood what it was (at slightest connected the surface). It was an operating system. Windows was an operating system. I could usage Windows, ergo I could usage Linux. Ipso facto, advertisement nauseam. And fixed everything I'd read, Linux would ne'er neglect me.

So, I purchased Caldera Open Linux 1.0, took it location and acceptable astir installing the OS. A fewer hours later, I had a moving lawsuit of Linux connected my instrumentality and the dreaded Windows was nary more.

But past occupation acceptable in. I couldn't get online. I needed to beryllium online. What bully was this postulation of bauds and bits if I couldn't get online? It took maine rather immoderate clip to fig retired my PC had a ... gasp ... Winmodem. Back to CompUSA for a U.S. Robotics outer modem. With that portion of hardware up and running, everything changed. I had a moving transcript of Linux connected my machine, I was online and I could commencement learning the ins and outs of this operating system.

It was summer. Birds were singing, the prima was shining, schoolhouse was retired and I had plentifulness of clip connected my hands. My Linux acquisition came hard and fast. I recovered a guru online (I tin inactive retrieve his name, though I won't stock it with you) who introduced maine to the AfterStep model manager, which kicked everything up a notch. Not lone was I utilizing a bombproof operating strategy but the interface besides looked arsenic though it came from the future.

I was truthful chill I couldn't basal myself.

SEE: Linus Torvalds offers the concealed to Linux's semipermanent occurrence (the reply won't astonishment you) (TechRepublic)

And similar that, I was channeling Rodney Dangerfield and heading backmost to school. During that archetypal semester back, aft having felt arsenic if I'd mastered Linux, things were different. I felt arsenic though I knew thing my chap students didn't. Most of my peers were inactive utilizing Windows (the gall) and had nary thought what they were missing retired on.

That pseudo feeling of superiority led maine to the Student Linux User Group (a.k.a. SLUG). The radical met erstwhile a week to speech Linux and clasp "Install Fests," wherever we'd instal Linux connected computers for different students. It was the 3rd oregon 4th gathering erstwhile a impermanent came to speech to the group. It conscionable truthful happens, that impermanent was from a caller startup called TechRepublic that was looking for idiosyncratic to spearhead the improvement of LinuxRepublic (RIP). They were hoping to find idiosyncratic to constitute astir Linux and assistance marque the satellite alert of this caller operating system. Without hesitation, I changeable my manus successful the aerial and said, "I'm your guy!"

Two weeks later, I had a freelance declaration with TechRepublic, making much wealth than I ever had and was doing thing that had ne'er crossed my caput ... penning astir technology. And then, successful November 2000, I received the telephone from a TechRepublic higher-up asking if I'd similar to articulation arsenic a full-time elder editor. My response? "Let maine deliberation astir it ... yes!"

That gig lasted astir 3 years until the dot com bubble burst and (like each tech companies) TechRepublic started downsizing. They'd grown to much than 200 employees and without the payment of each that magical VC funding, couldn't enactment that level of payroll.

For immoderate reason, mediate and precocious absorption saw Linux arsenic a fly-by-night fad, truthful they figured they could jettison maine without losing much. I returned to acting and remained determination for a fewer years.

But past that siren opus of Linux conscionable wouldn't fto go. Sure, I'd continued utilizing Linux arsenic my go-to operating strategy (still bash to this day), but I hadn't written astir tech successful a while. That hiatus came to an extremity (after 2 years) erstwhile TechRepublic and I reunited. I was erstwhile again doing the different happening that felt perfectly earthy for maine ... penning astir Linux and open source. Fast guardant to present and, connected the time commemorating my ain birth, I'm penning however the commencement of an operating strategy altered the people of history.

So, yeah, Linux changed my life. And to this day, erstwhile I look astatine however everything fell into place, I recognize it each happened truthful naturally, arsenic though it were meant to be. On a regular basis, I'm grateful that Linus Torvalds created Linux. And though I'm abbreviated of fewer years of utilizing Linux for 30, I tin astatine slightest accidental I was determination for Linux kernel 2.0 and volition (most likely) beryllium present for plentifulness much releases.

Happy 30th day Linux. It's been a large thrust truthful far, and I'm definite it's lone going to get better.

Subscribe to TechRepublic's How To Make Tech Work connected YouTube for each the latest tech proposal for concern pros from Jack Wallen.