GNOME
At that time I was using Windows XP which was a real revolution for everyone. I was passionate about antivirus and firewalls and my only concern was to optimize Windows to make it as light as possible.
Red Hat Linux
It was back in 2002 when I bought a multiple CD copy of Red Hat Linux 8 at the Microlink in Sestese street. I had never tried Linux and in those days from 56k it was impossible to download anything in human time.
My first Linux impact was a real disaster, I didn’t understand anything, the terminal was fathomless. I struggled a few days but got so exasperated to throw those precious original copies in the trash can.
There was GNOME, I remember it well, with that foot icon and the taskbar so difficult to configure.
I went back to Windows but in me there was always that little voice that pushed me to observe from the other (side, from the open one, where you could see the hidden parts. Open Source Side.
Each software has an open version, you just need to search for it.
I remember trying Mandrake Linux from a CD found on magazine, the experience with KDE was not good, icons bouncing hundreds of menus…
Ubuntu
The turning point came in 2006 when Ubuntu Dapper came out. They were all talking about Ubuntu in those days.
GNOME 2.14 how nice and clean it was! Thanks to Ubuntu for bringing me into the Linux world, the first real distribution that is easy and for everyone.
Yes, I had become an Ubuntu fan boy! One of those who could not resist and every six months they had to risk the experimental repositories to try the new animal species.
It took a long time before I found the courage to unplug Windows and get rid of dual booting, it was like an umbilical cord. Windows affects you, like an imprint, is the first thing you see as a child.
Debian is not for everyone
“Debian is not for everyone” “Debian is only for a few”, this voice kept ringing in my mind, but one day I tried it. Debian was simplicity, it was what I had always been looking for. An infinite number of packages but you were the one to decide what to install.
Debian testing is like a great mother, it has been with me for many years.
GNOME 2.20, GNOME 2.30 so cleans and perfects.
GNOME 3
Then came GNOME 3, “absurd I thought. I will never use it !”. The inexorable criticism of those who did not accept GNOME Shell, linked to the ten-year desktop centric conception of drop-down menus and submenus, everything had to be blocked and stopped. I had to bang my head for a long time before understanding its meaning, I had to overturn my concept of Desktop but now I feel I have understood. The Old Desktop takes a back seat and leaves room for Applications. It is first necessary to absorb the gestures.
Arch is not for everyone
“Arch is not for everyone” “Arch Linux is only for a few” this rumor kept ringing in my mind, but one day I tried it.
Arch Linux installation was beyond my imagination, a very long but linear process, without an installer made you understand what is really behind distribution installation, having full control.
The key is to follow the official ArchWiki step by step, keeping in mind that everything must be configured including the network.
Once in the Arch Linux world it is difficult to get out of it. Even more software available with the addition of third party AUR packages. There is practically everything and everything fits together perfectly and super updated. GNOME in Arch is simply GNOME, with no additions.
“Arch Linux defines simplicity as without unnecessary additions or modifications.“
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Arch_Linux
Thanks GNOME
GNOME has accompanied me all these years in a discreet way, without getting noticed but it was always there, present and this is the greatness of GNOME, its simplicity and its sobriety.
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