LinuxQuestions.org - Super Happy To Make My First Post

Hi folks! I was just about to try and make a response to a thread with no responses, but somehow my reply was intercepted by the "Why not introduce yourself as your first post?" query box, and I wasn't entirely sure what I was about to post, nor where it would show up. So, I backed out and came here deliberately to make sure what I was about to post went where I thought it was going.

Long time user, first time answerer here, hoping to adopt the intent of the Hippocratic oath and "above all, do no harm." We'll see. I guess that depends on how the poor asker I'm about to respond to feels about my answer, huh?

I wish I had made some notes about when I started using Linux. I only have guesses now, but RedHat 7.1 was my first distro, and I think it was either just out or at least the current version - I remember upgrading to 7.2 when it was released.

I started out mainly intending to build a network server for the small company I worked for, and was fortunate to discover the Linux Network Toolkit, a very comprehensive, clear and complete introduction to what to do and why when setting up a network from scratch. An amazing book, a little dated now, but a fine example of what a good author can achieve. Given my understanding or lack thereof of Linux, networking and network services at that point, it was extraordinary what I was empowered to do in a remarkably short time. The credit belongs entirely to Mr. Sery.

And now I'm here, retired, and messing about mostly with small SBCs like Raspberry Pis and ODROIDs. Yada yada.

Now I'm going to go see about that question. Ta.