Systems

I administer several servers running OpenBSD, FreeBSD and Debian Linux.

Having spent the last few years maintaining these servers I've come to enjoy FreeBSD's single coherent environment and accompanying documentation which makes so much more sense to my brain stuck in 1999.

I try to self-host as much of my own infrastructure as I can. Not just for digital sovereignty purposes or because most big tech services have undergone significant enshittification for lack of a better term, but as a way to exercise skills I had neglected.

In the past I used to volunteer setting up the network infrastructure for various hacker conferences such as HOPE and the late Shmoocon. This included setting up servers, routers, planning and deploying WiFi as well as running all fiber, ethernet, crimping cables and lugging gear.

Understanding how to bootstrap your own network stack from the physical layer all the way through to application layer is a skill I highly recommend everyone exercise and keep sharp. You never know when you're going to need it.

I grew up on Amiga, transitioned to 386 running Windows. After years of upgrade cycles, and my long forgotten 3DFX VoodDoo2 graphics card, I began using Linux as my primary operating system in 1999. During my brief stints in University I successfully used a Linux desktop from 2001-2003 in an academic environment, using OpenOffice, Mozilla (then Firefox) and had the patience to fix compatibility issues at the time in a world where everyone else was using Windows. I knew that teaching myself Linux/Unix environments would be a valuable skill. I used a Thinkpad T40 up until 2011 when I got my first MacBook Pro and relegating my Unix's to servers.

incoming: Æon Flux