Why I (Still) Love Linux ?

Summary

I know, this title might come as a surprise to many. Or perhaps, for those who truly know me, it won’t. I am not a fanboy. The BSDs and the illumos distributions generally follow an approach to design and development that aligns more closely with the way I think, not to mention the wonderful communities around them, but that does not mean I do not use and appreciate other solutions. I usually publish articles about how much I love the BSDs or illumos distributions, but today I want to talk about Linux (or, better, GNU/Linux) and why, despite everything, it still holds a place in my heart. This will be the first in a series of articles where I’ll discuss other operating systems.Where It All BeganI started right here, with GNU/Linux, back in 1996. It was my first real prompt after the Commodore 64 and DOS. It was my first step toward Unix systems, and it was love at first shell. I felt a sense of freedom - a freedom that the operating systems I had known up to that point (few, to be honest) had never given me. It was like a “blank sheet” (or rather, a black one) with a prompt on it. I understood immediately that this prompt, thanks to command chaining, pipes, and all the marvels of Unix and Unix-like systems, would allow me to do anything. And that sense of freedom is what makes me love Unix systems to this day.I was young, but my intuition was correct. And even though I couldn't afford to keep a full Linux installation on that computer long-term due to hardware limitations, I realized that this would be my future. A year later, a new computer arrived, allowing me to use Linux daily, for everything. And successfully, without missing Windows at all (except for a small partition, strictly for gaming).When I arrived at university, in 1998, I was one of the few who knew it. One of the few who appreciated it. One of the few who hoped to see a flourishing future for it. Everywhere. Widespread. A dream come true. I was a speaker at Linux Days, I actively participated in tran...