Wild and Wired Linux Festival with Brett White

In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast I meet Brett White at the Wild and Wired West Virginia Linux festival, a new event focused on tech ownership and local innovation. Brett wants people here to explore Linux and have fun with computers again instead of feeling locked into big platforms.

He walks me through how Linux is free and open source, comes in many versions, and can run on older hardware that companies would rather see in a landfill. The whole idea is to help people truly own the machines they already paid for and cut down on e-waste in the process.

I also talk with Daniel, who moved from Windows to Linux after dealing with bloat, required accounts, and constant friction. He now runs multiple distros on a ThinkPad and calls Linux an operating system of freedom, urging new users to just try something like Linux Mint and learn as they go.

Then I connect with Gus, who is busy reviving old computers and customizing Linux to look and feel like whatever users prefer. He shows how tools like KDE, Mint, and Ubuntu make Linux familiar, flexible, and practical for everyday work, gaming, and learning.

We close with Brett inviting people to follow Wild and Wired West Virginia on Facebook to keep up with future events and student projects. For me, it’s a clear reminder that real innovation can start right here in our own backyard when people take control of their technology.