My LINUX Story

I am a pro-Linux supporter. I started using Linux back in my early DOS experience days. I was at the edge of CPM. But never had a need to play with it. DOS was all the rage. But then an amateur radio (ham) friend clued me into Linux in year 1993 or so…

Linux needed to be compiled from source code (Slackware Distro) and could be exactly configured to match hardware. This of course made it very compact and efficient for the minimal hardware available.

All brands of PC operating systems had only one job. That was to provide a common interface between application software and the hardware specific Machine Language that did the computing. Software (App) creators wrote code for the common Operating System, not the hardware.

Linux was also “freeware” meaning there was no cost for its use.

I also experimented with Red Hat and Susse Linux.

Several Linux Ham Radio applications were popular as well as an automatic text Bulletin Board System (BBS) application that would run on amateur radio. Local ham operators could freely post and read messages on the BBS. I was one of several available at that time.

Red Hat Linux became commercial and was replaced by Fedora for the “freeware” community. Not sure what happened with Susse. Probably went commercial as well. A weird sounding (free) Linux called Ubuntu became popular.

There are a great many “flavors” (versions) of Linux available and in use. It’s not my intention here to go into more detail. Much has been written and is readily available with an Internet search.

My credentials

My computer hobby actually started back in 1975 when I acquired and assembled an Imsai 8080 computer. There were no “free to hobbyist” computer operating systems. There actually was no need. Programming was done at the hardware level with assembly language code. But that was to rapidly change.

I had no keyboard or monitor screen. Just two rows of switches on the front panel that could be hand programmed to load binary code to blink a row of LEDs in different patterns.

I loaded a binary 4K “Palo Alto Tiny BASIC” through the same front panel switches (addressing and loading memory locations), then saved the program to perforated tape.

I saved all my programs to perforated punch tape on a teletype machine.

Later I was able to save to an audio cassette with a special add-in I/O board.

1981 I bought a new IBM-PC on the “gray-market” in N.Y.C at a decent price. No hard drive but did have one 5 inch floppy. Now I was into DOS because of the disk drive and much advanced (for the day) software applications. (Lotus123, DB3, etc.) I had not learned of Linux at this point, but later this IBM was the machine I first installed Linux. MS Windows arrived late 1985. Ran on top of DOS.

Personal computing systems greatly expanded through the years and improved functionality. But to just be a hardware interface was not enough “Pizzazz!” to support a mega-corporate’s need to provide (and sell) new features.

Now, 50 years later, without our explicit consent, most personal computer operating systems control not only computer hardware, but also our human social lives and gain access to all our deepest secrets and track our every move. George Orwell was right! (Big Brother lives!)

The Linux OS seems to be the only back-to-basic option presently available for personal computer use. One can add “social” functions to the system, but it is entirely optional and at one’s own choice.

I am not saying anything is “wrong” as to where personal computing has evolved. I have my eyes open and can clearly see the road. But there are still options for less personal invasion and (thankfully) more personal control by going in another direction with my own personal computing.

I will certainly but carefully continue to need and use Microsoft and Apple systems. They are well embedded in my life. But I have options to both and when appropriate, will be working with a Linux version of programs that do the same job.

I am using a text editor within Linux right now. The only AI (Artificial Intelligence) has been some spell checking. I like that!

No attempt to “take over” my writing style (without me asking) “to make me fit the mold” of its’ AI “acceptable practice”. I prefer to just let my composition flaws hang out, thank you!