Pragmatic Geek
It was 1999, and I was a junior in high school when I installed Linux for the first time on my computer. It was a royal pain in the ass, but I enjoyed the challenge. The onboard modem did not work because it was software-driven, and my display was all kinds of messed up—thanks to integrated devices. Despite my inability to get my onboard soundcard working, my determination centered on getting Linux working. I had no clue what I was doing. My PC at the time was running Microsoft Windows 98, and I am almost sure Hewlett Packard had did not design it to run anything but Windows. But I was relentless in my determination to install this elusive yet foreign and fascinating operating system. But first, I’d like to give you a little background on my Linux journey.
My Dad was an independent self-employed salesman for Mylec Street Hockey—ergo, my love for ice, roller, and street hockey—and various boot companies. Around 1988, my Dad bought his first desktop computer, the Mac SE. Now, this computer was strictly for his work to use Lotus-1-2-3 to track sales and finances. My fascination with this nascent technology would grow into an intense obsession. It did not take long for my Dad to foster my interests and kindle my desire to learn about the enthralling exemplar of the late 80s technological achievement. The first computer game I played was Dark Castle, which we got from a local MUG member. It was interesting, but the novelty quickly wore off—a resounding theme with my computer game interactions—because of my overbearing curiosity to learn how computers worked.
What was it about this drab, boxy device with its black and white display and 1 Megabyte of RAM? Everything! I could conceive its remarkable potential in my feeble prepubescent mind. I was curiously destructive to my parent’s dismay; often, they would come home only to discover a disassembled television, Betamax recorder, or later a VHS player. I had to know how things worked. My Dad’s computer was off-limits for tinkering. However, it wasn’t until my Dad handed down his older Power Mac 7100 that I explored the internals. The Power Mac was my first, very own computer that resided on my desk in my bedroom.
Around 1994, this program allowed you to tinker with the Mac operating system and customize the splash screen and various other settings by editing system plist files. I thought I was so clever to personalize the startup splash screen by replacing the name with “RushOS” and some absurd version number—yes, I was that kind of a dork. It was fun changing settings that escaped other everyday-average computer users. But it was not until my Dad got a modem for the real fun.
At first, it was the slow and loud dial-up to bulletin board systems (BBS) supported by local Mac User Groups in the Pittsburgh area. I remember many times going with my Dad to these user groups. At the time, it seemed like a place for older men with yellowing beards faintly smelling of cigarettes to swap and sell software and old computer parts. Often, members demoed computer games; times were different then because copies of the games were freely passed out. I am almost sure this is how we obtained our first computer game, “Dark Castle.” I have completed very few computer games throughout my life. Computer games never captivated me like tinkering with software and operating systems did. So, I spent most of my time messing with system settings and customizing the user interface—small things that were amusing at such a young age.
My friends at the time had Windows machines, mainly IBM. I never developed the fondness I had for Macs for any of the Windows machines I encountered. I think it was Windows 3.1 and the constant necessity to use DOS that instilled a sour taste in my mouth. I loathed antiquated DOS compared to the Mac operating system’s GUI; at that time, I was accustomed to the Mac way of doing things, so using a terminal was unappealing. This is odd considering the later love I developed for the Bash Shell. I could not avoid the Linux terminal when I first installed Linux. At first, there was no GUI and no desktop environment. I was almost overwhelmed with frustration in my attempts to get KDE to run on the Red Hat distro. Eventually, I realized it was useless on my current machine, so I built a second computer exclusively for Linux. Over the years, I have bounced from Linux to Windows to Mac and back again; however, I now use Windows. I do not have a single machine running Linux natively, and here is why.
It seems there was always something in the way of abandoning Windows for Linux, even though it has come a long way. Mainstream Linux distributions are typically easier to install than Windows, which is surprising since OEMs prioritize driver support for Windows. I know vendors deliver Linux on their devices. Still, I have always needed Windows for either work, school, or random projects. Nevertheless, I frequently found myself tinkering with Linux in ways not possible with Windows, which is a benefit and a time-waster. I have no clue how many times I have nuked my computers only to install a different distro. I became the worst of distro-hoppers because something new and shiny would arrive on another distro. And right when Linux was getting more usable than ever, Windows 10 came along. Okay, before you curse at me, flip me off, or stop reading this, let me explain.
I fell victim to my idealism, which hindered my ability to progress in learning software development and more lucrative skills. I was a FOSS enthusiast who evangelized for open source software and, more importantly, Linux. But this was starting to wear down on me because I was using open-source software at the expense of time and, more importantly, constant frustrations—certainly self-induced. Yes, I was tired of paying a premium for Macs, which I used for almost a decade; furthermore, I was tired of all the frequent failures caused by previous Windows versions. But with Windows 10, I get a Bash Shell (hindrances aside) enabling nearly all shell tools available for Ubuntu, Fedora, OpenSUSE, and Kali Linux. I am sure the Windows 10 Subsystem for Linux (WSL) will fall short for some users and unique cases. Nonetheless, I want to use the best tool for the job, and as of today, Windows 10 checks more boxes than Linux or Mac. Windows 10 is a massive improvement over previous versions. I am sure all its detractors can chime in and criticize such blasphemy. Still, I—as well as many others—can say the same for Linux.
I am nearly incredulous about Microsoft embracing open-source software. From WSL to Visual Studio Code and others like the Xamarin SDK and .NET Core–the days of Steve Ballmer’s pervasive and vehement hatred for Linux are over. Never would I have thought I would be making such statements, but I have become more of a pragmatist and less idealistic. Of course, I want to see open-source software used everywhere possible. Still, I now view my operating system as a dynamic tool. I know I can run Windows in a virtual machine, but why would I go through all the trouble to satisfy an ideology. I can also use Docker for Windows when I reach a wall with WSL. Times have certainly changed, and Microsoft has capitalized on the advantages of open-source software.
Let’s face it, Linux is not going anywhere; it is undoubtedly the most prolific kernel to exist—and it’s not going to fade into oblivion. However, the Linux desktop is fragmented, making it difficult for average computer users to adopt. Idealism certainly clouds thinking, perspective, and open-mindedness. I certainly wanted Linux to usurp Windows desktop market share. Still, now I don’t think that’s important nor necessary for the success of Linux. Maybe it’s not so catastrophic if we never see the “year of the Linux desktop.” Linux dominates so many technology sectors, which is why Microsoft was compelled to add WSL to Windows 10–developers gravitate towards *nix systems.
On the other hand, maybe the “year of the Linux desktop” happened with Chrome OS and Windows’ WSL, but it’s too difficult a pill to swallow. Nonetheless, Linux is not going anywhere anytime soon, but for widespread adoption of desktop Linux to occur, fragmentation and interoperability between distros require a lot of work. Linux has revolutionized and shaped the world we live in, and considering it is younger (first released September 17, 1991) than Windows and Mac is phenomenal. So, just maybe, we might accept that between Microsoft and Google, the “year of the Linux desktop” already happened. Still, we missed it because it wasn’t how we expected.