Ubuntu Wiki

About Me

Hi, I'm Phill, aged 47. I was born and live in the UK.

When we did computer studies at school, we wrote out flow-charts and wrote our code onto a programming sheet to be input onto a 'mini-main-frame'. We got dot matrix print-out and a roll of punched tape. Learning Flow-Charting is a great thing, as it allows you to break tasks down into 'bite-size' chunks.

My first Computer was Atari800XL. It taught me assembly language, along with machine code - for that I'm grateful. I had a Bulletin board running on that little 8 Bit machine, and even stuffed 256KB of RAM into it.

On the first PCs, I was inspired to study the link between computer and humans with StephenHawkin and how he could 'speak'; I got my little machine speaking using a TrackBall using SpeachSynthiserChips - do not forget that we had, at best Assembly Language or Machine Code if we wanted anything more advanced than BASIC. With all that has happened since, I have remained interested in accessibilty with and for computers.

My Involvement with the Ubuntu Community

The areas that I involve myself with are listed below. If you ever have a query that you are unsure about, please do not hesitate to get in touch; I do not bite. Consider me as a friendly librarian. I may not know the answer but I can point you to where to find information: having a black belt in google-fu is helpful. I have well over 2,000 posts on the main Ubuntu forum, most of them answering questions and generally getting involved. Each of us have our own 'favorite' set of notes; I keep my notes available to anyone over at My baby forum. I started using Ubuntu with Jaunty, having used Knoppix some years previously.

IRC

As I am a user of Lubuntu I can be found at #lubuntu. If you do not have your IRC set up then you can click LubuntuIRC

I also ensure that I am logged on to #ubuntu-beginners. If you do not have your IRC set up then you can click UbuntuBeginners

Ubuntu Forums Work

I do pop onto the main forum and look at threads that are sat with few responses and take them on. I have my black belt at google-fu. I keep specific track of what is going on in the current and development version.

Team & Memberships

I am a member of the Lubuntu mailing list along with helping with the Wiki page and IRC. I am also a member of the accessibility mailing list and forum area along with the mailing list for the current version updates and the development ones. I am also a member of the Documentation list, which is how I have become involved with updating the various Wiki pages that people use.

Current Projects & Goals

I've recently gotten a commercial site up to Level 3 accessibility (AAA); it is not too difficult and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to write websites. That site also holds the ability to change into tutorial mode for those who want to learn how to efficiently search through MySQL databases. The tutorial for FullText links through the installation of a LAMP through using the MGJuddLtd site to explain how the enquiries are built, executed and displayed. Currently, I update the Lubuntu help pages over at LubuntuHelp. I am now also involved with updating the beginners Wiki pages, along with helping update the general ubuntu wiki area. As I have been involved in bugs for a while, I have recently joined the bug squad.

Future Plans & Projects

As a convert to Lubuntu, it is my desire to see that project attain official adoption into the family that is Ubuntu. As the 10.10 version progresses I want to investigate accessibility within it. I also want to spread the word on making websites accessible. My thoughts, trials and progress can be found at WebCodingForAccessibility. The MGJuddLtd site is the one that I have taken to that level, which is in no way a feat for a site full of engineering drawings!

Web Hosting

I am very fortunate that my Web Hoster is a registered charity and I feel lucky in life to call him a friend. Whilst the deal is $20 (USD) / year for WebHosting, if you are a student or cannot really afford that, please do not feel embarrassed about it; we do have an area that can be shared for no cost and will not contain adverts, so please do get in touch.

Testimonials

If you wish to describe any of my contributions to the Ubuntu Community, please feel free to do so below. Thank You.

General Testimonials

Testimonials for Beginner Team

I worked with Phill for some times now in the Lubuntu team. He is the main helper in the #lubuntu, always trying to answer and help people, never tired for searching a solution or a way to help. He done a fantastic job on the chan, I can't count the number of hours he spend on it, it's just huge. I strongly recommends him for the BeginnersTeam Membership. -- gilir

Testimonials for Ubuntu Membership

I've had the extreme pleasure of working with Phil for some time now. He's very good at what he does, and is always willing to help and share his knowledge with others. He's been very helpful to me in many areas especially with the BT Wiki FG. He's a great friend and an awesome contributor to the Ubuntu Community. He's got my full support for whatever he does, for BeginnersTeam Membership, and Ubuntu Membership as well. -- zkriesse

Phill and I have worked together for more than a year on various teams, including several Ubuntu beginners sites and more recently as moderators on the Ubuntu forums. He has helped extensively on Grub 2 related matters, making the extra effort to ensure users become familiar with the boot loader. I have seen the great lengths to which he will go to help users on the Ubuntu forums, including researching problems for others when the answer isn't readily apparent or available. Phill exemplifies the caring spirit of Ubuntu and I strongly and enthusiastically support his membership. -- Dave Stan drs305

I've had the pleasure of meeting and becoming friends with Phill, as we are both contributors of the BeginnersTeam. He is certainly hard-working and committed on his helping of the team. I think he is a great addition to any team he may wish to join. Surely, Phill is an awesome contributor and person; definitely worthy of Ubuntu membership. -- pedro3005