Why Open
I first entered Linux world because of curiosity. It looked sexy, different and new. I had to have it, and I did. I installed it but because I had no internet connection my journey suddenly ended. There was no motivation for me to work on an environment where I couldn't be online. After some time a friend of mine borrowed me an external dialup modem and my migration started. I removed my old operating system out of my PC and was left with a single operating system on my machine.
This was a bold move, and not without peril. The system was not the what it is today, so alot of things had to be done "manually". This was my school. If I had a problem I would have to solve it or else I would still have it. Reinstalling the operating system was never an option.
After understanding the basics of the system administration I started doing what I do best, programming. This was four years ago, my first year at University, and I was learning Java. I was being thought, mostly by myself, the art of OOP and Linux was my platform. I was already using an open platform and using mostly open source applications.
Because I am a programmer, using this platform is a great privilege. I could snoop at my favorite program's source code and alter it at my will.
This was not my first acquittance to open source. I used to program using Visual Basic and shared my code freely on Planet Source Code. But was the direction I wanted to follow. Sharing my code with other so we could learn from each other and improve our skills.
On Linux I was not only improving my skills but was also given the opportunity to improve the platform I was using. My tools could actually be useful to others! This not also felt good but made sense.
The years have passed since then and I have changed with its passage. I started to have less time on my hands and thus didn't wanted to spend it configuring my system. That's the reason of my migration from distributions like Arch Linux (back on the 0.4 days) and Slackware to Fedora, passing to Morphix and finally Ubuntu.
Also my programming language of choice changed. I started with Java and felt an urge to learn C. Almost programs in Linux are made using that language so I had to "speak" it too. After that I've decided to learn Python.
This migration of languages also reflected the level of openess I was seeking in everything I used related to software. I stopped using Java mostly because it's not an Open language such as Python. From time to time I am offered a job and always have chosen Python to do it. I don't mind there are other options, maybe even more suited for certain situations, if I have the oportunity I will choose freedom!
Another example is buying hardware. I don't buy one thing because it's cheap or because it's the best. I buy it not only if it supports Linux but if it supports free standards, such as open source drivers provided.
People ask me if they should use Linux, sometimes Linux is not the best option to them. If you want a gaming platform Linux is not for you. If you want a programming, scientific platform Linux is the best in the business. If you want a browser, desktop workstation, it might be for you. If you care about freedom then Linux is one of the best options too.
The one thing I don't understand, but respect, is why, after using Linux, believing in open source, sticking to it, choosing it when possible, do you want to migrate to another operating system.
I use closed software too, like the NVidia drivers and ocasionally play Neverwinter Nights, but the try to limit it to a minimum. Not because it's evil or because it makes me go to heaven but because of the things I believe in.