Caleb Howland

LOCATION: United States, Earth (Sol III), Sol System, Vulcan Sector, Sirius Sector Block

• "No principle can be enforced through law; a thousand laws cannot masquerade as, or take the place of, one principle."

About Me

I am a college student, a worship leader, an avid sports enthusiast (cricket, tennis and basketball, mainly), and - of course - an Ubuntu user.

Introduction to Linux and Ubuntu/Transition from Windows

I was first introduced to the Linux world in 2010, after, ironically enough, the end of Sun's OpenSolaris operating system (an open-source version of Solaris, now called OpenIndiana). A friend of mine had Ubuntu 9.10 Netbook Remix on his machine, and I decided to burn my own live image of Ubuntu 10.04 (then the latest LTS release) onto DVD and boot it. The rest, as they say, is history.

At the time, I was running Windows XP on a Gateway2000 500 SE computer (now known as the E-3600). I began with a Wubi install, then, in 2011, when I acquired bigger hard disks, began a dual-boot system. In mid-2012, I quit using Windows almost entirely to move to Ubuntu.

In September of 2012, I bought a Fujitsu convertible laptop, and temporarily left Ubuntu to get a feel for Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system. When its 64-bit version refused to comply with my biometric scanner, however, I permanently switched back to Ubuntu as a host operating system. In December, I loaded the old Gateway with a modified version of Lubuntu (I installed LibreOffice in preference to GNOME Office) and gifted it to a friend who didn't have a computer and wanted one.

The next year, the fan in my Fujitsu laptop ceased to function, causing me to acquire a Toshiba laptop with UEFI Secure Boot. From April 2014, I dual-booted Windows 8.1 vs. Ubuntu Studio 14.04 LTS.

Then, I discovered Arch Linux, a modular operating system that relies on end-user tinkering to function. With Arch Linux, I discovered how to manipulate a lot of the "stuff under the hood," most notably systemd, a modern multipurpose daemon that is now the standard init system and network controller for Debian and Ubuntu.

My current operating system and hardware configuration as of 5 January 2016 is: Toshiba Satellite L55t-A5232, Xubuntu 15.10

Why do I use Ubuntu?

Ubuntu, as I have come to know it over the years, is a very principle-centered operating system. Before, when I used Windows, almost everything I used was closed-source (which made it legalistically centered), and, as such, I had to bug the devs about all sorts of stuff. Not so in Ubuntu! All one has to do here is raise a little flag and someone who doesn't get paid, someone who's enthusiastic about what he or she is doing with the Ubuntu project, will be glad to help.

What Ubuntu releases/flavors have I used in the past?

I began my journey with Ubuntu 10.04 LTS. I stayed with GNOME (the default desktop environment at the time), and later moved to Unity with 11.04. Around the end of 2012, I began to become disillusioned with Unity and began to pursue other desktop environments and the Ubuntu flavors associated with them. At some point in my life, I have used every official Ubuntu flavor except Mythbuntu and Ubuntu Kylin.

My Contributions

Lubuntu Communications/Marketing

From 10 April 2013 onward, I have assisted the Lubuntu Communications and Marketing Team with spreading the word of Lubuntu. At first, I primarily worked on the StartLubuntu (later StartUbuntu) project developed by amjjawad, designed to introduce Windows XP users to Ubuntu and its derivatives before Microsoft dropped support for Windows XP. Now, I help out with QA for artwork and the Box icon theme (see the Lubuntu.me download page for more information on the Box theme).

Ubuntu GNOME

From 28 December 2013 to mid-2014, I became Ubuntu GNOME Facebook Page Moderator. I left the moderation team because I was no longer involved in the Ubuntu GNOME project.

Ubuntu MATE

I was an avid GNOME 2 user before I used Ubuntu. Now, we have Ubuntu MATE, thanks to dedicated users of GNOME 2's more direct fork, the MATE desktop environment, particularly Martin Wimpress, the maintainer of MATE on Arch Linux. I helped test the 32-bit (i386) series for both the unofficial respin and the first official release of Ubuntu MATE. I continue to work with the QA team headed by Michael Tunnell to make sure the Ubuntu MATE images are "safe for distribution" to the outside world.