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Deanna
Community Manager
Community Manager
  • 29.2K Views

How were you introduced to open source technology?

With over 100,000 members - share how you were initially introduced to open source technology! We have varying stories, backgrounds, industries and skill levels that make up the fabric of this community, we would love to hear how your story began. 

This question is part of the 100K Member Contest - don't forget to kudo the original contest post to be entered. 

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Deanna
Labels (3)
86 Replies
Matthee
Mission Specialist
Mission Specialist
  • 2,868 Views

Once upon a time, in my first real job, I found myself thrust into the world of open-source technologies. It was an unexpected requirement that I install Linux on my laptop. With no prior experience in Linux, I took a leap of faith and decided to go with OpenSUSE. Looking back now, I can proudly say it was a good decision.

As I embarked on this new journey, I soon realized that Linux had a learning curve unlike anything I had encountered before. My initial hurdle was getting my laptop to play music. I had to install codecs, navigate through unfamiliar commands, and troubleshoot various issues. It felt like solving a puzzle, one piece at a time.

The challenges didn't end there. I had to find and install drivers for my WiFi adapter, which turned out to be quite a quest. And don't even get me started on configuring my graphics card correctly! It seemed like an uphill battle, but I was determined to conquer it.

Despite the struggles, Linux had its perks. It was stable, secure, and offered a level of customization I had never experienced before. But there was one battle I could never win—a chess game. GNU Chess, as I recall, proved to be an insanely difficult opponent. It was a humbling experience, reminding me that even within the vast realm of open source, there are challenges that can push our limits.

At the time, I was only 19 years old, and this Linux adventure felt like something out of a movie. It reminded me of the iconic scene in "The Matrix" when Neo, played by Keanu Reeves, is offered the choice between a red pill and a blue pill by rebel leader Morpheus, portrayed by Laurence Fishburne. The blue pill offered a return to familiarity, to the comfort of ignorance. But I had chosen the red pill, diving headfirst into the world of Linux, embracing the unknown, and seeking knowledge beyond my previous boundaries.

With every obstacle I overcame, I grew more confident, more skilled, and more determined. Linux had become more than just a job requirement; it had become a passion. I discovered the power of open-source technologies and the vibrant community that surrounded it.

Looking back on those early days, I am grateful for the struggles and the triumphs. They shaped me into the person I am today—a lover of open source, a problem solver, and an advocate for embracing new challenges. Linux had awakened a curiosity within me that continues to fuel my desire to learn, explore, and push the boundaries of what is possible.

So, to anyone facing a similar choice between the red pill and the blue pill, I would say: take the leap, embrace the challenges, and embark on your own open-source adventure. You may stumble along the way, but the rewards of knowledge and personal growth are worth every struggle.

  • 2,863 Views

GNU Utilities is where I started oncoding OpenSource software.  More than three decades ago, I got introduced on Minix when doing Operating Systems course in Uni. Incedentally, not long after that, the news about a new OS starting with a new kernel was posted in comp.os newsgroup. It was the time when SunOS 4 (BSD) and Solaris (SunOS 5) were impressive. There were other Unix like OS for PCs that existed those days like MS Xenix and SCO Unix on which I was fortunate to have an official copy of the latter. There was also one called Coherent advertised in Dr Jobbs journal. Two years after that, I found myself ordering CD distributions of Linux sucn as Ygdrassil, Slackware and later on, Red Hat, as well as BSD CD distributions. I wrote code for PCs interfacing devices through device drivers loaded on the upper memory and was controlled using interrupts as a hobby, then for a living. So Minix, BSD and then Linux were phenomenal. My first job was writing modules and utilities as well as porting software on different flavours of Unix ranging from VAX running DEC/OS, Sun Sparc running SunOS/Solaris, SGI running IRIX, IBM WorkStation on AIX, Sequent Computer (SMP, yes multiple CPUs with Giga bytes RAM) on Dynix/PTX and many more. The job changed along with less systems programming while  more applications programming. The rest is history.

YogeshKadiya
Flight Engineer Flight Engineer
Flight Engineer
  • 2,856 Views

I started exploring opensource when I was asked to Install Linux for a production environment at the begining of my career days (in early 2000). I installed my first Linux Operating system which was way more stable then the Windows OS which tend ot give lots of BSOD errors. I came to know about lots of Opensource free OS platforms including RedHat's own OS and other free tools. I use to follow distrowatch for following OpenSource updates. Loved it. 

  • 2,852 Views

I was introduced to open source in early 1980s while still in high-school.  About a year after I started working Jan 1988, my first Unix system that I used was SCO Xenix on 80286.  I switched to Consensus Unix when that came out.  I got hold of Linux (Softlanding distribution) in early 1990s from people that was already using the system.  I used it on an early 80386 clone system that I've built.  The entire system was installed from a large amount of 3,1/4 inch floppies...  The softlanding system gave rise to Slackware some time later.

Chardron
Cadet
Cadet
  • 2,808 Views

It was year 1999, I was studying business informatic in university in Finland and we got a assignment to provide 3 hour class for other students. We had a pool of subjects and my collegue was introducing how to install RedHat 6. After that i started to make myself familiar with different Linux Distroes... After that i started to experiment with different distroes as Windows really was nothing for me after that first touch. 

I have afterwards gone through from Ubuntu, Kubuntu , Archlinux , Kalilinux, Suse, Manjaro etc But for work there has always been the Red Hat since and now I will just want to deepen my understanding about Linux & Opensource software more after almost 10 year for not working in IT industry anymore... Feeling like I have forgotten more than some of the people would learn  

  • 2,748 Views

Mi historia es bastante corta, siempre me gustaron los sistemas operativos basados en Linux, sin embargo, no era lo común hace varios años, pero a nivel empresarial, las empresas que mayor estabilidad operativa tienen sin duda tienen servidores basados en RedHat, qué es RedHat dije yo en ese entonces... de entrada sus colores y matices de logotipo me gustarion, y me empecé a adentrar en este mundo, sus comandos, sus modularidades, me enamoraron al instante! tan to así que ahora soy un #RedHatLover

otaviokr
Cadet
Cadet
  • 2,697 Views

I have to say it was through one of my teachers at the university. During some class about Operating Systems, instead of talking about the technical differences between Windows and Linux, he started by telling how Windows was born and how Linux was born - and how that shaped the way both systems would be developed for the next years.

Later, we presented the idea of managing versions of an application, and how git was created by the same Linus Torvalds, and how git was also designed to help people share their code with others.

From there, it didn't took long to get to know Free Software Foundation, the idea of copyleft, and the Open Source Initiative... as a non-native English speaker, I always found funny the need to highlight "free as a bird; not free beer", since my language has 2 very specific words for each of those cases - but I can think the slogan works very well anyways.

dathho
Cadet
Cadet
  • 2,630 Views

BSD/SYSV on DEC PDP/11 and VAX.

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Szymon_M
Mission Specialist
Mission Specialist
  • 2,546 Views

Hi everyone

I started my journey with open source and Linux systems in early 1990's. - 1995 possibly - when pcs were slow, without internet access, linux was distributed on CDs and all was rather hard to start. So i got one of the linux distributions (can't remember what it was) - and install on home pc. Then reinstall it several times - due to some issues and thanks to breaking some internals during Linux system explorations :P.  It was quite good patience work out and very educational experience curiostity was prevailing

Later days I switch to quite different carrer - in accounting  and taxes, then after years I decided to make a change and my goals returns and leaned towards IT carrer. Now I am satisfied automation developer, using for every day tasks also RedHat Linux and Ansible - also with other virtualization technical stack.

Szymon_M
Mission Specialist
Mission Specialist
  • 2,459 Views

Hi everyone

I started my journey with open source and Linux systems in early 1990's. - 1995 possibly - when pcs were slow, without internet access, linux was distributed on CDs and all was rather hard to start. So i got one of the linux distributions (can't remember what it was) - and install on home pc. Then reinstall it several times - due to some issues and thanks to breaking some internals during Linux system explorations :P.  It was quite good patience work out and very educational experience curiostity was prevailing

Later days I switch to quite different carrer - in accounting  and taxes, then after years I decided to make a change and my goals returns and leaned towards IT carrer. Now I am satisfied automation developer, using for every day tasks also RedHat Linux and Ansible - also with other virtualization technical stack.

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