My usage of GNU/Linux over the years

A potted history.

I've used Linux consistently since about 2001. Since university. About 25 years at the time of writing.

I might have dabbled a bit before that? Not sure.

We had a shared family computer for a long time, so I didn't dare to mess with it and put Linux on. Before I went to to university I saved up for my own laptop. That allowed me to experiment. At university they had a Usenet system for students and staff. Some guy posted about having Linux CDs available. For sale I think! I met him somewhere and he delivered the goods.

Mandrake Linux it was. Based on Red Hat. So I started out with rpms.

I recall having to spend a lot of time on my XFree86 config to get the display working on my laptop. Also compiling a lot of things. There was a lot of compiling back then.

I think we used Linux systems at the computer science labs at university? Seems plausible.

I remember installing Puppy Linux on a Windows laptop my Dad brought home from work. In the university holidays sometime I suppose. The IT department said it was no longer supported by Windows. Was it Windows 95? 98? Maybe some NT version if it was a work computer.

Where did I first hear of Linux? Can't remember.

I used to read Linux Magazine at some point. I remember enjoying the articles by Martin Howse.

I used Fedora for a while.

I installed Ubuntu at some point. I think I was using Fedora on my Masters degree. 2006-2007. So perhaps Ubuntu after that. I remember it being one of the brown ones, not purply, anyway.

I've been in deb/apt based systems ever since.

Sometime around or after 2017 I moved to Linux Mint. As this was the main distro recommended at Restart Parties for users coming from Windows. So I wanted to familiarise myself with it.

I've stuck with it since. I would like to move to pure Debian when I get chance - I like their governance (Why Debian?)

As of May 2026, I'm trying out Zorin OS. For similar reasons to using Mint - to evaluate how good it is as a recommendation for people moving from Windows to Linux.