I love this post!
It was late 1996? early 1997? I made Linux my permanent desktop operating system. I think it was Slackware 3 something I cut my teeth on? Please know my memory is not what is used to be. I installed it on a machine that had an Intel 386-16 SX (no math co-processor), with 4 megs (not gigs) of ram and a 20 meg hard drive. Like you, I got the machine for free because nobody wanted it!
I used my first Linux machine during my stint as an "older person" at university. I would remote log into the IBM AIX mainframe on campus from home, to work on my homework.
In the early to mid 2000's I played with Suse Linux, Red Hat Linux, Mandrake Linux, Tiny Linux and even Puppy Linux. I did have a short period playing with Gentoo Linux (which I would never recommend to anyone, even back then). Somewhere around 2010 I started using Debian Linux and I have never looked back.
What was the event that moved me to Linux? At the time, Windows 95 was very established, and found on most desktops. I hated it. The infamous "Blue Screen of Death" where the machine would lock up was so common when using the computer. It drove me nuts. The tipping point for me was when I was in an airport waiting to board a plane, and there was this wall of monitors that would show all the arrival and departure times. Every monitor was showing the “Blue Screen of Death.” I thought to myself, “That’s it! I’m done with Windows!” It was one of my professors at school that suggested I give Linux a try.
My wife has always used whatever current flavor of Windows was available. The different companies she has worked for over the years demanded it. She prefers Windows at home too. I will be building her a new machine this winter with more modern hardware so she can upgrade to Windows 11.
Sorry if this was boring… It sure as heck has nothing to do with old Chevy Trucks! LOL!
