It's been about 15 - 16 months since I switched over to Fedora from Windows 7. I have to say, the longer I use Fedora full time the happier I am with my decision to drop Windows all together. The more I dive into using Linux the more useful stuff I discover. Much of this I will start sharing on the blog.
After using Microsoft operating systems for a little over 20 years, I had a real comfort factor using the product. If anything broke, I knew what the problem was and how to fix it immediately. It was an almost Zen like computing experience, and things rarely went wrong. If it wasn't for the fact that I really hated Windows 8, and the over priced software updates that came with it, I may never have switched.
This confident user experience is a feeling I miss using Fedora. It's not for any bad quality in the Fedora product itself, but a simple lack of understanding on my part. When something goes wrong, I have to really research and read, and learn in order to fix the problem. Just like I had to 20 years ago when I started using Windows 3.11.
Just this week I realized that familiar safe feeling is coming back with Fedora now. I may not know how to fix everything but if something is off I can usually figure out whats wrong, and what needs to be done to fix it.
I occasionally make a n00b mistake, like the other day when I deleted yum instead of a different program using RPM. Ya, I was using RPM to remove part of a package without removing all the dependencies and thinking yum for some reason and with a quick $ rpm -e --nodeps yum return, yum was gone. Dope !!! Yet, even after doing something so ridiculously idiotic, it only took about 15 minutes to fix ! Something that probably would of taken all day 15 months ago :) I have to say, it was a bit of confidence builder.
The mystery repair is always nice as well. Although it sucks not really understanding how you fixed something, and what you did to actually fix the problem. The fact that you got it to work, and knew what you had to do to make it work, is always gratifying. When this happens it's just a matter of time before you understand the "why" and "how" of it all !
I look back on learning Windows 20 years ago and remember how amazed I was with the computer. I read everything I could get my hands on, and learned the system inside and out. I could tell you what files did what, and why Windows used that file. I want to get this feeling with Fedora and Linux in general. Then I thought about it and realized 15 months into this and I've got a pretty good handle on this thing. Everyday I learn a little more now, and the more I learn the easier it is to understand. In a couple more years I'm sure I'll have that zen like feeling using Fedora or any brand of GNU Linux I choose. In the mean time I have a ton of great open source software to use, and a million ways to tweak my system for maximum work-flow.
On a final note, that is one of the things I'm getting really comfortable with now. I love the way a system can be tweaked a dozen different ways depending on what you're doing. Things like multiple desktops, and setting up the alt tab Windows switching are all huge time savers. The more I learn about KDE and the Linux command line, the more I incorporate the functions into my daily work-flow, and the more time I save. This in itself is worth the price of admission and will probably be the reason I never switch to a different operating system again. Only time will tell.
My Linux skills have been limited to a basic install, and getting around in the system. I've recently decided to take the O.S. more seriously and become a full time user and more of a Linux hobbyist. This is a place for me to post notes, and other helpful information. The information here is centered around Fedora and KDE but I do post about other GNU/Linux distributions. You can find useful notes, book reviews, tutorials, videos, and whatever else I think will be useful for learning this O.S.
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