[ubuntu-za] Introduction (not a user guide)

[Neil Manson]

Hello Everyone

Good idea Péter. I am also new to the ubuntu-za community, so I will 
follow your example and introduce myself.

I am a mechanical engineer by training, but now lecturing at the School 
of IT at Monash University in Roodepoort. I teach Computer Models for 
Business Decisions, Data Mining, and Data Structures and Algorithms. I 
have  also taught Web Programming and Visual Basic (some years ago).

I have been a keen user of open source on Windows (OpenOffice, Firefox, 
Thunderbird, Nvu) for a number of years. Nearly 3 years ago I had the 
opportunity to attend a course on Linux for Scientists at the African 
Institute for Mathematical Sciences, where I installed Ubuntu 5.04 Hoary 
Hedgehog, and I haven't looked back since.

I decided to get a bit more involved just before 8.04 was released, so I 
looked around for an 8.04 release party, and found the ubuntu-za mailing 
list and IRC channel, and the release party. Thank Jonathan, Simone and 
everyone else that organised the release party.

Looking forward to being involved in the future.

Cheers,
  Neil

Peter Nel wrote:
> Hello everyone
> (I assume everyone on the list sees this.. yup this my first 
> "old-school" mailing-list, and my first ever message.. (I don't really 
> post on forums, blog nor facebook - this is kind of a debut))
>
> I'd like to introduce myself (if all of this is appropriate).
> My name is Péter Nel, I live in Pretoria, recently turned 29, 
> software- 
> (engineer/lover/architect/doohickey-maker/poet/philosopher/self-indulging 
> commenter)
>
> This is my journey deeper into the 'open'...
>
> Any comment from any of you would signify success in this present 
> exercise.
>
> I'm especially interested in contributing code to the open-source 
> community, perhaps Ubuntu itself. To date combination of FUD, 
> inexperience, and inertia to the learning curve has retarded this journey.
> So, if you want and are able, you may comment specifically on this.
>
> More details on my oss exp.
> - been a casual linux user since university (red-hat, Suse, mandrake, 
> ubuntu!)
> - random bashing, etc.
> - recently I've signed up on Launchpad, signed the ubuntero 
> code-of-conduct, joined the "REVU Uploaders 
> <https://launchpad.net/%7Erevu-uploaders>" launchpad team (universe 
> contributers), and joined this list..
>
> .. anyway, not gonna make this a cv, so, hi again ..and bye
> -psnel
> [. ...]
>
> PS. if i fade into the obscurity of irrelevance of forgotten people in 
> a dispondent spasm of undebut, don't take it personally - I'm not this 
> confident in real life.

-- 
Neil Manson
Course Coordinator: School of IT
Monash South Africa

http://sit.monash.ac.za/
http://sit.monash.ac.za/staff/manson/

Neil.Manson at infotech.monash.edu
Tel  : 011 950-4035
Cell : 072 298-5124
Skype: neil.manson