My life with Linux: a retrospective

Linux is 30 years old. What started as a student project by a young man studying computer science at the University of Helsinki has grown into an operating system that businesses around the world depend on. It is enormous. This is crucial. And without Linux, most businesses wouldn’t be so nimble, flexible, and reliable.

Huzzah! But that’s not what I want to talk about now. I want to make this a little more personal. Why? Because Linux has changed my life. It sounds like hyperbole. It’s not.

Let me explain.

SEE: 5 Linux Server Distributions You Should Be Using (TechRepublic Premium)

My life was going really well. I was literally living the dream. I was a professional actor who made my living doing what I was most passionate about. Nothing could stop me. And while I wasn’t earning what you might call a living wage, I was able to support myself (albeit eating a lot of Poptarts and Ramen) by doing what I loved.

But then September 11 happened and things got worse. I was a member of a resident company of one of the largest and most respected children’s theaters in the country. In the post-9/11 world, schools have stopped holding field trips, meaning children’s theaters across the country have taken a heavy blow for their performance. After 10 years with this company, I had to make a very difficult choice … a choice I never thought I would have to make.

I pulled back from the thing I loved and looked for something new. I said something led me to attend another college (I already had a bachelor’s and master’s degree in fine arts), this time around I would be studying computer science. It was in 1999.

Here’s the problem: In 1997, I bought a Pentium 75 computer and was getting tired of the Blue Screen of Death. At one point, my curiosity took over (as it often does) and I looked for an alternative. Being on the poorer side of the economy lanes, this alternative had to be cheaper than Windows.

And better. Did I mention how much I hated Microsoft Windows?

TO SEE: Linus Torvalds’ Biggest Hits: A Retrospective of the Linux Kernel Founder’s Impact on Technology (Free PDF) (TechRepublic)

So one fateful day I was visiting the local CompUSA (remember that?) And found exactly what I was looking for: Linux. I had read about it and understood what it was (at least on the surface). It was an operating system. Windows was an operating system. I could use Windows, ergo I could use Linux. Ipso facto, ad nauseam. And given everything I had read, Linux would never fail me.

So I bought Caldera Open Linux 1.0, brought it home, and started installing the operating system. A few hours later, I had a working Linux instance on my machine and the dreaded Windows was gone.

But then problems set in. I couldn’t log in. I needed to be online. What was this collection of bauds and bits for if I couldn’t connect? It took me a while to figure out that my PC had a … gasp … Winmodem. Back to CompUSA for a US Robotics External Modem. With this piece of operational material everything changed. I had a working copy of Linux on my machine, I was online, and I could begin to learn the ins and outs of this operating system.

It was summer. The birds were singing, the sun was shining, school was over and I had plenty of free time. My Linux education came quickly and hard. I found a guru online (I still remember his name, although I won’t share it with you) who introduced me to the AfterStep window manager, which took everything up a notch. Not only was I using a bombproof operating system, but the interface seemed to come from the future as well.

I was so cool I couldn’t stand myself.

TO SEE: Linus Torvalds Offers Secret to Linux’s Long-Term Success (The Answer Will Not Surprise You) (TechRepublic)

And like that, I would channel Rodney Dangerfield and go back to school. In that first semester back, after feeling like I had mastered Linux, things were different. I felt like I knew something my classmates didn’t. Most of my peers were still using Windows (the gall) and had no idea what they were missing.

This pseudo sense of superiority led me to the Student Linux User Group (aka SLUG). The group met once a week to talk about Linux and organize “Install Fests”, where we installed Linux on computers for other students. It was the third or fourth meeting when a guest came to speak to the group. As it turns out, this guest was from a new startup called TechRepublic that was looking for someone to lead the development of LinuxRepublic (RIP). They were hoping to find someone to write about Linux and help bring this new operating system to the world. Without hesitation, I pulled my hand in the air and said, “I’m your guy!

Two weeks later, I had a freelance contract with TechRepublic, making more money than ever, and doing something that had never crossed my mind… write about technology. And then, in November 2000, I got a call from a TechRepublic boss asking if I wanted to be a full-time editor. My answer? “Let me think about it… yes! ”

This gig lasted about three years until the dotcom bubble burst and (like all tech companies) TechRepublic began to downsize. They had grown to over 200 employees and without the benefit of all this magical venture capital funding, they couldn’t support that level of payroll.

For some reason, middle and senior managers saw Linux as a passing fad, so they figured they could dump me without losing too much. I returned to the theater and stayed there for a few years.

But then that linux siren song just wouldn’t let go. Of course, I had continued to use Linux as my operating system of choice (it still is to this day), but I hadn’t written about the technology in a while. This hiatus ended (after two years) when TechRepublic and I got together. I was doing the other thing that felt absolutely natural again … writing about Linux and open source. Fast forward to now, and on the day I commemorate my own birth, I write about how the birth of an operating system changed the course of history.

So, yes, Linux has changed my life. And to this day, when I watch how it all fell into place, I realize that it all happened so naturally, as if it had to be. On a daily basis, I am grateful to Linus Torvalds for creating Linux. And while I miss a few years of using Linux for 30 years, I can at least say that I was there for the Linux 2.0 kernel and will (most likely) be there for a lot more releases.

Happy 30th birthday Linux. It’s been a great race so far and I’m sure it will only get better.

Subscribe to TechRepublic How to make technology work on YouTube for all the latest technical advice for professionals at Jack Wallen’s business.

Open source weekly newsletter

You don’t want to miss our tips, tutorials, and reviews on the Linux operating system and open source applications. Delivered on Tuesday

register today

Also look