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Linux Revolution
A Tale of Two Men and a Machine
We had
waited until midnight before starting to install Linux.
With all of the lights off, we dimmed the monitor so that it's
hue would not reflect out of the windows. The phone lay off the
hook, and Peter kept peaking through the blinds out onto the dark
parkinglot.
Were we being paranoid? When everyone is after you, you've got
to be.
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I slipped the CD into the drive and let the installation begin.
It didn't take long before the graphical icons appeared and
walked me through each step of getting Linux started on the
machine.
We heard foot steps, then some muffled shouts from above
us. It was the renter upstairs. He and his wife bought a new PC
for the holidays and then started quarreling -- making a general
nuisance of themselves.
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The footsteps subsided and I figured it was another of their
typical "what did you do to the machine" followed by
"I didn't touch it, it just screwed up and gave that blue
screen with the fatal error thing!" Peter and I exchanged
nods; another marriage tearing apart under the strain of an
operating system.
Five minutes and we were finished. The old operating system
had been wiped clean and replaced with Linux. I rebooted and
watched as Xwindows began. Double clicking on the StarOffice icon,
I laughed in joy as the word processor and spreadsheet programs
appeared.
"Free! Bloody free!" Peter declared gleefully. It
had cost nothing but a few hours downloading Linux and associated
software to clean the machine and restart it with Linux and a
host of other goods. "Shut your traps you yanks!"
screamed a voice through the ceiling as the renter upstairs
reacted to our mini-celebration.
In our bliss we stopped paying attention to the front entrance
or the parking lot. A loud knock followed by another at the door.
Peter jumped out of his seat. I sat back calmly in my chair
waiting. Suddenly, the front door was rammed and folks from the
yard paid us a visit. Searching, they approached the computer and
pulled me back by my shoulders.
One of the men from Scotland Yard started playing with the
mouse and clicking icons. "There's not a bloody piece of
unlicensed software or illegal ware here!" he blurted with
passion. The other men opening up my cd cases and searching for
software knew the truth. In disgust they threw the CDs to the
floor and left our pad grumbling. Peter wiped his brow and smiled.
Two gents at midnight had played a role in the operating system
revolution.
You don't need to buy, barter or steal Linux – it's free!
"Tale of"
series written for ReallyLinux.com are purely fictional accounts
of Linux use and do not in any way convey true stories. Any names
and characters are purely hypothetical and
fictional, written for the benefit and entertainment of those
with a sense of humor. This story is fiction and is best read
with a reasonable smile.
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