I'll bite (but no ranting)...
I'm a professional research scientist (aquatic toxicology) and do all of my
own data collection, sophisticated statistical analyses and interpretation.
I'm decidedly NOT a hacker (although I do like to play around with the
command line and admire a few hackers) - I really just need to get my work
done. I use Trisquel (without ANY proprietary software or components) for all
of my home and work computing.
I'm also an advocate of personal freedom and view the use of ANY proprietary
software as infringing on my freedom, for many of the reasons described by
the Free Software Foundation. I won't use proprietary software.
Quite frankly, I see only advantages to using free software:
1) Trisquel is quite stable and runs quickly on inexpensive computers.
2) I can now afford to own several computers, including the one in my office.
The IT people at my college want nothing to do with my system and I'm quite
happy to keep it that way. They leave me alone and I don't have to deal with
their Macintosh or Windows systems, which are defective by design.
3) I spend far LESS time on housekeeping that I used to with Macintosh or
Windows. I also experience far less downtime than my Windows counterparts, in
particular.
4) Virtually all of the free software tools that I use for data analayses,
desktop publishing etc. are equal to or better than what's available for
Macintosh or Windows. They are far less buggy and updated more frequently.
Many of them are also more elegant. I will never go back.
5) Did I mention that I can get my work done? That's what matters most.
The size of the free GNU/Linux community is more than sufficient and (to
anyone who is paying attention) has reached critical mass. If I run into
difficulty or have a question, I can almost always find the answer and
resolve it rather quickly and without a fuss. If my favorite free GNU/Linux
system falls by the wayside or becomes dormant, I'll find another one that
does the job.
In summary, I can maintain one of my few remaining personal freedoms (sadly
becoming more and more in short supply in the U.S.) and... get my work done.
What more can you ask for?
libredrs
