AlienJeff
website: alienjeff.net
email: alienjeff AT charter DOT net
digital computing history
Though having taken mandatory computer courses in college (circa early 1970s), I never used the cursed devices until a new job demanded so in 1984. That pretty much sealed my fate to being an enthusiast. Here's the rundown in chronological order of the systems I've mucked with: IBM-1400 series, Heath H-89, Xerox 820S, Commodore C-64, and miscellaneous PCs starting with the 8086. My first introductions to diverting from the Redmond mindset were DoubleDOS and DESQview, which both planted the seeds of dissent ...
linux experience
Having plagued my nephew-in-law, a ubergeek who works for a large, multi-national software company (no, NOT Microsoft), with altogther too may questions on how to tweak and fix an ailing Windows 98SE OS, he challenged me to try out a Knoppix Live CD. Several months later, he set me up with Gentoo, which I still use but find far too elaborate for my everyday needs. Test driving numerous other distros ultimately led me to Puppy, with which I maintain an antithetic love/hate relationship. The characteristic "light-slim-fast" counter-culture nature of the distro and the friendly (and often bizarre) community have hooked me.
I spend far too many hours on IRC - #puppylinux, #puppylinux-foundation, ##puppylinux and several other non-Puppy channels - and boast holding the record for number of times banned from ##windows.
current armada
Dell P-1, HP Pavilion Celeron-III and HP Kayak dual P-III desktop boxes; and a Gateway Solo 5150 P-II laptop. My trusty Tyan P-III mobo died peacefully of old age in September of 2007. R.I.P., faithful servant.
other interests
Reading, politics (surprise, surprise), writing, the great outdoors, motorcycles, mechanics, philosophy, music, ham radio and NY's Adirondack mountains.
last revision: October 14, 2007 jwb
