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	COMPUTER USER IN TRAINING Hi, I am a computer user in training. I'm not very good with these tools but I'm trying! So hard! Please forgive me for being a n00b. Operating Systems ---------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2023: Void, OpenBSD - 2017: Ubuntu, Windows 10 - 2009: MacOS X I don't remember the first operating system I ever used. I suspect it was Windows 95, 98, or 2000. I was a kid and only interested in computers for the games they could play. But I did other things, too. Packed into my memories of playing Roller Coster Tycoon, Restaurant Empire, and other cereal box games are memories of using Ask Jeeves and HotBot to search the web, Dreamweaver to build silly websites, AVG anti-virus to remove malware, and pressing a spring loaded power button to power off the computer when its processes went arwy. I used Windows (XP, Vista) up until I begged my Dad for a Macbook, which I eventally received. I used the mac for photo and video editing, instant messaging, and writing very basic HTML/CSS. My first exposure to Linux happened during this time, around 2007. I booted into a live image of Slackware in order to get iPod Linux and Rockbox on my iPod 5G. I also played around with Ubuntu live disks, which I got in the mail and used without much comprehension out outcomes. Though I dipped my toes with these experiences they were hardly proper introductions to the land of Linux. It would be another decade until I'd gather real insights and experiences into UNIX-like operating systems. Over time I upgraded one Macbook to another, added a dual boot into Ubuntu, and expanded my computer use into programming (Android development, Processing, Java, Arduino) persisting with this ecosystem until 2017 when I bought a Dell laptop, which I use to this day. Up until summer 2023, I had both Ubuntu and Windows partitions on the laptop. Windows I needed for Adobe Creative Cloud software like Illustrator and InDesign. Ubuntu I needed for web development and menial programming tasks. The dual boot setup was a pain in the arse. Many times the GRUB bootloader would get wacked by a Windows update. And when my workflow demanded software from both operating systems in sequence, I'd have to accept the inconvenience of a power cycle. Ugh. I switched to a new hard drive with a single Void parition in the summer of 2023. Void is lean and uncluttered. The full-disk encryption guide I followed didn't even include a step to setup X (I had to learn muself how to install `X' and configure my `.xinitrc' file to launch `i3' when I invoke `startx' in `tty'.) In fact, for even the most basic, taken-for-granted functions like connecting to a wireless network, [1\|suspending the computer with a lock screen\|/how_to_sleep_in_void.gph\|roygbyte.com\|70], and [1\|connecting to external displays\|/switching_between_tv_and_laptop_display.gph\|roygbyte.com\|70] I've had to learn, read, and ask. The outcome of all this toiling, head scratching, and tears is that I know quite a bit more about Linux. I learned about Void from some IRC buddies, one of which suggested I look into Deviun, too. Devuian is a fork of Debian and Void is from-scratch. I searched both out from a few angles: quality of documentation, popularity and user base size, origins and mission statement, packages available for installation. Ultimately, I chose Void because I knew people using it, understood its documentation, and perceived the quality of its codebase to be good. I've not been disappointed by any of these attributes. I love the challenge of using Void. But I'm also frequently frustrated by my ignorance. I suspect it will take me another decade to understand everything well enough about Linux to feel uninhibited and uninconvenienced by my computer. Interestingly, the Windows computer I use at work makes me feel inhibited and inconvienced despite it being "easier" to use. Sometimes things just don't work, and I don't know how to find out why. I believe it boils down to this contrast: as a Linux user I have to work towards my computer's improvement by continually growing on what I understand; as a Windows I've have to work towards accepting that there will be things beyond my control and comprehension. I've also begun dipping my toes in BSDs. I have two OpenBSD systems: a virutal server that hosts my website and gopher, and a phyical computer that I setup to use for the [1\|Old Computer Challenge\|/old_computer_challenge.gph\|roygbyte.com\|70]. My use of either machine is minimal. I don't fuss with them much. They were setup by following I dont yet understand how the BSD kernel differs from the Linux kernel. I still have to read more about OpenBSD to understand a bit more of how and why it works the way it does. Editors ---------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2023: ed - 2020: Emacs - 2016: Visual Studio Code - 2014: IntelliJ I started using Emacs about 3 years ago. Its users are definitely part of a cult. Great. Every good editor should be cult forming. Otherwise how will you be able to tease the people who use and understand the thing you don't?

	Emacs is highly extensible and well documented. Going from novice to expert requires knowing maybe two dozen basic key commands and having an appetite for Lisp. I got there. Eventually. It was worth it. Emacs has become my text editor, , , and . Given how much of my workflow had consolidated into Emacs, it seemed to me I was on track to living an life in Emacs (heck, if I could get a boyfriend in Emacs I probably would)! But that all changed when I started exploring programs like `lynx', `mutt', `weechat', and `ed'. As a result of coercion from people on IRC I got to know `ed' and started using him for remedial tasks like editing my crontab or changing config files on my server. And you know, `ed' is a really powerful tool! : `ed' is the standard. And he's good for my brain! I've noticed that it forces me to try and remember what's in the file and where (or at least make a guess). The keybindings are elegant and simple. It reduces the experience information overload I sometimes get when looking at a file. It's pretty cool. I'm excited to see where this `ed'-itor takes me! Browsers ---------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2023: Lynx - 2022: w3m, eww - 2010: Firefox, Chrome - 2005: ??? I've used other browser in the past (I remember Flock from the early aughts,) but it's really just the big three--Chrome, Firefox, and Lynx--with which I have a personal history. Of the three, Chrome has been the most damaging to my health. That I even touched Chrome was a big mistake. Like smoking, it was a difficult habit to kick. Everything I had was so well integrated into Chrome: emails, passwords, and bookmarks. Ugh. Eventually I got away from Chrome. I sought refuge in Firefox, something I had used in the past. I use FireFox everyday as a full featured browser. For a lighter browsing experience I use a text-based browser. `eww' was the first of this kind I used. It's a browser inside Emacs, for the unaware. It's quite primitive, but I found it integrated well into my Emacs workflow. It was easy to get at and try. Eventually I learned about `w3m', which actually can be used from Emacs too. Presently I used `w3m' inside of Emacs for browsing the CommonLisp hyperspec. But for most other easy-browsing tasks I use Lynx. Lynx! I love you, Lynx! Keyboards ---------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2022: Corne, Reviung41 - 2015: Ergodox Infinity - 2013: Das Keyboard I've been into keyboards (and typing) for a while. In high school I plucked the keycaps off my Macbook Pro keyboard and rearranged them into a Dvorak layout. Ever since then I've been riding that keymap. Woo! I've moved through a few different keyboards. The Das Keyboard was my first mechanical keeb. After using that for a year or so I boogied up to the Ergodox Infinity, which I ended up using for 7 years without fail. Last summer I decided to upgrade to a newer mechanical keyboard. I reasoned this wise to do because I'd be starting a part-time computer science program in the fall. For sure I thought everyone would show up to the labs with their own mechanical keyboards. For sure. As it turns out I was the only person to get the message. Anyways, I bought Corne and Reviung41 kits. The Corne is a detached split with 42 keys, quite the step down from the Ergodox's vaste landscape of keys. The Reviung is a split with 41 keys. The Reviung I bought for bringing the class. The Corne was to replace the Ergodox at home. Initially I was a bit afraid I wouldn't like the layered experience, where some keys are used to shift into other layers making other keys available. And now? I don't think I'd ever go back :) It's so cozy keeping the paws centered on the keys. I feel very little strain after a day of serious warrior-ing. Happy paws! Switches are a whole other thing, and I'm not a big switch nerd. I started with Cherry MX "Browns" in the Das, and then mostly randomly chose The Zelios purple switches for my Ergodox infinity. I liked the Zealios quite a bit and also felt some allegiance to the company, given I'd used those switches for quite a while. So when it came time to bulid out the Corne and Reviung I chose Zelios again. I have a pair of clacky (not to be confused with clicky!) clears--my favourite--And tactile silents. I use the silents during the workday and switch to the clacky's at night. (It's actually quite nice to switch between boards for the different programming contexts. This was a surprise discovery.)

	Programming ---------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2023: Awk - 2022: Bash, ELisp, CommonLisp - 2021: Lua - 2015: JavaScript - 2014: PHP - 2013: Java - 2012: Processing My first exposure to programming was through , a dumbed-down Java IDE and programming environment that encourages visual exploration. I was quite the tender foot then. I remember asking the professor why anyone would ever want to program. Lol. Since then I've moved through lots of languages though not everything sticks. I've flirted with Haskell. I've admired C. I cast thirsty looks towards Rust. The list above captures languages that've been more than a one-night stand. I have a huge crush on Lisp dialects. I really dig the syntax and structure of these programs. The history of the language is also important to me. Being a snot-nosed brat of the garbage collected world, I really suffer from strongly typed languages. Using Lisps at least I can say I'm with the language that did it first. Bash and Shell are my ride or die. I really get around with these guys. They're super useful, well documented, and easy to get along with. They help me optimize my workflow and have fun without getting too deep into "what this all means". And when Awk gets involved the heat really turns up! Love you, Awk. Computer Hardware ---------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2017: Dell XPS15 (9560) - 2011: Macbook Pro I was an Apple fanboy in my twenties and teens. Luckily I got out in time to avoid the perils of a full Jobsian transformation. Since then I've been using a Dell XPS. It has been a solid machine. Every now and then I get tempted into upgrading. But it works, so why bother, right?


	My one reserve about my hardware history is that I have very little experience with desktops. I find this kind of sad, since they're more powerful, easily upgrade-able, and all-around sick looking. Incidentally, I inherited an old Lenovo ThinkCentre 3 years ago. My first desktop in ~13 years! I'd like to get it up and running and use it for an "old computer challenge" before turning it into a server (or, hell, maybe using it as my primary?) Messaging ---------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2023: IRC - 2022: Matrix - 2020: Signal - 2017: Telegram - 2011: Messenger - 2003: MSN Of all the above messaging platforms, IRC is the only one that has allowed me to gather new internet friends. I only got onto it this year. At first I was quite scared! I had been warned about IRC being full of old angry boomers. To my delight it is! ;D And they're happy enough to let me move on in and setup in the chat as a weirdo! I couldn't be happier here :) Special shout-out to MSN. I have such rich feelings of nostalgia for that application. Window Managers ---------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2022: i3 - 2017: Gnome Switching to a tilling window manager has changed my computer life so profoundly, I would die if I couldn't use one anymore. I went from struggling to arrange workspaces with a mouse (literally, I would make audible groans trying to move windows) to not even having to think about what goes where. Atom/RSS Feeds ---------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2023: sfeed - 2022: Thunderbird, Gazette - 2021: NewsDownloader Syndicated feeds are not a big part of my life. But I'd like them to be! Imagine: knowing what's updated on websites or blogs without having to visit them individually? Gosh. I used to maintain the RSS/Atom plugin for KOReader. Eventually I endeavoured to replace the plugin with my own creation, Gazette. The plugin works and I spent a lot of time building it (I even had to build an EPUB library as part of the effort). It's a bit of a mess though because unfortunately I was an aspiring Computer Science student at the time. A bunch of gross Java ideas and garbage seeped into the structure of the program. Ew. Music Player ---------------------------------------------------------------------- - mocp - mpv - emms - Spotify Jobs ---------------------------------------------------------------------- - Web Developer - Printer - Teacher - Web Developer - Student I tried to get away from web development. I really did. I tried so damn hard. I became a graphic design and publishing teacher. I learned to do letterpress and offset printing, eventually starting a small print business. I couldn't stay away. Teaching is a precarious field, and printing an industry that pays little. After suffering through these prospects I stuck it up and took the first web developer job that would have me. Incidentally, it was also the first web developer job I'd applied to in 2 years. Lucky me! I've been at my current employ for 2 years. It has helped me discover that I'm quite good at helping people use software. I even kind of like it! I enjoy teaching skills, explaining concepts, and encouraging people to advance their understanding of technology. Having taught (and enjoyed it) I should have known this much was obvious. But it took a technical position for me to realize how much I enjoy working with people /and/ technology. If I'm being honest, I don't want to remain a web developer/customer support hybrid for the rest of my life. But I'm not sure what I want to be. I'm intrigued by UX work, which I've done in part at my current job. I'm also allured by backend development, although I doubt I've got the chops. For now anyways, I'm getting the bills paid and that's what counts.

	COMPUTER USER IN TRAINING Hi, I am a computer user in training. I'm not very good with these tools but I'm trying! So hard! Please forgive me for being a n00b. Operating Systems ---------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2023: Void, OpenBSD - 2017: Ubuntu, Windows 10 - 2009: MacOS X I don't remember the first operating system I ever used. I suspect it was Windows 95, 98, or 2000. I was a kid and only interested in computers for the games they could play. But I did other things, too. Packed into my memories of playing Roller Coster Tycoon, Restaurant Empire, and other cereal box games are memories of using Ask Jeeves and HotBot to search the web, Dreamweaver to build silly websites, AVG anti-virus to remove malware, and pressing a spring loaded power button to power off the computer when its processes went arwy. I used Windows (XP, Vista) up until I begged my Dad for a Macbook, which I eventally received. I used the mac for photo and video editing, instant messaging, and writing very basic HTML/CSS. My first exposure to Linux happened during this time, around 2007. I booted into a live image of Slackware in order to get iPod Linux and Rockbox on my iPod 5G. I also played around with Ubuntu live disks, which I got in the mail and used without much comprehension out outcomes. Though I dipped my toes with these experiences they were hardly proper introductions to the land of Linux. It would be another decade until I'd gather real insights and experiences into UNIX-like operating systems. Over time I upgraded one Macbook to another, added a dual boot into Ubuntu, and expanded my computer use into programming (Android development, Processing, Java, Arduino) persisting with this ecosystem until 2017 when I bought a Dell laptop, which I use to this day. Up until summer 2023, I had both Ubuntu and Windows partitions on the laptop. Windows I needed for Adobe Creative Cloud software like Illustrator and InDesign. Ubuntu I needed for web development and menial programming tasks. The dual boot setup was a pain in the arse. Many times the GRUB bootloader would get wacked by a Windows update. And when my workflow demanded software from both operating systems in sequence, I'd have to accept the inconvenience of a power cycle. Ugh. I switched to a new hard drive with a single Void parition in the summer of 2023. Void is lean and uncluttered. The full-disk encryption guide I followed didn't even include a step to setup X (I had to learn muself how to install `X' and configure my `.xinitrc' file to launch `i3' when I invoke `startx' in `tty'.) In fact, for even the most basic, taken-for-granted functions like connecting to a wireless network, [1\|suspending the computer with a lock screen\|/how_to_sleep_in_void.gph\|roygbyte.com\|70], and [1\|connecting to external displays\|/switching_between_tv_and_laptop_display.gph\|roygbyte.com\|70] I've had to learn, read, and ask. The outcome of all this toiling, head scratching, and tears is that I know quite a bit more about Linux. I learned about Void from some IRC buddies, one of which suggested I look into Deviun, too. Devuian is a fork of Debian and Void is from-scratch. I searched both out from a few angles: quality of documentation, popularity and user base size, origins and mission statement, packages available for installation. Ultimately, I chose Void because I knew people using it, understood its documentation, and perceived the quality of its codebase to be good. I've not been disappointed by any of these attributes. I love the challenge of using Void. But I'm also frequently frustrated by my ignorance. I suspect it will take me another decade to understand everything well enough about Linux to feel uninhibited and uninconvenienced by my computer. Interestingly, the Windows computer I use at work makes me feel inhibited and inconvienced despite it being "easier" to use. Sometimes things just don't work, and I don't know how to find out why. I believe it boils down to this contrast: as a Linux user I have to work towards my computer's improvement by continually growing on what I understand; as a Windows I've have to work towards accepting that there will be things beyond my control and comprehension. I've also begun dipping my toes in BSDs. I have two OpenBSD systems: a virutal server that hosts my website and gopher, and a phyical computer that I setup to use for the [1\|Old Computer Challenge\|/old_computer_challenge.gph\|roygbyte.com\|70]. My use of either machine is minimal. I don't fuss with them much. They were setup by following I dont yet understand how the BSD kernel differs from the Linux kernel. I still have to read more about OpenBSD to understand a bit more of how and why it works the way it does. Editors ---------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2023: ed - 2020: Emacs - 2016: Visual Studio Code - 2014: IntelliJ I started using Emacs about 3 years ago. Its users are definitely part of a cult. Great. Every good editor should be cult forming. Otherwise how will you be able to tease the people who use and understand the thing you don't?

	Emacs is highly extensible and well documented. Going from novice to expert requires knowing maybe two dozen basic key commands and having an appetite for Lisp. I got there. Eventually. It was worth it. Emacs has become my text editor, , , and . Given how much of my workflow had consolidated into Emacs, it seemed to me I was on track to living an life in Emacs (heck, if I could get a boyfriend in Emacs I probably would)! But that all changed when I started exploring programs like `lynx', `mutt', `weechat', and `ed'. As a result of coercion from people on IRC I got to know `ed' and started using him for remedial tasks like editing my crontab or changing config files on my server. And you know, `ed' is a really powerful tool! : `ed' is the standard. And he's good for my brain! I've noticed that it forces me to try and remember what's in the file and where (or at least make a guess). The keybindings are elegant and simple. It reduces the experience information overload I sometimes get when looking at a file. It's pretty cool. I'm excited to see where this `ed'-itor takes me! Browsers ---------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2023: Lynx - 2022: w3m, eww - 2010: Firefox, Chrome - 2005: ??? I've used other browser in the past (I remember Flock from the early aughts,) but it's really just the big three--Chrome, Firefox, and Lynx--with which I have a personal history. Of the three, Chrome has been the most damaging to my health. That I even touched Chrome was a big mistake. Like smoking, it was a difficult habit to kick. Everything I had was so well integrated into Chrome: emails, passwords, and bookmarks. Ugh. Eventually I got away from Chrome. I sought refuge in Firefox, something I had used in the past. I use FireFox everyday as a full featured browser. For a lighter browsing experience I use a text-based browser. `eww' was the first of this kind I used. It's a browser inside Emacs, for the unaware. It's quite primitive, but I found it integrated well into my Emacs workflow. It was easy to get at and try. Eventually I learned about `w3m', which actually can be used from Emacs too. Presently I used `w3m' inside of Emacs for browsing the CommonLisp hyperspec. But for most other easy-browsing tasks I use Lynx. Lynx! I love you, Lynx! Keyboards ---------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2022: Corne, Reviung41 - 2015: Ergodox Infinity - 2013: Das Keyboard I've been into keyboards (and typing) for a while. In high school I plucked the keycaps off my Macbook Pro keyboard and rearranged them into a Dvorak layout. Ever since then I've been riding that keymap. Woo! I've moved through a few different keyboards. The Das Keyboard was my first mechanical keeb. After using that for a year or so I boogied up to the Ergodox Infinity, which I ended up using for 7 years without fail. Last summer I decided to upgrade to a newer mechanical keyboard. I reasoned this wise to do because I'd be starting a part-time computer science program in the fall. For sure I thought everyone would show up to the labs with their own mechanical keyboards. For sure. As it turns out I was the only person to get the message. Anyways, I bought Corne and Reviung41 kits. The Corne is a detached split with 42 keys, quite the step down from the Ergodox's vaste landscape of keys. The Reviung is a split with 41 keys. The Reviung I bought for bringing the class. The Corne was to replace the Ergodox at home. Initially I was a bit afraid I wouldn't like the layered experience, where some keys are used to shift into other layers making other keys available. And now? I don't think I'd ever go back :) It's so cozy keeping the paws centered on the keys. I feel very little strain after a day of serious warrior-ing. Happy paws! Switches are a whole other thing, and I'm not a big switch nerd. I started with Cherry MX "Browns" in the Das, and then mostly randomly chose The Zelios purple switches for my Ergodox infinity. I liked the Zealios quite a bit and also felt some allegiance to the company, given I'd used those switches for quite a while. So when it came time to bulid out the Corne and Reviung I chose Zelios again. I have a pair of clacky (not to be confused with clicky!) clears--my favourite--And tactile silents. I use the silents during the workday and switch to the clacky's at night. (It's actually quite nice to switch between boards for the different programming contexts. This was a surprise discovery.)

	Programming ---------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2023: Awk - 2022: Bash, ELisp, CommonLisp - 2021: Lua - 2015: JavaScript - 2014: PHP - 2013: Java - 2012: Processing My first exposure to programming was through , a dumbed-down Java IDE and programming environment that encourages visual exploration. I was quite the tender foot then. I remember asking the professor why anyone would ever want to program. Lol. Since then I've moved through lots of languages though not everything sticks. I've flirted with Haskell. I've admired C. I cast thirsty looks towards Rust. The list above captures languages that've been more than a one-night stand. I have a huge crush on Lisp dialects. I really dig the syntax and structure of these programs. The history of the language is also important to me. Being a snot-nosed brat of the garbage collected world, I really suffer from strongly typed languages. Using Lisps at least I can say I'm with the language that did it first. Bash and Shell are my ride or die. I really get around with these guys. They're super useful, well documented, and easy to get along with. They help me optimize my workflow and have fun without getting too deep into "what this all means". And when Awk gets involved the heat really turns up! Love you, Awk. Computer Hardware ---------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2017: Dell XPS15 (9560) - 2011: Macbook Pro I was an Apple fanboy in my twenties and teens. Luckily I got out in time to avoid the perils of a full Jobsian transformation. Since then I've been using a Dell XPS. It has been a solid machine. Every now and then I get tempted into upgrading. But it works, so why bother, right?


	My one reserve about my hardware history is that I have very little experience with desktops. I find this kind of sad, since they're more powerful, easily upgrade-able, and all-around sick looking. Incidentally, I inherited an old Lenovo ThinkCentre 3 years ago. My first desktop in ~13 years! I'd like to get it up and running and use it for an "old computer challenge" before turning it into a server (or, hell, maybe using it as my primary?) Messaging ---------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2023: IRC - 2022: Matrix - 2020: Signal - 2017: Telegram - 2011: Messenger - 2003: MSN Of all the above messaging platforms, IRC is the only one that has allowed me to gather new internet friends. I only got onto it this year. At first I was quite scared! I had been warned about IRC being full of old angry boomers. To my delight it is! ;D And they're happy enough to let me move on in and setup in the chat as a weirdo! I couldn't be happier here :) Special shout-out to MSN. I have such rich feelings of nostalgia for that application. Window Managers ---------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2022: i3 - 2017: Gnome Switching to a tilling window manager has changed my computer life so profoundly, I would die if I couldn't use one anymore. I went from struggling to arrange workspaces with a mouse (literally, I would make audible groans trying to move windows) to not even having to think about what goes where. Atom/RSS Feeds ---------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2023: sfeed - 2022: Thunderbird, Gazette - 2021: NewsDownloader Syndicated feeds are not a big part of my life. But I'd like them to be! Imagine: knowing what's updated on websites or blogs without having to visit them individually? Gosh. I used to maintain the RSS/Atom plugin for KOReader. Eventually I endeavoured to replace the plugin with my own creation, Gazette. The plugin works and I spent a lot of time building it (I even had to build an EPUB library as part of the effort). It's a bit of a mess though because unfortunately I was an aspiring Computer Science student at the time. A bunch of gross Java ideas and garbage seeped into the structure of the program. Ew. Music Player ---------------------------------------------------------------------- - mocp - mpv - emms - Spotify Jobs ---------------------------------------------------------------------- - Web Developer - Printer - Teacher - Web Developer - Student I tried to get away from web development. I really did. I tried so damn hard. I became a graphic design and publishing teacher. I learned to do letterpress and offset printing, eventually starting a small print business. I couldn't stay away. Teaching is a precarious field, and printing an industry that pays little. After suffering through these prospects I stuck it up and took the first web developer job that would have me. Incidentally, it was also the first web developer job I'd applied to in 2 years. Lucky me! I've been at my current employ for 2 years. It has helped me discover that I'm quite good at helping people use software. I even kind of like it! I enjoy teaching skills, explaining concepts, and encouraging people to advance their understanding of technology. Having taught (and enjoyed it) I should have known this much was obvious. But it took a technical position for me to realize how much I enjoy working with people /and/ technology. If I'm being honest, I don't want to remain a web developer/customer support hybrid for the rest of my life. But I'm not sure what I want to be. I'm intrigued by UX work, which I've done in part at my current job. I'm also allured by backend development, although I doubt I've got the chops. For now anyways, I'm getting the bills paid and that's what counts.