LinuxQuestions.org - Hello from Ontario

Hello everyone! I'm Charles, 40, using Linux since Slackware 97, but still very green on certain Linux topics. I'm the project manager for a computer refurbishing project that provides over 200 machines for our parent not-for-profit organization. We do both Linux and Windows (we're a Microsoft Registered Refurbisher).

In Computer Recycling's infrastructure we ONLY use Linux servers (Samba, OSCommerce, Drupal, TFTP for PXE-boot installs) and almost all of the machines we use in the "shop" are Linux (2 are Windows, 8 are Linux).

Three years ago we built our shop Point Of Sale on top of OSCommerce hiring someone to create a bunch of PHP scripts to make OSCommerce look and work more like a POS terminal. We're currently in the process of revamping the code on a new server so we can release it GPL.

Our parent organization's main focus is helping people find work. We help by giving volunteers hands-on Linux/Windows and hardware experience. Often we also help new Canadians gain Canadian work experience.

I joined on in 2001 as a volunteer. Our parent organization has just started hosting a local Linux user group. At the second meeting one of the volunteers presented his effort at starting a custom Linux distribution based on Debian GNU/Linux. I found the presentation so interesting that I signed on to help develop the distribution. The distro is long dead (http://wclp.sourceforge.net) and we're using Ubuntu now (for the public machines). Our servers have in the past run OpenSUSE, Fedora, and CentOS. (Our POS still uses CentOS). Actually both myself and the other volunteer who presented the Linux distribution were eventually hired.

I got interested in computers in 1983 when our family got a Commodore 64. I joined a local user group, got into BBS'ing, eventually bought and XT, then 386 (the first machine I built with some over the phone help), a 486 (which I ran OS/2 3.0 and my BBS on), and eventually to where I am today.

I was introduced to Linux by my brother who spun Slackware 97 as a great system to run a BBS on. True enough it had a lot of BBS-related software, but I ended up checking out FreeBSD for a couple of years.

Later I switched completely to Red Hat 7.2 on the desktop because it had a driver for my HP Deskjet 712 (when FreeBSD didn't at the time). From that point on I've been running one distribution or another as my main desktop OS for everything from importing video from our digital camcorder to MythTV.

I have a lot of useless knowledge (like certain Sun Enterprise 2 boxes with a particular revision can run Solaris 10 while other revisions can only run 9)... but I also have a lot of gaps in that knowledge.

Cheers!