What made me to start thinking about an alternative to Windows is this: I don't really like the idea of using pirated software (but when you are in Nigeria I wonder what you can do). Also I was getting scared at times, asking what would happen to windows if and when Bill Gates dies?

So share, tell us what made you switch to Linux?

My reasons are very similar to those of joftech.
[list][li]I started using Linux because I was a religious freak and I saw software piracy as a sin.[/li]
[li]I continued to use Linux exclusively because I discovered that all Linux distributions come with a really good, integrated software development environment and at that time I was trying to improve my programming.[/li]
[li]I stopped using Linux when I got Internet Access and learnt to download and run the same rich open source applications available to Linux users and run them on my Windows XP based system alongside the popular games and applications that only run on Windows.  (I guess that makes me a software pirate )[/li][/list]
I guess I might start using Linux again if and when Microsoft steps up its efforts agaisnt software piracy among individuals and in small businesses. By then Linux would have improved so much beyond what it was when I stopped using it!

Software piracy is a major issue in Nigeria. Unfortunately, there's nothing we can really do about it, as this is a developing country and the amount of money an average person earns is not enough to afford original software. Of course, there's also the Nigerian mentality that since it can be got for N200 (current price now, I guess), why should the individual pay over N20,000?

Anyway, I switched to Linux because I wanted to try something new and different. I had read about it in different articles before I actually got to try it out. I was really interested in using a UNIX-style system and such.

Now, I use Windows primarily for gaming and surfing the web. Linux for programming, other development purposes and multimedia

I make use of both, so I can't say that I've switched huh? The only recent swap was Windows to my desktop (Longhorn) and Linux to my laptop (Ubuntu).

I still use windows on desktop machines however usually *nix is installed on servers I configure (unless of course I need to be running an applications server )

i switched back in 2001 because i wanted to try something new and because i love programming. linux is a programmer's heaven.

i still use windows to play 3d games. X isn't good enough yet.

Just cause coding is more convenient here. And back then the machine I was using to run windows made windows slow but when I switched to Linux everything became snappy and also no forced update.