House Of Cards
Patron
- Joined
- May 2, 2017
- Messages
- 211
Guess it's about time I say hello to the group, since I've been hanging around for a while now...
I was a windows guru... I played with every version, both server and desktop. Knew an awful lot, helped a lot of people. Like most though, I found it annoying to customize, and expensive to protect and maintain. Perhaps it's my paranoia, but it seemed my systems would develop all sorts of issues right around the time a new version was out, and upgrading was the recommended solution. Pile on anti-virus and firewall subscriptions each year for lots of laptops and devices, and you had another monthly bill to pay...
I tinkered around with Red Hat Linux back when they started selling a boxed copy in the stores, but having no experience, it was frustrating to understand the differences. It went primarily unused, and I remained a Windows user because it was familiar. There were a few other instances of experimenting with different versions, but I was focusing on the familiarity differences, rather than the philosophy differences. That all changed.
As the world became more and more aware of the security and privacy implications of electronic data storage and social media, Linux became a glimmer of light. I started reading more about the philosophy of Free & Open Source Software (FOSS) and electronic security. When compared against that light, Windows is an Atari 2600 with internet access. It's easy to use, and easy to hack. While I have a few lingering devices, the last couple of years has been a complete embrace of GNU/Linux and BSD. Going forward, every technology decision I make will include the question, "Can I do this with Open Source Software?"...
So here I am... FreeNAS will become the basis of being in control of my own cloud. And with time, I hope to learn enough to be as helpful to FOSS users, as I was for the old school Windows users who still believe it's too difficult to switch philosophies.
With gratitude,
Steven
I was a windows guru... I played with every version, both server and desktop. Knew an awful lot, helped a lot of people. Like most though, I found it annoying to customize, and expensive to protect and maintain. Perhaps it's my paranoia, but it seemed my systems would develop all sorts of issues right around the time a new version was out, and upgrading was the recommended solution. Pile on anti-virus and firewall subscriptions each year for lots of laptops and devices, and you had another monthly bill to pay...
I tinkered around with Red Hat Linux back when they started selling a boxed copy in the stores, but having no experience, it was frustrating to understand the differences. It went primarily unused, and I remained a Windows user because it was familiar. There were a few other instances of experimenting with different versions, but I was focusing on the familiarity differences, rather than the philosophy differences. That all changed.
As the world became more and more aware of the security and privacy implications of electronic data storage and social media, Linux became a glimmer of light. I started reading more about the philosophy of Free & Open Source Software (FOSS) and electronic security. When compared against that light, Windows is an Atari 2600 with internet access. It's easy to use, and easy to hack. While I have a few lingering devices, the last couple of years has been a complete embrace of GNU/Linux and BSD. Going forward, every technology decision I make will include the question, "Can I do this with Open Source Software?"...
So here I am... FreeNAS will become the basis of being in control of my own cloud. And with time, I hope to learn enough to be as helpful to FOSS users, as I was for the old school Windows users who still believe it's too difficult to switch philosophies.
With gratitude,
Steven
