A story of a man, converted by the Freedom of Linux

Ok so here's my "conversion to Linux story" - Hopefully it will make someone else open their eyes as I have.

About three years ago I started a new job as a Windows Systems Administrator. Something I always remember is this guy who used to blurt out "we should use Linux to fix it!" every time we were having problems with a system or server. I used to laugh and tell the guy he was crazy. That person actually tought me a valuable lesson....

As the past three years have whirred by, I've supported Windows Server/XP and the whole string of up-sold software that goes along with the Microsoft operating system.

I have also been unfortunate enough to have experienced first-hand, how terrible the stranglehold created by Microsoft products is on its users. It has been painful.

I say, Microsoft is given too much control over products that run the business world, the products that some of us spend our working lives trying to up-keep, optimize, and make sense of.

After all that work, you would think we who use Windows would be the glorious ones. But we are not, this is because Microsoft takes the credit, credit that is then used to simply sell back to us(at ridiculous profits) in their next "upgraded" version of the same old software. Where's the love?

Microsoft controls when you upgrade, when you migrate, when you are up, when you are down, when you can share, and ultimately when you are left to do nothing but spend more time/money/resources to upgrade to their next "irrelevant" version of software.

To be dedicated to Microsoft and the ideal for which it stands, it is necessary to be either blind or ignorant (or both). I say stop wasting your life for their glory. Get yourself involved in GNU/Linux and experience freedom like you never have before.

I consider myself lucky because I have managed to see my way across the decay of "consumer content" and have peered through to the Freedom that is GNU/Linux. I can only wish that people everywhere will begin to see for themselves how much they are limiting humandkind by using Microsoft products (sad but true).

People that invest and believe in Microsoft are much like "puppets" in one respect. I'm not saying that to put down people that use Microsoft (I hope they can one day open their eyes too, just as I did), rather it's that after experiencing Linux and the Freedom it beholds, it is rather impossible for me to maintain a vote on the side of such a greedy company and selfish ideas(checkout the OOXML vs ODF war for more info). Microsoft users, take a good look at those billionaires(execs at Microsoft) because you made them... was it worth it? What's in it for you? Their future is secure, what about yours?

I've come to realize the real deal. And I'm here to tell ya, the real deal is Linux.
GNU/Linux is an awesome system that is only exceeded by the awesome philosophy it is based on, empowerment of users and infinite freedom - this is a combination that can't be beat!! GNU/Linux is the road to the future!!

Me, I was using Linux on and off (but not as a primary system) for about four years.
And then about six months ago, I had a massive realization in life and elected Linux as my new primary Operating System - I then added Kubuntu Linux as a dual boot to both my home computers and also to my work computer. Even though we have the dual boot on the home computers, we rarely ever boot to Windows. I've since switched one of my home computers over to fedora 7. Both systems are great and so much better than Windows!!

So now I'm trying to do as much as I can with Linux in a professional capacity. Presently I've been successful at connecting SuSE Linux up with Windows Active Directory for our developer systems.

I know that SuSE Linux isn't the most favorite distro of Linux right now (e.g., deal with Microsoft), but I'm glad to have learned something about Interoperability. If you take a look at the board members of Novell, you will see that they are mostly from IBM (old partnerships die hard).

Besides, we Linux admins need to have the skills to migrate user data from Windows to Linux, right? I also manage some Red Hat Linux servers. I truly enjoy working with Linux and so I'm eager to get even more experience with Linux from the professional aspect.

One thing's for sure, people around me now think I'm crazy, because I'm all about "Linux this and Linux that". Hopefully they too will have the same realization experience as I have had with Linux.

Converting to Linux is on par with revolutionizing your country and becoming a free nation - there's few things in life that provide this type of feeling.

Linus is a hero - the article is true: http://www.time.com/time/europe/hero2006/torvalds.html

So I say thanks so much to Linus T., Richard S., GNU/Linux, FSF, FOSS, ODF, and all others that represent technology as a means for human advancement!!

Go Linux!! Go Freedom!!

Shannon VanWagner