DylanMccall

Differences between revisions 15 and 16
Revision 15 as of 2008-02-12 14:54:19
Size: 4896
Editor: d154-20-35-141
Comment:
Revision 16 as of 2008-02-12 14:59:31
Size: 4903
Editor: d154-20-35-141
Comment:
Deletions are marked like this. Additions are marked like this.
Line 16: Line 16:
Web log: [dylanmccall.blogspot.com] Web log: [http://dylanmccall.blogspot.com]

Dylan McCall

Email: MailTo(DylanMcCall@Gmail.com)

MSN: Same as Email. (Yes, I'm using MSN. I should be, and indeed am, ashamed.)

Jabber: DylanMcCall@Jabber.org

Forums: (Mr.) Picklesworth

IRC: DylanMcCall / Picklesworth (irc.freenode.net)

Web log: [http://dylanmccall.blogspot.com]

About Me

I am 18, I live in Vancouver, Canada and have a lot of time on my hands. Quite a while ago I started programming in a strange BASIC language called Blitz, which ultimately led me to a geeky love of programming. At the time, I was also dumbfounded by free services like Cybertown (which I must admit is the reason I learned HTML... or probably any programming stuff at all!), and free software like Anim8or or Wings3D. It became a part of my personal understanding that even really great software could be free.

Many years down the line, I was excited by how nice Linux was running on a power-limited portable device (such as a Nintendo DS). I decided that I wanted to play around with DSLinux, and, thankfully, someone suggested that I use Ubuntu to do so since Windows does not talk to its development tools. I have never looked back!

Something about Ubuntu really hooked me in, and I have to admit that it wasn't entirely the "free" end of things. Open source software just feels nice to me. More personal, more tuned in, and less like a shambling corporate presence. Ubuntu also reminded me of that epiphany when I realized software can be free, showing me also that free software can all work together; the Internet is a great tool to do collaborative projects not just for entertainment (as Cybertown had done) but for actual impact on the real world. (That impact is made all the more powerful by the magical portability inherent with Linux and open source software). I am really excited to watch Ubuntu grow and to make little contributions of my own. Ubuntu has shown me the power of the open source community, and I have made it my goal to become a part of it, at least to return the generosity which has been shown to me.

Apologies in Advance

There are a few things I should apologize for:

  • My inability to operate a Wiki. Sorry to the people subscribed to NoUsplashTimeout; I ended up sending all 6 of you emails when I merely removed a space in my own name.

  • My lack of understanding of Linux and Linux software. I tend to make suggestions that really are a lot more complicated than I think. I promise, I am learning!
  • My occasionally inflammatory statements regarding the development of Ubuntu, Linux and Linux software. I feel I should really explain this one. Ever since I discovered Ubuntu, I have had a passion for Linux and all things free. I hate to see things go wrong, and I am a very picky person. If I see something that I feel is not perfect, I get rather... upset. Don't take it personally, though; take it as a complement. If I am so excited about someone's work that I hate it when things go "the wrong way", it means I consider it so important that even the most trivial imperfection is a huge problem. On the other hand, I realize that sometimes I do not spend enough time trying to figure out what exactly has gone wrong, or if anything actually has gone wrong. I - like all humans, it seems - should try harder to understand every side of the proverbial fence.
  • My lack of contributions thus far. I've made a lot of suggestions, but so far I have not done much to help make them reality. As I look around, I am getting a much better understanding of how all of this fits together, so some day I will hopefully have something to give back to this very worthy community.

Things That I Have Done

I guess it wouldn't hurt to show you folks what I have accomplished and am particularly proud of. I've built a number of unimpressive pieces of software in the past that I hope to revise, and so I won't link to them or mention them...

Stuff that I actually am kind of pleased with:

  • A nuclear reactor simulator. Sadly, it is Windows software and only slightly works with Wine. It is quite interesting, though. [http://www.blitzbasic.com/Community/posts.php?topic=61175 Here is its forum thread.]

  • The Charlotte Content Management System. It is still in early days, but I have applied its prototype to a working web site for a community organization called the [http://www.deltahumanesociety.org Delta Humane Society]. Charlotte was developed and tested with Ubuntu, by the way.

Current Objectives

Currently working on an introductory slideshow for Ubuntu, which will hopefully be ready to go with the next next release. So far, project material is scattered across multiple mailing lists and [https://launchpad.net/ubiquity-slideshow-ubuntu the real home] for it is not quite built yet.

Related pages

FullSearch()


CategoryHomepage

DylanMccall (last edited 2011-06-18 21:53:00 by d50-92-0-125)