I have been interested in Linux for a few years now. I think the idea of ownership interests me the most; it is my opinion that I own my computer and I like the idea of control over what runs on it. No doubt this is a bit of arrogance on my part, because given an empty computer I am helpless unless I have someone else's software to run on it. Perhaps because I developed an attitude toward "my computer" before the Internet ever came along and was even a bit late in connecting to the WWW. I feel a certain proprietorship about it all and am a bit put off anytime it is hinted that the actual ownership of a computer or what runs on it is questioned.

I first encountered Linux as perhaps everyone did a few years back when a friend passed me a Knoppix CD. It booted right up and did pretty much what would expect from a computer. The main problem was that I am on dialup so at least for a time Linux could only be a novelty for me.

Things were going well for me and I saw fit to buy myself a laptop. I had read it advised that hopeful laptop buyers should aim for about the same power and speed of their current desktop, and that seemed somewhat reasonable to me. Because I am always several years behind the times, I could pick up a used laptop with slightly better specs than what I was used to for a fraction of what new models were going for. The opportunity here was that the laptop would be wiped; I would have to install the operating system. I had a copy of Windows to install, so I went for it.

I don't know what posessed me to think that an OS install was beyond me, but after getting through several hurdles I ran afoul of some drivers and admitted defeat. I drove to town and bought an hour of the local tech's time and at last my laptop was usable to me. Things were great for just about a year.

After a while my CMOS battery ran down and what the heck I replaced it myself. An hour of the local tech's time had become a large percentage of the laptop's replacement cost. Shortly thereafter, Windows refused to boot. By then I had started a collection of live Linux CDs and when they would run on the laptop just fine I declared it to be a software problem.

This time around, having proved that the laptop actually worked and having a few successes to bolster my confidence, I was determined to do the install myself. I was able to find the missing driver and bring my laptop to full function. This empowered, I felt I was ready to risk going off into the unknown arena of disk partitioning and attempt a Linux dual-boot.

I had a copy of Mandrake full install on hand; I think I chose it because I liked the name. The partitioning and install proceeded very smoothly and I soon had a working Linux machine without any driver worries at all. Of course I didn't use it at home because of the dialup issues, but when using the wireles card at coffee shops and the like I automatically booted into Linux and was able to carry on as natural as could be.

Another year passed and I felt it was time to replace the failing desktop. The purchase of a better, used machine without an OS was by now a the obvious step. I was able to triple my speed and processing power at a very low price. Since the new computer had no modem installed, I was in a way forced to buy an external modem which would also work with Linux and remove the barrier of using Linux full time. I will tell of this in detail in the second part of the story.