First Post
The Beginning
For my first time using a computer around 2001, I only knew and learned about one operating system, Windows. Yes, Windows. Nothing else. At that time, the only operating system studied and widely used in my environment was Windows. Schools, and internet cafes, all use Windows. And it was Windows 95, not Windows 1.0 or the early MS-DOS operating system released by Microsoft. I also learned about macOS, but few people used it. Until this article was written, I had never tried macOS except for the mobile version.
Interested in Linux
Ubuntu (one of the Linux distributions) and OpenBSD (a variant of BSD) are the operating systems I learned about afterward. I tried both and eventually used Ubuntu, which is dual-booting with Windows. I chose Ubuntu because I was intrigued by the free Ubuntu CD sent directly to my home address. Yes, one of their (Canonical’s) strategies to get more people to use Ubuntu was to send free Ubuntu CDs to those who wanted to try it. Although this promotion eventually stopped, Ubuntu remains one of the most popular and widely used Linux distributions among beginners and Linux enthusiasts.
Windows remained the primary operating system during my studies from high school to the early semesters of college. Why is it still the main operating system?
- Pirated applications are easy to obtain,
- My knowledge of Linux is still limited,
- Internet speed is still limited and the cost of internet connection is still relatively high, even though Linux has started using the internet as the main medium for installing applications/software and updating the operating system – although offline media can also be used to install applications (for example, using DVDs),
- There are still many bugs and hardware compatibility is still low,
- I still enjoy playing games.
Until mid-semester, I was still using Windows, which at that time was Windows 7. Interestingly, after Windows 7, there was Windows 8, which I found somewhat confusing. They say Windows is user-friendly, but I was rather confused by Windows 8. So, I only tried it occasionally and went back to Windows 7.
More Interested (somewhat reluctantly)
After finishing college, I became more interested in learning about Ubuntu and even other distributions. Although I admit that design applications, video editors, and games are more powerful on Windows, considering the cost of Windows and its applications, which I still find expensive, I was somewhat forced to continue learning alternative operating systems like Linux. I tried dual-booting Windows and Linux, then used Ubuntu as the main operating system with Windows in VirtualBox, even bought a cheap Windows license (which the seller claimed was genuine), and finally, until now, the main systems I use are Pop!_OS, elementary OS, and Ubuntu. Switching operating systems is not easy, especially when you’ve only known one operating system from childhood to adulthood. Besides, you have to try new applications and a new operating system environment. Additionally, file archives that can only be opened in the previous operating system’s applications may not necessarily be accessible in a different operating system, as the application developers may not create applications for various operating systems.
Conclusion
I created this blog not to compare operating systems A, B, or C. Instead, it is specifically to provide information and education related to Linux operating systems, both desktop and mobile. And possibly other open-source operating systems as well.
The abundance of operating systems doesn’t mean choosing the most complete or the best one. Instead, choose the operating system that suits your needs.
