My Computing Voyage – From Windows to Linux!

Exactly six years ago, a young boy was introduced to the world of computers. Back then he was very excited & celebrated the night when the brand new computer arrived at his doorstep. The whole family was jubiliant & so was he. The computer was loaded with Windows 98 & that’s how the little boy entered into this computer arena. For the first two years or so, the boy new nothing other than playing games on the computer. At that time, he felt like becoming a diehard gamer as his friend was a factory of games. He played on for two years but then lost interest in them. This was due to the realisation of the fact that computer is not a gaming device but an educational device.

As two years passed on in cops pursuits & bullet banging, the third year introduced the whole new world which we call ‘Internet’ to this little fellow. He convinced his mom to get a dialup modem so that he could surf as per his wish. Unaware of downloading charges, he went out of bounds & surfed to his heart content in the beginning but later on he started to keep a tab on his surfing habits. Primarily, he was attracted to downloading new version of softwares on the Internet. As time progressed, he came to know about online forums & blogs. He registered on one such forum which led to a chain which is still growing long. He enjoyed helping others over forums & also reading reviews of computer hardware. In the meanwhile, he also learnt other things like chatting, torrents, blogging etc. Gradually, he developed a passion for ‘Computers’ & its related technology & thus he decided to plunge into this field whole heartedly. He started blogging about computers & even before he could realise, his knowledge of Computers had reached an astounding level. His friends & colleagues, started calling him ‘Tech Geek’ & even consulting him before purchasing any computer component become a routine chore. The knowledge was increasing rapidly but still this little boy choose not to brag about it & helped only when asked upon.

One day his computer went kaput & so he called a computer technician to check the problem. As the computer technician went to do his job, this little boy failed to keep mum & started muttering about the computer innards. The computer guy was impressed by his computer knowledge at such a ripe age & so he advised, “You can troubleshoot the computer all by yourself. You have the knowledge. There is no need to call me the next time your computer goes kaput”. These words struck the boy hard & he then realised that he indeed was capable of troubleshooting on his own. He began to read technology magazines, tech blogs, tech articles in newspapers to be updated. Then arrived a stage where he felt the need to up the ante & thus he pledged to become a ‘Windows Master’. Slowly he reached the stage where he could be called ‘Windows Intermediate’. As he was just about to drown in the windows sea, he came to know about a niche project which we call the ‘Open Source’. His curiosity tempted him to digg further up & thus he started to like it. As time passed on, his interest in the windows field started to decline. This decline wasn’t because of concentration on Linux but because he started to think that “Mastering windows should be left out as I would never be able to purchase original windows softwares.” This guilt of using pirated windows & the subordinate software rose as he read further more articles about the Open Source Project. Then came the time which was expected – He wiped off the pirated Windows off his computer & installed Fedora Core 4 in its place. He registered on forums & started to use them so to increase his grip over Linux. Soon he began to try various Linux distros & finally decided to settle on Fedora. After devoting so much time to the Open Source, he felt that he should contribute in someway to this global phenomenon. But lack of programming skills made his journey difficult. So for time being he decided to open a Linux blog where he can share his knowledge with the world.

Time flew & now after six years, he has devoted himself fully to the world of Linux. Its not that he hates windows as some of his friends think. He does uses windows to get his dose of gaming & to satisfy his passion of designing Symbian themes. Now he wishes to be a “Linux Master”. Though far off from being called a master still he knows in his mind that one day he will surely reach this position. His funda(idea) now is to “Unlearn Windows & Learn Linux”. It’s a tough journey ahead & it would be interesting to see how I go through it. As I type this on my six year old computer, I’m feeling nostalgic to part away with this computer as it is the one which led me to Linux. The joy of getting a new fast computer sure is pleasurable but still I would definitely not forget these six years which have shaped my thinking. I hope you felt as great as I felt writing this piece of article & going back to those old computing memories. Hoping to have a good computing experience in the coming years.

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