Happy 30th Birthday, Linux (From A Humble Tech Marketer And Longtime Ubuntu User)
Linux is so much more than a geeky operating system; it’s a movement that embraces surmounting challenges through the power of community
Today’s marks the 30th anniversary of Linux.
The Linux Foundation has led the charge in sprinkling out the confetti.
The milestone will probably pass just as quickly as it came while the rest of society tuts at those weird geeks having an excuse to do their Linux thing. (I made sure to ship out my Tux plushy specifically for the occasion.)
I began using Ubuntu more than 10 years ago. It’s probably more like 14. But what’s the point in keeping count, anyway?
It’s so long ago that I don’t really think about using Linux any more.
I just call it using a computer.
I keep a separate Windows hard drive installed on my desktop and laptop as a matter of course (I’m a desktop guy and an ethernet fan; you could say that I swing against the prevailing tide).
A virtual machine too.
I hope that I never have to use either of them. As in like ever.
Linux has been a tremendously rewarding journey.
For all the rabbit holes it has sprung me towards — and there have been many of those, true me — those rabbit holes have come laced with plenty of knowledge when I make it out the other side.
I come out of them knowing a good deal more than I previously did about topics like SSH networking and connection bonding.
Things that operating systems like Windows keep well hidden beneath a thick veil of automation and “it just works.” Yes, it usually works. But there can be something perniciously collying about t
I’ve learned about topics that should be–and remain — way above my pay grade.
I’ve gotten to play around with tech that would have been unaffordable were it not for those dedicated souls who keep the open source community ticking and its software at least somewhat patched and updated.
I follow their Github repositories and read their documentation. Their knowledge and commitment is awe-inspiring.
But more than all the above–aren’t these just technical details? — Linux has instilled in me a sort of feeling that virtually no challenge is truly impossible.
Linux’s focus on community support has also been a terrific guide.
I frequently draw up upon the wisdom of others in tech fora. I try to give some back as I accrue some of it to call my own.
Linux has asked nothing from me no matter how long I’ve used it (very minor exceptions: the small sliver of Linux software that requires paid licenses).
Not one cent.
I’m not oblivious to the fact that that kind of financial reality deprives the ecosystem of a badly needed profit motive.
Though even Linux users gripe at the state of Linux on the desktop, I think the fact that it’s developed to the extent that it has without that core financing behind it is nothing short of amazing.
Let me say this once:
I love and use Linux because it allows me to get under the hood of computing. To customize and tweak my system as I see fit. To explore. To learn.
If the community could agree on some licensing that kept the OS true to its core tenants while also injecting the monetization needed to implement better bug fixing and hardware support … I’d be happy to pay. Just saying, you know?
Thank you, Linux, for inspiring me to keep learning about technology.
To know that even complex situations can be solved with sufficient determination.
For showing me that in a globalized community there’s almost always somebody smarter and more knowledgeable than you out there. Somewhere. In the amorphous void that consistutes our global user base.
I’m excited to keep learning. To keep growing with you. And I know that your best days are still ahead of you.
