J_K9 @ Linux

Why do people switch to Linux?

Because they realise how unstable and insecure Windows is? No, that’s not why - but as I quote from an article on oreillynet.com, there are a wide variety of reasons - and most people do not switch because of Windows gripes. Take a look:

• I like Linux because it’s unix, it’s cheap and for a scientist it’s a pleasure to use on the desktop.
• I was at work one day and one of the sys admins said, dial out to my box at home. I did and was greeted by something that smelled a lot like System V “What is it?”, I asked, expecting that he had gotten hold of “free” copy of UnixWare or something (which was probably about $1500-2000 at the time). He said, “It’s Linux.”
• I chose Linux simply because I thought the mascot looked cute enough.

And some more:

• I was not unhappy with Microsoft or Windows, but I was motivated to learn more about Unix…When the first betas of KDE came out, I installed it. From that point, I began spending more time on the Linux box — especially after StarOffice was made gratis — and less on the Windows PC.

  As I went on, I began trying things that I couldn’t do with Windows. I added boxes to the network, I started doing graphics with the Gimp. I experimented with apache and postgresql, all manner of things…Now, Linux is my primary platform.

• It took me about a year to switch from W2K to Linux. The timing in the development of all of the Desktop elements has obviously been critical. If I’d tried any sooner, the whole thing would never have come together. Improved hardware support and equivalent apps have been a big part of the successful transition, and, I owe thanks to many in the Linux community for making that happen at an astounding rate and giving me my functional Desktop OS.

As you can see, there are many reasons why users have switched to Linux - and most don’t even involve Windows. I guess these statistics just go to show that Linux is not going unnoticed.

Read the article for a more detailed explanation.