GaryMellor
About Me
Email: |
<mellor.gary@yahoo.co.uk> |
|
IRC: |
garyjmellor on irc.freenode.net |
|
Launchpad: |
garyjmellor |
|
Keys: |
D1C81890, 9238B4C0 |
Background: I'm 32 years old and living in England. I am a professional software tester with around 8 years' experience in the industry. I have worked for:
o3sis AG (Research and Development)
Synectics Solutions Ltd (Data Cleanser)
SurfControl Plc (Test Engineer, Senior Test Engineer) (now operating under WebSense Inc)
AppSense Ltd (Test Engineer)
Jumar Solutions Ltd (Test Coordinator)
I have been using Ubuntu for around 8 months and really like it - so much so that I'm now going to start testing it in my free time. I love the whole idea of FOSS and want to help shape Ubuntu for the community.
Why Do I Use Ubuntu?
Having been exposed to Windows 'features' for as long as I can remember in both personal and professional realms, I was on the look out for alternatives. I'd used Unix and Mac at university and had heard of Linux. After some Googling, I plumped for Ubuntu and haven't looked back. After just one week of having a dual boot system I decided that Ubuntu (Karmic) was infinitely better than any Windows OS and got rid of the Windows partition completely.:
My Machines
I have two physical systems: a HP 'junker' (with Lucid Beta 1) and a Lenovo 'stable' system (with Karmic). Both systems are laptops. Here are the specs:
Hardware |
Hewlett-Packard HP 510 |
Lenovo G550 2958F3G |
Architecture |
X86 |
X64 |
Processor |
Intel® Pentium® M (780 - 2.26GHz, 533MHz FSB, 2MB Cache) |
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo (T6600 - 2.20GHz, 800MHz FSB, 2MB Cache) |
Chipset |
Mobile Intel® 915GM Express |
Mobile Intel® GM45 Express |
Wireless |
Intel® PRO/Wireless 2200 BG [Calexico2] |
Intel® PRO/Wireless 5100 AGN [Shiloh] |
Graphics |
Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 900 |
NVIDIA® GeForce® G105M |
RAM |
Crucial 2GB SODIMM DDR2 (667Mhz)[1] |
Crucial 8GB SODIMM DDR3 (800MHz)[3] |
Hard drive |
Hitachi Travelstar SATA 60GB @ 7200rpm[2] |
Western Digital Black SATA-II 320GB @ 7200rpm[4] |
[1] Replaces manufacturer's standard hardware ().
[2] Replaces manufacturer's standard hardware ().
[3] Replaces manufacturer's standard hardware ().
[4] Replaces manufacturer's standard hardware ().
Testing Interests
Having looked at the Testing Team Activities I am initially interested in testing the following areas:
- ISO Testing (on my HP)
- Laptop testing (on my HP)
- General Testing (on my Lenovo and/or my HP)
I would rather not have to perform any fundamental changes to my Lenovo as that is my stable everyday personal laptop. I am happy to do pretty much anything to my HP.
Hobbies & Interests
I weight train in my spare time and also enjoy bike riding. When I was fitter than I currently am I have previously cycled to the coast for charitable causes. The most I have cycled in a day is 120 miles. I enjoy watching films either in the comfort of my own living room or at the cinema. I like travelling and have spent 3 months in Australia, 9 months in Germany and been to various other places on holiday with my favourite place being The Maldives (honeymoon). I also like anything to do with technology and spend may hours performing what I have termed 'geekery'. Lastly, I find theoretical subjects, philosophy and reasoned debate very engaging. I am currently reading The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. When I have the time I hope to read The God Delusion and The Blind Watchmaker, which are also by Richard Dawkins.