I'm sure I'll get different answers about this. But when I moved to linux here's what I found I loved

1. Available applications so many to choose ( programmers who made those applications I personally want to thank you )

2. No open ports

3. Availably of desktops for use ( Gnome, Kde, Fluxbox, Lde, etc )

4. Best of all being able to choose server location for updates / downloades

5. No secrets, everyone has the source code

6. So many Distro's to choose, which one to use

7. Using virtualbox to test distro's

8. Compiz Cube

9. new versions every 6 months ( take that windows and mac )

10. being a minority in the giant marketshare of operating systems is a good thing

11. Always learning new things about linux as changes are always happening

12. Actually knowing how effective using the terminal is ( never used it almost at all in windows / mac )

wget saved my butt many times

13. I know it isn't a perfect OS, nothing is, but at least you can give it to anyone without crap from apple or microsoft

14. No more dealing with windows and that freaking wga ( windows geninue advantage ) BS.

thats my list at least from what I can think of from my point of view.

Great list to start this thread

Top of my list would be the general feeling of freedom that linux and the open source movement gives me.

The Repositories are one of the coolest features, just being able to search and install software in a couple of clicks or with a few words in the CLI is still a revelation.

The positive, passionate, and helpful community that surrounds Linux and FOSS.

And many, many more...

Knowing that everything running on my computer has been peer reviewed by much smarter people than me, not by some corporate hack on a company payroll.

Also, the fact that it doesn't ever crash is kinda nice

It's free.

It's secure.

It's easy to use.

It has everything I want,

and it does everything I want to do.

What's not to like?

it is open for all its users and close to all mis-users

you are safe, go a head

I like all the above, but most of all the ability to 'feel-at-home' in a distribution is something I never felt with Mac, Windows or any other OS for that matter.

It is hard to explain until you actually had that feeling, but those of you who had, will recognise it.

I have tried a range of Unix, BSD's and Linux OS's over the years. Solaris, Irix, BSD, Red Hat, Debian, OpenBSD, Gentoo, Ubuntu are the ones that I have run consistently.

I think I still just feel amazed that all this stuff is free. And that it's sustainable - once you move over, you get all the updates for free and automatically. From a small network admin point of view, the automated backup and maintenance is just amazingly convenient (compared to Windows).

I just wish my work (the most pathetically stingy and technophobic organisation on the face of the planet) would get over the (insert hysterical shriek) 'inconvenience' of making a few changes and adopt it (instead of going the Pantip Pirate option).

Next time I go home I will move my parents onto it.

Right now I have a love/hate relationship with Linux. I love that its free and love many of the built in features. However I hate the fact that right now much of it seems like a black art to me. It certainly isn't as user friendly as it should bb, unless of course you are something of an IT guru.

The best part is that it's free. That said, I still run Windows XP because most of the programs I use won't work with Linux.

I first came across Linux in a News Agent(Newspaper Shop) in Melbourne Australia, they were throwing away CD packs and a small brief manual, and gave one freely to me, The CDs had on them RED HAT and MANDRAKE!

unfortunately they became corporate! and went!

I installed both them on an ancient computer, since them never been back to Windows!

I went ahead and created a LINUX with all the engineering software available, actually LINUX has huge amount of pro grammes and application but not many people know! and they are free, give you an example MATLAB is a an expensive mathematical package, there two clones of it for LINUX for free! with identical command!

one is JMATHLIBS the other one is OCTAVE , LINUX is safe and exceptionally stable, the only problem is to install software, if they are not in the Repository! some times they need libraries to install with them, installing in the right place and then porting to the desktop environment can be daunting, as there is no manuals no books etc! Since it is free would be suitable for Third world Educational institutions! But it is heavily reliant on broadband for downloads and up dates, and these countries have not yet caught up is having broadband technology! Some universities have gone ahead and developed complete LINUX for their own use, especially in Brazil and Portugal! French Police last year saved 55 Million Euros by using UBUNTU instead of Windows!