Hi. If you're new to FLOSS (Free Libre OpenSource Software), Linux, or FSF (aka *nix) related software and wondering where to go next, I suggest you point an IRC client at #debian (for 'stable') or perhaps #debian-next (for testing and sid) on irc.debian.org. I use weechat (fwiw). They'll/we'll either help or try to point you at someone who can help you with any problem or questions you may have. Please, don't be bashful. I've learned a lot by looking for the answers to our questions. Dive right in.

I think everyone should be using what I use because it works, and it doesn't work against you. Call me paranoid, but I prefer my stuff doesn't report to others' motherships.

I enjoy helping non-native English speakers fix their English (Germish?). Tell me a URL in IRC (best done in #debian-offtopic), and I'll try to help. I've always admired multi-linguals, but I'm a dilettante there. Que pasa? Bon chance! Kroshnit. :-)


My current box is an HP Core II quad tower, and the only thing that gets its fans excited is dnetc (http://distributed.net). Now, I dream it's creating ian m. banks' Culture. hellboy will be the first Culture mind.

I've been running and using FSF/*nix since ca. '80s (remember Ultrix, OSF/1, AIX, and HP-UX?) and Linux since (ca.?) '93.

Debian's a mix of noobs (with bleeding edge new hardware needing firmware blobs, et al), and old school BOFH types running real world servers, who know how to do it and why to do it that way. One's continually stretched by the newest shiny to show up, and old school questioning what's the point of that; are you sure you want that, and why? Hang out in IRC #debian and you'll see it every day. It's very educational, very stimulating. It sends me off in directions I'd never considered all the time.

I'm an admirer of Debian-Edu; see https://wiki.debian.org/DebianEdu/Documentation/Buster/Architecture - gorgeous.

Then, one day, curious (I don't know much about it, just that I'm in favor of it), I wandered into IRC's #debian-diversity; "Excuse me sir, but you appear to be a bull." "Oh? Oh. Okay." "Well sir, this is a china shop." It didn't go well from there. You can now horrify others by not noticing they've psychic triggers installed and firing. This's new to me.


Thanks Debian

My thanks go out to all in the Debian (and Linux, and FLOSS) Universe. The people associated have taught me mountains of valuable stuff down through the years, stuff that have made my life even possible in ways.

FWIW, I'm a sixties "hippie phreaque"; a hippie freak, not a flower child. We hoped to change the world; cf. Sneakers.

My favorite environment is a command line or a text editor, and these days weechat. journalctl appears to be growing on me too, and I don't really mind being shunted into the systemd era against my will either, except holy $youknow, it does a lot and learning it seems like forever. :-|

Thanks Debian. Thanks Linus and Gnu!


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