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| COMPUTING |
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Although I work in Information Technology, computing has been an
interest of mine. It started in the early 1980's with the precursors of
what eventually evolved into Bulletin Board Systems (BBS). I started my
first BBS in 1985, and ran several for the next eleven years. At first,
every BBS was independent from the rest, but eventually it became
possible for systems to interact, giving birth to BBS networks. My last
BBS was in one such network: FidoNet.
This was the closest one could come to the Internet in those days, and
access was neither cheap, direct or local to most people.
When affordable local access to the Internet became available, many BBS
users made the switch. Although I loved running my BBS, like many other
BBS owners, I to shut it down in 1997 for that reason. BBS systems
pioneered much of what can be found on the Internet today, including:
Chatrooms, Topical News Groups, and Email. Even Web Logs (blogs), which
are starting to gain popularity, had their origins in the BBS days.
Today, my interests lie in emerging IT technologies, and prefer
exchanging ideas on the subject in real time. I do this via Internet
Relay Chat (IRC), one of the technologies pioneered in the BBS world.
IRC can be a great place in which to socialize and make new friends
from all around the globe. There are several networks to choose from,
and I'm partial to the Undernet
IRC Network.
The very first computer I ever owned was an Apple
][. I wish I still had it, because it had a three digit serial
number. When I outgrew this machine, I bought a generic IBM PC-XT
compatible desktop. In those days to buy the parts and build your own
machine, so I taught myself how. Since then, I've done this with all
the desktops I've owned. Several years ago, I bought my first laptop
computer, a Gateway 2000, which I also outgrew and replaced. My current
laptop is a Sony Vaio PCG-GR390.
My home office is a miniature Data Centre, and it is from here that I
run my business. I have a total of four computers (three desktops and
the laptop) and an assortment of supporting hardware. Please feel free
to take a virtual
tour.
My other area of interest is Linux.
This is a powerful Operating System that can run on a wide variety of
computer systems, from PC's and Macs to mainframe systems. It is less
expensive to own and maintain than Microsoft Windows, and leagues ahead
in terms of stability and reliability. Linux and nearly all software
that runs on it, is classified as "Open Source", which means
the underlying code is available and accessible. Because that means a
strong sense of peer review, the quality of the products is far
superior to the competition.
Different companies, such as Caldera, Mandrake, RedHat and SuSE, sell
Linux commercially (some for US$100 or less). These packages, known as
"Distributions" (or Distros) are fundamentally identical, and
differ only in what else is bundled in the box. It is also possible to
download
Linux ISO images for free and transfer them to CD for
installation. But unlike the boxed sets, which come with printed
manuals, you will need to print the manuals out yourself. Also, the
downloaded distributions only include a minimum of additional software.
Fortunately, the extra software can be downloaded for free as well.
While installing Linux is straightforward on a desktop, installing it
on a laptop can be machine specific. There are plenty of guides for
specific laptops that were written by their owners. I wrote a guide of
this type for the Sony
Vaio PCG-GR300 series laptop computers.
| Related Links |
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Encyclopedia of Operating Systems |
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BeOS: The Open BeOS Project. A successor to BeOS |
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Linux: Linux Home Page |
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Linux: Installation guides for Laptops |
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Linux: Installing on a Sony Vaio PCG-GR300 series |
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Linux: Linux on Sony Vaios - Free email list |
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Linux: Linux Distribution ISO images |
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Linux: Red Hat Distribution |
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Linux: SuSE Distribution |
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Eudora Pro mail client for Windows and MacOS |
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mIRC Internet Relay Chat client for Windows |
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Opera, a multi-platform Web Browser |
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RealPlayer, a portable streaming multimedia application |
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Stroud's Consumate Winsock Applications |
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TUCOWS: A software repository Windows, Linux and MacOS |
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AsusTek - PC Motherboards, interface cards and computers |
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Dirt Cheap Drives - Storage solutions and accessories |
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Emperor Linux - Laptops with Linux preinstalled |
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Insight Direct - computers, components and accessories |
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Iwill - PC Motherboards and interface cards |
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Obsolete Computers Museum |
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Seagate - Hard Disk and mass storage devices |
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Western Digital - Hard Disk and mass storage devices |
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FidoNet Message Relay Network |
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Internet Health Report - Near-real-time connectivity report |
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Net Access/FastNET - Internet Services Provider |
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Netlisters, Inc. - Web Presence Provider |
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Undernet IRC Network |
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VoiceNet - Internet and Telecommunication Services Provider |
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Visual Traceroute - Graphical packet tracing tool |
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ZoneEdit DNS Lookup, a Web based nslookup tool |
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