IT professional, student or hobbyist?

jimallyn · Post by **jimallyn** » Sat Nov 21, 2015 2:43 am

I checked Retired Engineer, but I could also have checked Other. My first experience with computers was in 1976; the school I attended (for all of two quarters) had one of the "hobby" computers available then, either an Imsai or an Altair, I can't remember which. The one that you had to load the bootstrap from the front panel switches before you could load the operating system. The first computer I owned was a Commodore VIC-20, then I bought all the cheap, simple computers that came out after that: C-64, Radio Shack MicroColor Computer, Timex Sinclair whatever it was called, and more. I have programmed in BASIC, C, and assembly languages for 6502, 68xx, 8080, 8085, Z80, F8, and probably a couple of other assembly and high-level languages I'm not thinking of right now. I got my first IBM PC-compatible computer in about the 1981-1983 timeframe. I have done a lot of design work, much of it RF, but also a lot of digital, analog, and mixed signal design. I also did schematic capture and circuit board layout for designs I did. I owned a TV repair shop for a few years, but I let the employees do most of the repair work while I did consulting/design work. I always hated everything about Microsoft, both their business practices and their sh*tty operating system and applications, and then one day in 2002, a guy told me about Linux. I started using it right away and fell in love with it. Now computers are part appliance - just something to get other stuff done with, and part hobby. I also have a Raspberry Pi that is pure hobby; I don't do much serious work with it, but it is fun to play with.

martienne · Post by **martienne** » Sat Nov 21, 2015 10:00 am

It would be very cool if somebody came on and said that they are a nurse, a dancer, a shop assistant, a construction worker, a baker or some profession not normally associated with computer usage.

Flemur · Post by **Flemur** » Sat Nov 21, 2015 12:30 pm

Scientific and engineering programmer since IBM 360s and punch-cards. Then some other OS's followed by UNIX for many years (had to write my own JPG compression code, no libraries - no GUI's either, except those we made). First Linux was an early Suse release, but didn't use Linux regularly until maybe 5 years ago, haven't booted windows for a few years.

Website · Post by **Moem** » Sat Nov 21, 2015 12:33 pm

@Martienne:
Well, I'm a signwriter, I paint signs by hand... with a paint brush. So I'd say that's pretty analog and artisanal.

dXTC · Post by **dXTC** » Sat Nov 21, 2015 1:03 pm

richyrich wrote:
Lol , remember when Mosaic brought out Netscape ? A www GUI !!! That's when everything changed !
Remember also when Microsoft brought out the Win 3.1 upgrade to 3.11 ? Now we could graphically connect to a LAN ! That's when business changed.

What a time to be alive !

Agreed, QFT, ditto, what have ya. The first PC I ever bought came with 3.11 for Workgroups, and I can still remember setting up the DUN settings for CompuServe and AOL. Good times, good times.

As for the OP's poll, I'm an IT professional with over 20 years of IT experience. I haven't had a system at work that used a Linux OS, but I have had some dealings with Unix administration, specifically HP-UX and AIX. I also qualify as hobbyist, as I spend a good bit of time around/on/inside computers at home as well.

BigEasy wrote:No drak-and-drop and call support is true. But don't forget about anything in computer world two amd more decades ago supplied with a lot of perfect paper documentations. Just read and learn. As I remember my PX-XT Olivetti was supplied with paper docs in heght as system block with display at top.

That first PC I bought came with plenty of documentation too; it was a Quantex 486DX33 with reference guides to most every major component, straight from the individual manufacturers. These came in handy when I started upgrading it. To this day, I'm still fairly proud that I got a Turtle Beach Monterey sound card installed in that thing without having to call any tech support lines.

killer de bug · Post by **killer de bug** » Sat Nov 21, 2015 2:35 pm

I'm an engineer in Material Sciences/Physics. I'm not involved at all in IT.
I haven't used a Windows OS at home since more than 5 years. My first Linux system was Linux Mint 5 Elyssa and it was really good. I had to dual boot for a while to use some tools available only under Windows during my studies. But soon after I finished them, well I removed Windows.
Unfortunately at work I have to live with a Windows 7 system. If it were only me I would install Betsy on this professional laptop, it would for sure work better and faster.

Derek_S · Post by **Derek_S** » Sat Nov 21, 2015 2:54 pm

martienne wrote:It would be very cool if somebody came on and said that they are a nurse, a dancer, a shop assistant, a construction worker, a baker or some profession not normally associated with computer usage.

I'm a retired construction worker. Does that count? Perhaps I should have mentioned that in my original post.

Derek_S wrote:I did not own a computer until 1999, at which point I was 48 years old. I have no formal training at all, either in Windows or Linux. Everything I've learned, I've learned the hard way. I read about whatever it is I want to do, and when I feel confident enough, I try it. If I succeed, I pat myself on the back. If I fail, I go back, read more, learn more, and try again. I probably know more than the average computer user, but there's still a lot for me to learn.

austin.texas · Post by **austin.texas** » Sat Nov 21, 2015 4:45 pm

Retired from a non-IT job.
I learned linux by banging on a keyboard and breaking it. Then fixing it (sometimes).
I remember when...
The only computer you could buy was a $10 million dollar monstrosity with tubes that filled an entire room.
I remember marveling at the first hand-held calculator available in stores - for only $100.
I remember when you had to find a phone booth if you wanted to call home.

Windows 95 was the last Windows I ever used at home. When the next one came along I found it unacceptable.

martienne · Post by **martienne** » Sat Nov 21, 2015 10:19 pm

Derek_S wrote: I'm a retired construction worker. Does that count? Perhaps I should have mentioned that in my original post.

Yeah, you should have said!

I thought hell would freeze over before anyone in one of those professions appeared in the thread but here you are!

That background just makes your accomplishments more impressive.
I had my sister in mind who is a nurse and can just about turn on the computer and open a browser. Anything else and she just doesn't want to know and gives up.

I mean, it's almost to be expected from those of us who work in IT to be able to quickly pick this up, one could say. But for you it's a totally different skill-set and mentality.

If I'd try to do anything at all on a construction site, it would probably end very badly.....

So, respect..

z31fanatic · Post by **z31fanatic** » Sun Nov 22, 2015 2:12 am

martienne wrote:
If I'd try to do anything at all on a construction site, it would probably end very badly.....

No rEFInd to mess with in construction

cinnamoncoffee · Post by **cinnamoncoffee** » Sun Nov 22, 2015 3:50 am

martienne wrote:It would be very cool if somebody came on and said that they are a nurse, a dancer, a shop assistant, a construction worker, a baker or some profession not normally associated with computer usage.

raising my hand

excollier · Post by **excollier** » Sun Nov 22, 2015 4:31 am

I was a coalminer for 14 years, and delivery driver for 15 years plus some other labouring jobs - started in IT a couple of months ago, surprisingly. Never dreamed I would.

Fred Barclay · Post by **Fred Barclay** » Sun Nov 22, 2015 7:27 am

excollier wrote:I was a coalminer for 14 years...

So that explains your username! I wondered...

austin.texas · Post by **austin.texas** » Sun Nov 22, 2015 7:31 am

z31fanatic wrote:
martienne wrote:
If I'd try to do anything at all on a construction site, it would probably end very badly.....
No rEFInd to mess with in construction

Ah -h-h - but you have me to contend with in construction. I was the Quality Control Manager for a construction company for 26 years. Basically the guy who walks around watching everyone else work, and telling them to do it over, and do it right.

BigEasy · Post by **BigEasy** » Sun Nov 22, 2015 11:15 am

martienne forgot to include one important category in her vote - retired (from everything). Retired wins in question "relation to Linux "! Why? It's probably another vote.

gold_finger · Post by **gold_finger** » Sun Dec 13, 2015 11:19 pm

martienne wrote:
Derek_S wrote:I'm a retired construction worker. Does that count? Perhaps I should have mentioned that in my original post.
Yeah, you should have said! I thought hell would freeze over before anyone in one of those professions appeared in the thread but here you are!

Think again!

Cabinet/Furniture Maker here.

Jay S · Post by **Jay S** » Fri Dec 18, 2015 8:58 pm

I am a Registered Nurse, I have to keep everything running at home (computers, cars, appliances, etc...) and I HATE Windows. In the past month or so I've loaded Mint on 2 laptops running Win 7 but my first Linux project was setting up a print server for an older USB LaserJet using a Raspberry Pi! Soon we'll have all but my wife's work computer on some flavor of Linux.

Thanks for all your help so far and in the future,
Jay

Enjoy the ride!

Jay S · Post by **Jay S** » Thu Dec 24, 2015 3:19 pm

martienne wrote:It would be very cool if somebody came on and said that they are a nurse, a dancer, a shop assistant, a construction worker, a baker or some profession not normally associated with computer usage.

See above...

jimallyn · Post by **jimallyn** » Thu Dec 24, 2015 3:57 pm

martienne wrote:It would be very cool if somebody came on and said that they are a nurse, a dancer, a shop assistant, a construction worker, a baker or some profession not normally associated with computer usage.

My older brother is an electrician and new Linux user, and my younger brother is a carpenter and long time Linux user.

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