A Trail Of Bits And Bytes

Some might know, some might not, and none will really care, but since leaving college I put bread on the table working with computers. Hell, I remember my first Texas Instruments calculator, and before that, my first slide rule, which I still have.

I started out writing Assembler language on IBM 360,s ,pouring over hexadecimal core dumps, and base registers. Dropped a load of punched cards in my day as well. Spent some time with the IBM “big Iron”, which I didn’t particular care for. Those are fighting words for the old IBM’rs. Did some FORTRAN on Honeywells, and many other languages on different machines. I was a systems analyst before…easiest job I ever had. In the end, nothing had to work, you’d just analyze it some more until it was FUBAR, and start over.

Spent many years in the IBM 4300 series (junk) and the S3/X – AS/400 models. At least they could sort, add and subtract, and man they could kill some trees. Remmeber Green Bar? We had three shifts of people who did nothing but load and reload Green Bar 24 hours a day.

Something had to give. Then along came UNIX, and DOS, Windows, OS/2 and finally Mac’s Intel Linux. I loved OS/2 and ran it as hard as I could. I still use OS/2 Mouse pads. the best damn PC Operating System ever developed, aside from Linux. I’ve used them all at high levels and decided it was time to make a choice. I saw too many holes in Windows, Windows just breaks, and there is so much badware out there it’s almost a full time job just keeping ‘em clean.

I chose the true networking OS path, which is Linux, and starting learning it from the beginning. Linux is powerful and secure. I’ve had Linux servers run for 7/24 for ten years without an involuntary reboot. A Linux firewall is really only an Intel box running firewall scripts. I’ve written a million of ‘em. There is no platform as stable and powerful as a Linux Relational SQL Database. Nothing compares to the remote connectivity available with Linux. I’m glad I chose that path. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not bashing Windows, I just prefer Linux. Too bad IBM and Microsoft got crossed up over OS/2. No telling where they could have taken OS/2.

Anyway, I’m through with all that shit. I stacked all my PC’s and servers, printers, monitors, etc…in the garage. I’m also out of the friendship support business, although I will do jobs for hire. Maybe.

I settled in on a maxed out 15.in MacBook Pro and an additional display port ( have a Sony 19in. flat panel). All I want and need, and it runs like a scalded dog. All OS/X is a great GUI built on top of UNIX. Also, I have the Catdaddy Sony sound system.

Phones: I’ve had every kind of cell phone since the briefcase and bricks. I’ve had the latest and greatest Flip Phones, Blackberrys, iPhones, and everything in between. I used between 7,000 and 8,000 minutes a month. I don’t need that stuff anymore. All I need is something that gets good reception, has a long battery life, and a short charge. I ditched all my toys, cancelled my provider contracts (phone numbers too). I also cancelled my cable dedicated line, kept the standard TV though, but got rid of a bunch of channels, and refused to sign another contract. They let me go with it.

Walked into Walmart and purchased a prepaid $13.00 Verizon Samsung flip phone, a forty dollar card which I have to pay for once a month. For that I get unlimited talk, unlimited text, some web, a new phone number, no contract…they don’t know my name, address…I’m just a number. When I need more gas, I just purchase a new card and load it from the phone. Heck, I had this one running before I left the parking lot. I thought about keeping my former numbers, you can, but they been around so long and they’re on so many phones, walls, computers, etc.,it was time to make a move.

So, I’m down to one phone and one computer. So is the Juju Woman. We also got a Verizon 4G router that covers every room in the house, and both the front and back yards. The device and time is free…don’t ask. Travels well too, about the size of ten credit cards stacked on top of each other, and the battery, if you need it, lasts a lot longer than I thought.

Sometimes, change is good.