Linux

48413 readers

1196 users here now

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

Rules

Posts must be relevant to operating systems running the Linux kernel. GNU/Linux or otherwise.
No misinformation
No NSFW content
No hate speech, bigotry, etc

Related Communities

Community icon by Alpár-Etele Méder, licensed under CC BY 3.0

founded 5 years ago

MODERATORS

[email protected]

Your first distribution (lemmy.world)

submitted 8 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

160 comments fedilink hide all child comments

What was the first ever distro you installed and used? For me, it was Mint as I seemed like the closest thing to Windows minus all the forced updates and chappy changes.

Currently on Fedora GNOME now but what about you? What made you choose your first distro diving into the world of Linux?

I wanna hear your thoughts!

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

Caldera linux 1.2.

Those days were magical.

I had just started my university days and I had two young kids who wanted to watch cartoons but we couldn't afford cable. I ended up scrounging parts from the garbage bins in and behind the computer lab to scrape together a workable desktop.

If I recall correctly it was 333 MHz. Originally installed Windows 98 SE on it. But media would stutter no matter what I did, even if all other processes were killed.

A monk friend of mine (my university was geographically attached to a Benedictine monastery) asked me if I had tried Linux as it should be easier on the system resources and still allow me to play most media.

The rest, as they say, is history.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I worked on Caldera Open Linux. It was a tough merge, Caldera taking over our shop, but the work was good and valuable and we derived a lot of pride from solving tricky issues. Working with the company Caldera bought (on DrDos Lawsuit money) remains, decades later, my best working experience ever.

It's nice to see it was occasionally magical on the outside.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Whoa! thanks for sharing your experience. Your work was definitely appreciated. 25 years later, mainly due to that silly need to play pirated cartoons for the kiddos, and a CD rom I pulled out of the trash - I am a sysadmin who wears an architect title, and I have built some amazing systems. Maybe if Caldera hadn't been what it was I wouldn't have been interested enough to make it work, and to realize a love for unixlike systems. So yeah. Thanks :)