Edited by joostlinux at 2015-8-10 22:10

I first heard about Linux five years ago from my (back then) neighbor. Then, after our Windows XP crashed for the third time within two years, our computer expert recommended us Ubuntu. Now, five years later, I haven't used Windows in ages and never switching back again. In the mean time I also learned to program in multiple languages and wrote a few applications for Linux myself.
I don't have much background in the Open Source community. I just simply refuse to work with closed source software:

Proprietary software tends to have malicious features. The point is with a proprietary program, when the users don't have the source code, we can never tell. So you must consider every proprietary program as potential malware - Richard Stallman

As long as I won't be able to check for myself if a piece of software contains backdoors e.d. I won't use it!

What languages do you suggest I learn?  Right now, I'm working on a Java course on EDX.org to prepare for a JAVA college course soon.

I got started in the mid-90's with Slackware (think it was Slackware 3.1 at the time).  Back then the process of setting a linux box was VERY manual and time intensive.  At about the same time I started playing with Debian.  During this time I taught myself how to program (in order) BASIC, Pascal, C, C++,  and x86 assembler.  A few years later I started trying SuSE and bought a boxed copy of Slackware 7.1.  It's crazy of me to think of being able to find a boxed copy of any Linux distro in a major retailer in southern United States.  This was an oddly disappointing experience because both were easier to set up than my experiences with Linux only a few years prior but I was left dissatisfied.  Aesthetics are very important to me.
In 2007 I tried Ubuntu.  Not bad, but it was obvious it had a long way to go.  In 2010, with the release of Ubuntu 10.10, I left Windows behind for personal use.  I now have a Citrix XenServer box running VM's of Centos 7, Fedora 22, Debian 7 and Ubuntu 14.04.  I also have a Xubuntu workstation where I do audio recording, mixing, and processing.  And then my laptop has Deepin 2014.3 installed.  I still use Windows, however.  I have a Windows 10 rig for gaming but only because there are so many games not ported to Linux.  I'd prefer to game in Linux because even with all the performance improvements in Windows 10 over previous versions, a stock Ubuntu 14.04 system still achieves between 5% and 12% more frames per second.

I'm very happy with Deepin so far.  I am very paranoid, however so I'm still scouring the source code for it's various unique features.  If I don't find anything objectionable, I'll probably go full time with it...that all depends on if I can solve a VPN problem I'm having.

As for programming langauges to learn, it all depends on what you want to do.
Robotics: C, Lisp, Python
Automation: Lisp, Ruby, Python, Java
Web* (+ CSS3 + HTML5), Java, Python, Ruby
Android Dev: Java, Python
I could keep going...

I'm more interested in being able to run a business off Linux OS's and maintaining my blog.  I know Deepin runs HTML5, which is said to be safer than Java.  Mint runs Python.  Can you recommend some reputable resources?

To bring the thread back - I started with Red Hat 5 and just hated it! It seemed worse than OS2 Warp. A couple of years ago, I ran across Barry Kauler's Puppy project. I liked the idea of a live CD you could save sessions on. After a few false starts, I grew to love it. I spent a solid year on just Puppy. I'm very sold on portability. I also like salvaging the many computers folks throw away in my area. Puppy was perfect for old gear, but I had all kinds of unused HD space. This lead to antiX, Bodhi, and deepin through a string of about 20 different Linux OS's. To be honest, I don't have much use for a full-fledged OS anymore, but it just feels wrong not to have one as an anchor. I still have XP on almost everything, but I just use it for programs that run on Windows only. I might get back to coding again, but it's been decades. Basically, I like to play with computers, and Linux is an OS to play with. I still have a 286 and a 386 running DOS, which I return to nostalgically, but there's not much you can do with that. Linux is now my game of choice, so deal me in.

It started with some random stuff about a macbook. when i was 17, my parents bought me a macbook, but refused to give me an admin account, so my friend helped me to hack it, using kno-boot, he was using kali then, I thought that other linux may be better, so i gave deepin a try.

Wonderful stories!

I fogot how i started to use linux , but i clearly remember when the word  'linux'  came into my brain,  it's my first year of college , in a book named   , there's a little paragraph of two sentences says "1991  a student in finland named  linus bla bla bla"

I don't have a lot of time using Linux, but my first contact was with Red Hat (3.1 or 4 I don't remember), Then I tried Mandrake before it becomes Mandriva.
I have had contact with Suse, Ubuntu, Mint and Fedora.

Right now, I am usign Deepin and is wonderful, I started again because the laptop I was using in my office failed.

Now I use Deepin for work and Windows 10 at home to play games... That is the only reason I don't delete windows... I need steam ! =)

In February 1999, there were a CD with Redhat 5.2 in a Danish computer magazine . It hit just me, and I have been using Linux since.
Right now I use deepin on my laptop, and Linux Mint on desktop computer

I think back in 2002 when I was still running a duel boot win 2000 Pro and 98.  When XP was still new and hated it, kept crashing.

I tried various distro's

Kubuntu, Ubuntu, Mepis, Debian, Mandrake, Red Hat.  Probably others.

At the time I decided on Mepis and ran that for a few years while using windows just for games.  They quit maintaining Mepis so I switched to Debian Stable, I think Lenny at the time.

I've set up Mysql, Apache, PhP, Joomla and some others.  MythTV and PlexTV.  Debian is great for things like that.  Mostly I use KDE but Deepin DE is nice.

I'm hoping they maintain Deepin, I'm using now for basic systems, though for running servers I'll stick with Debian

I'm an elderly person who did not use a pc, let alone an OS, until about five years ago, apart from the US Army in the late 1960's, who was creating the internet and who sent me to school to learn the code system on prepunched data cards, which I sent to and fro to an actual person with a pc. However, I finally purchased a pc with Windows 7 running on it. I began tweaking and playing around with W7 until I saw an article that stated that just about "anyone" could install something called Ubuntu 10.04 as a file on W7 and run it as an independent OS inside W7. So using "Wubi", I somehow installed Ubuntu 10.04 and kept upgrading until 14.04  as I was also installing and dual booting other Linux distros  on other pcs. In the past five years, I have installed and run about 40 different Linux distros as Windows has faded into the twilight. Call it a hobby. But what really attracts me to Linux is the fact that it is proximally and for the most part non-profit and supported by so many people who have a passion for technology as well as helping one another. Currently,  I have Linux Mint 17.3, Apricity OS, and Deepin 15.2, or course, installed on a laptop, desktop, and Kangaroo mini-pc.

The US DoD uses Linux a lot more now.

Is that so. I've heard that a lot of corporations and businesses use Linux systems, and I read the the US Navy is paying Microsoft a lot of money to maintain their Window xp systems.  I have also heard that the US the US Nuclear  missile program still uses old systems with floppy disks. Progress!

Edited by troyr at 2016-7-7 18:05

Iv'e been trying to ween myself off windows. I get so tired of malware, viruses,trojans and rootkits...!I'de like to just use window$ for gaming.I liked OpenSuse TumbleWeed quite well, and Mint Debian also....Aesthetically I really enjoyed DreamLinux but that is gone now.
Deepin reminds me of DreamLinux so I'll see this go's...How cool would a HTPC be with Deepin and KODI....?

Good to know. Open source and Linux are usually much cheaper and more secure. This is a way to save Taxpayer's money.