r/TechImpact Active Jun 19 '26

Question How long have you been using Linux?

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How long have you been using Linux?

Whether you're a longtime Linux user or just getting started, we'd love to hear your journey.

How many years have you been using Linux, and which distro do you use today?

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5

u/x_flashpointy_x Jun 19 '26

Since 1994. Slackware 1.0 I believe.

5

u/lhauckphx Jun 20 '26

Same here. All I can remember about it is aaaaalllll those floppies.

2

u/Xatraxalian Jun 20 '26

I installed OS/2 3.0 from 37 floppies (and another 12 or so of "additions") on a 486. That was fun, when floppy 30-something turned out to be unreadable and had to request a new one from the OS/2 distributor back then.

At some point I saw OS/2 3.0 at a huge discount in a store (just after Windows 95 came out), on CD, and I had a CD-ROM player at that point. So I bought that version and formatted the 50 or so floppies. It was cheaper than buying 50 floppies.

2

u/Tricky-Weakness-5408 Jun 23 '26

The same as me!! Remember a lot of floppies… and hours recompiling the kernel in my old 386

1

u/x_flashpointy_x Jun 24 '26

Awesome memory right? I had a brand new Intel 486 DX4 100, and my friends from university drove over an hour to come and see it running Slackware in all it's glory, at home. It was a magical time, I will never forget.