I have been using Linux on and off for several years. At first it was just oh cool there is this OS that does stuff and doesn't need to reboot with every update. Today I see it as this amazing tool that is running as YOU want it to not how the dev may think you want it to. Don't like the stock terminal install a different one. Don't like the GUI, find a different one. So many options available it is kinda insane, I also noticed that this can be a downfall as there are many great dev's working on many great things but no standards. It's just kinda tossed out there and hopefully it works on your machine.
I started with CentOS I think 5.6 was the first one I was on maybe it was 5.5 IDR. I used it mostly for lets just call it learning Linux. After awhile I thought what can I do this this new found skills and free thing. And for some time it did nothing, but eventually I met a few people online and with them and me being money stingy. We needed a free voice service. Thus my teamspeak server was born.
Awhile later games got boring so we looked for something else. Enter Minecraft, but the servers that were out there didn't really match with what we wanted. We wanted the ability to play in creative and in survival and to be able to "break" the server with world edit. So I went and started my Minecraft server, at the time I was still learning Linux and new to the fact that running things as root were bad.
CenOS ran for quite some time even killed a hard drive with it (old desktop WD blue didn't like running 24/7). Fast forward a few months, Got a WD red installed and upped the ram to 16GB. I soon started to look at other Distro's. And this is where I found Ubuntu server edition, Stable, Easy, lots of support. I quickly installed XFCE and what a difference it was from CentOS 6 where I last left CentOS behind.
Today I now have Proxmox installed on the server and run several VM's with that. One is Ubuntu server with no gui, this is used as my ziftrCoin miner, And one Ubuntu server edition with XFCE that runs my teamspeak and my minecraft server.
Now for the Desktop. Linux has made huge strides the past year, hundreds of Steam games are now on Linux, even some major titles. I started with Ubuntu with Gnome after Logan's Video of how you can drag Apps around. This worked for some time but I quickly was looking for something more to my taste. This is where I found XFCE, lightweight, still has full customization, and I love the right click access to all applications. Games seem to work better as well (possibly just being biest). I find myself using my Linux much more especially with all the security stuff going on in the world. Lenovo having built in backdoor root kit thing. Major companies getting Cracked, leaking personal info out on to the internet. Now take what I say here with a grain of salt, I know Linux is not the all mighty not getting hacked god mode OS but it is better then windows, and the direction windows seems to be going.
At first I had issues trying to get drivers to work for my GTX 980 and triple monitors. The "recommend" one didn't work right and it took several hours to get even that one "working" some google fu and several reinstalls later I found a ppa, many nvidia users are probably aware of this one, Edgers. Installed the newest number available and presto finally working drivers! All three screens work, and now I'm playing The Witcher 2 in preparation for The Witcher 3. Even if it is only on windows. :(
Hopefully this is posted in the right place and what not.
Thanks for reading. if you have comments or questions or criticism post below.