About Me

I wish I could remember what prompted me to try Ubuntu. I remember I had recently spent a whopping $15 for a Dell OptiPlex GX110 at University Surplus. Now that I had a computer with enough horsepower to actually run a "modern" Linux, I downloaded and dual-booted Hoary Hedgehog with XP. In the meantime, I got a $70 Dell Dimension 4100 tower (still using it) so I could try the new Breezy Badger release (when the FREE CD's arrived) without losing my working machine. I alternated upgrades between the two machines until the 128M on the GX110 became inadequate for new versions. The 4100 ran Gutsy until I doubled the RAM to 512M and "upgraded" to Hardy. My first "new" laptop runs Jaunty, and the latest addition (a Dell Dimension 4500S from Goodwill Reboot) is currently running Karmic. A couple of (Hardy) servers fill what's left of the living room.

I joined the Ubuntu Forums in early 2006 (January) and started trying to share what I knew of Linux - Ubuntu in particular. I hope I help solve more problems than I cause...

Ubuntu Contributions

• My primary contribution is Support Forum participation. Few things are more satisfying than seeing a problem solved. (4000 posts in last 11 months)
  I have contributed on the #ubuntu IRC channel - but it is a little fast-paced.
  I've recently begun responding to questions in "Launchpad Answers", but don't yet have the karma to join Ubuntu Answers team.
  Offered (accepted) Forum staff position 4/4/2010.
  

• A couple of my contribution attempts have not turned out as well as I had hoped.

  My application for membership on the Documentation Team was declined, so I'll start with Ubuntu Documentation Contributors team.
  My application for membership on the UnansweredPostsTeam was ... well, unanswered. This, too, has changed - I got accepted as a "Seed" 03/03/10, then got promoted from Seed to Seedling about 6/01/2010, and got IRC "voice" about 6/30/2010
  

Goals

• Ubuntu membership (January 20, 2010)
  Find a way to benefit a(nother) Team (or so)
  Help get Iowa LoCo approved.
  Continue Support Forum participation
  IRC participation
  

Testimonials

• cariboo907 - Iowan seems to be solving peoples problems daily, If a day goes by that I don't see one of his answers in the support forums, I almost start to worry.

• dmizer - I can't think of someone else on the forums that I would more highly recommend for membership. For as long as I've been a member of the forums, Iowan has always been consistently helpful even on issues that he is unfamiliar with. There are countless, previously unanswered posts which bear his reply. However, I believe the quality which most qualifies him for membership is his modesty. This wiki page doesn't begin to hint at the amount of help Iowan gives everyone, mostly because he is too modest to talk about himself. When he helps someone on the forums, he usually downplays his involvement and regularly points thanks to someone else. I believe that a humble spirit is at the very core of the Ubuntu philosophy, and it is because of this that I fully endorse Iowan's membership application.

• bapoumba - I'd like to add that Iowan also spends a lot of time on ubuntuforums reporting threads that need to be moved to the appropriate section, and thus helps *a lot* keeping the forums tidy. This work cannot be seen, as reports go to the Staff-only area. Users such as Iowan are a great asset. He is always nice, helpful and a real pleasure to see on the forums. I wholeheartedly recommend him for Ubuntu membership.

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