Linux.com posted a story, Making the jump to Linux: Six frustrations, detailing the travails of a new user making the switch. At times I can commiserate with him, particularly with getting dial-up working–which I never did–and at others just scratching my head–why didn’t you buy a book or two? Two books that helped me get past the moments of blinding frustration were Linux Pocket Guide, Linux for Dummies: Quick Reference; granted this are reference guides but they help when you want to translate Windows and DOS commands to their *Nix counterpart.

Now, I am by no means an expert at using this flavor of Debian but I am getting to the point that I am more comfortable using it and administering a server based on it than I am wrenching on the Windows boxes at work. I switched Management over nearly a year ago and she charmed me by calling up with a problem on her work computer. She wanted to save a file but could not locate her home directory, “I’m telling you there is no /home on this system!” Looks like someone else has made the switch because Windows has no home.

I have a feeling that the switch will be permanent as we have both talked about the unlikelihood that when we buy new laptops in a year or so that we’ll even boot Vista, rather we’ll peel off the license, file it, and boot to an Ubuntu installer. It would be nice, though, if we didn’t have to pay the Microsoft tithe and could just buy a laptop sans OS. Sure it is only a savings of $100 but that is my $100 and I would rather donate it to a distro of my choosing.

One more thing, thanks to the fine folks over at Ubuntu Forums and Linux Questions for making our first year a good one, both of us appreciate it.