Like Nanci I live in the Boston area, I’ve been working with computers since before I got my first computer, and old TRS-600. I started out with Microsoft Windows back on the 3.1 days (on an old 286, which some couldn’t believe was even possible). I stuck with Windows through Win95, 200, and eventually moving to XP, building one computer with the help of friends and installing quite a bit of hardware and software, eventually adding some multitrack audio software to my Win2K box to help with my songwriting, all the while becoming pretty good with the tech side of things and deciding open source software is a great idea, not just because of the freedom from paying an arm and a leg to run things but also because it let me be more in charge of how I use my computer. This is why I switched to Firefox for my web browser and Thunderbird for my email client. I also decided I wanted to help make new software, but since I can’t really code worth anything I started testing early versions of software to help find problems and get them fixed.

Last year I got tired of the bloatware and constant vigilance required to run Windows, and while I have used the Mac OSX on a sound gig I knew it wasn’t the right choice for me, partly because being disabled I couldn’t quite afford the cost of admission but also because I didn’t want to have to throw out my computer and get a new one. I decided to check out Linux, and after looking at Freespire and deciding it wasn’t for me (it turns out the KDE desktop environment was a big reason) I looked around some more and found Ubuntu Linux. I installed it and started learning my way around and got hooked. Since then I’ve found myself recommending it to other Windows users, partly for the freedom from virii, malware and asshat hackers who love to target Windows.

With Ubuntu Gutsy I have so much working right that I decided it’s time to ditch the dual boot that was allowing me to load up Windows when it was needing it, using Wine to run the few Windows apps that I still need from time to time.

When Ubuntu moved to 8.04 Hardy Heron I had helped test Firefox 3.0 and was so displeased with some of the decisions made by the Firefox devs, finding that they in fact took away some of our choice and forced the creation of remove-ons to reclaim some of the established look and feel of Firefox of old (like text zooming) that I decided I would no longer be part of the Firefox testing community. If I hadn’t gotten so used to some of my extensions I’d switch to another browser but I’ve found that I’m stuck with Firefox 3 until I can find an alternative that uses some of the extensions that I’ve come to rely on. I did, however, switch my email to GNOME’s Evolution rather than risk getting ticked off by decisions the Thunderbird 3 devs may make.

Having left the Mozilla testing community I ended up getting involved with the Mac4Lin dev team, helping not only test the new versions but also put my writing and editing skills to work in updating their docs, as well as ugrading my OS to Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid Ibex to help find out why some things have broken with the updated OS.

I used to run my own blog but got tired of having to spend so much time maintaining it, but when my sister Nanci said she wanted a blog I helped her get it set up. Before long she was asking me to write some posts here, and we ended up becoming partners on this blog. I handle some of the tech items, while she handles the rest. It works out pretty well, and it’s nice to have a place to blog again.