Why do I wear a Linux polo when I'm at the office?
In the past year, I haven't been going to the office that often. Most of the servers I care about are virtual machines, and for this I'm very lucky now. Most of my colleagues - software developers and system admins - use Windows on their notebooks, and only two of us are using Linux but I'm the only Linux fan there.
Linux and free software give even more opportunities to IT people than they do to other people, but most of them don't really realize it.
Many IT people don't understand how good it is:
- When you don't have to see advertisements everywhere or you don't have to buy the "pro" version to get rid of them (and the "pro" version is not as powerful as the open source alternatives). From the beginning you can do everything you want, without any restrictions.
- When you can use universal software, where everything is always available. If one program reads an image format, the others will too. They are open from every side: backends, frontends and plugins. Software are not just near each other, but organized to work together.
- When there are no forced cloud services or telemetry, logins to online systems to keep your software on your computer working, and you don't need to register each software with your personal contact information and credit card details. You just apt-get/zypper/dnf it, and it is ready to use.
- When you get prompt updates on everything, not just the operating system. Their Windows might be carefully updated, but what about all the other installed software with big security holes?
They see that here everything just works. My Linux polo shirt is just a shout-out to this here-everything-works feeling.
By the way, last time I was wearing a LibreOffice t-shirt at the office. Almost all of my colleagues are using LibreOffice.
Why do you wear your Linux shirt at work?
Gábor Kum
founder of HELLOTUX
3 December 2021, 3:02 pm (Central European Time)
Comments
Hans Maerker
Nice report, Gábor. As for Linux, I hear you. I kicked Windows off my computer already 3 years ago, and replaced it with Linux. That was the time when MS botched up their forced updates, and I got a blue screen on my monitor. Not once but twice.
I dealt with MS since DOS 3.3 and went through all the blunders from Win 386 up to Win 10. Yet, their forced blue screen of death was the straw that broke the camel's back. I tried Ubuntu on my PC for a short time, then switched to fedora workstation briefly, and finally ended up on Mint Cinnamon. Works for me, and I'm happy with it for more than 2 years now. Never looked back.
A few tools I wanted, but were not offered at the repository, were downloaded from 3rd parties and everything just works. Linux is the OS that will gain more and more ground. Slowly but steady.
As for your jackets, I wait for the new collection, and then decide what to order. I'm retired now and not under pressure anymore. My wife and I moved to Spain. So whatever I pick will be chosen according to Spain's climate. :)
Hans
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