The Beginning of My Linux Journey
The story dates back to 2011. I was in class 10 at the time! Suddenly, I heard that hackers use Linux. Back then, I thought Linux was some magical software that could hack anything at the press of a button. Soon after, I came across the name BackTrack 4.
Curious, I went to the local co-op market and asked if they had a CD of BackTrack. The shopkeeper, Suman Bhai, laughed at my question and said there was no operating system by that name. Disheartened, I returned home. That’s when I got introduced to Joy Abed Bhai, a Linux guru, who advised me to try Ubuntu.
The next day, I went back to the market and bought a CD of “Ubuntu 10.04”. I brought it home and tried installing it like Windows. The setup was completed beautifully. However, after running it for a day, I got bored (internet access wasn’t easy then, and I couldn’t find a driver for my modem). When I reinstalled Windows, I discovered to my horror that all my files were gone! My entire collection of high school memories—pictures, everything—vanished.
With great effort, I managed to talk to Joy Bhai over the phone. He said there was no way to recover everything, though some files might be retrievable. I spent about a month mourning the loss.
From then on, I started using Linux on VMware. Why I used it, I won’t say—but I enjoyed working with commands. Eventually, I managed to get my hands on a 160GB hard drive! I started dual-booting Linux, but even then, Linux would often crash.
In 2015, Faisal Bhaiya gifted me a portable hard disk. From then, I began backing up all my data to the portable disk and made Linux my permanent companion.
The Experimentation Phase
For the first six months, I used Linux Mint. Then I thought, “Why not Ubuntu?” A friend, Raihan, who was an admin of “Ubuntu Bangladesh,” inspired me to switch. I stuck with Ubuntu for about two years.
Later, I experimented briefly with Deepin. It impressed me so much that I even became a member of its internal testing team. However, due to issues with its mirror servers, I couldn’t make Deepin my primary OS.
Then I thought it was time to try Arch! After multiple failed attempts at installing Arch, I got frustrated. With the help of Nirjhar Da, I managed to install “Arch Anywhere” (now known as Anarchy). But even that didn’t satisfy me.
The Transition to Stability
Meanwhile, Ubuntu discontinued its Unity DE, and I grew annoyed with GNOME. That’s when I switched to Manjaro XFCE. I enjoyed a peaceful six months with Manjaro until dependency conflicts forced me to abandon it.
After weighing all my options, I finally moved to Arch x64. This was it—freedom was in my hands at last.
Linux in Professional Life
Fast forward to 2021. Writing this today, I remember that in 2018, shortly after joining an InfoSec organization, I started feeling uneasy with Arch. I realized that productivity was more important than constant troubleshooting.
Most security-related tools standardize on Kali Linux, so both personal requirements and work pressure made me switch to Kali. Even though I bought an MBP’19 in 2020, Linux remains indispensable for my work.