Dedoimedo is a site dedicated to computer education on a broad range of subjects, including mostly computer software and security, but also games, highly useful and unique websites, 3D modeling, and more. Furthermore, Dedoimedo hosts a range of topics that reflect my personal life, with random life topics laced with dark humor, some art, physics, and other hobbies and delights.
I will not spill my entire life here, obviously. But here are a few snippets:
I'm 31, married with no known offspring. Currently, I am employeed as the Linux System Expert / Systems Programmer in one of the largest hardware/software/IT companies in the world, working on optimizing kernel images and hacking the living daylights out of Linux. It used to be my hobby and now it's a paying job. What can be more satisfying than that?
Until recently, I used to earn my bread by working as a physicist in the medical imaging industry. My work expertise focused on problem solving and algorithm development. To this end, I used Matlab extensively, mainly for signal and image processing. Furthermore, I'm certified in several major engineering methodologies, including MEDIC Six Sigma Green Belt, Design of Experiment, and Statistical Engineering.
My major hobbies range from all kinds of sports via art (drawing and painting mostly) to writing books; I have already written several books plus hundreds of short stories - all of which I hope to publish one day. I might even upload a few of them here ... I also speak 3 languages, stammer another 2 and can read 5 alphabets.
A few more words about my computing skills, in chronological order.
I have begun my digital life with Commodore 64 and Spectrum ZX80 as a child gamer. Next came the XT and then a giant leap to 486. This is when I started taking interest in computers on a deeper level, with innocent hacking pranks in DOS. After that, I studied Pascal in high school for three years. My university put me through a semester course of C language.
Since, I have delved deeply into a broad range of programming and numerical computation languages, both reflecting my professional needs and private passion. I dare say I'm quite proficient in Matlab, LabVIEW, BASIC, VB, HTML, CSS, RSS, BASH, and somewhat good in CVI and JavaScript. I'm always trying to learn new things. Recently, I have broadened my scope to other Linux shells, Perl and yet more C.
Windows
I have been a "heavy" Windows user since about Windows 3.1, with most experience with post-NT releases. I am quite good at troubleshooting Windows problems, having helped many friends and acquaintances and even some IT profesionals improve their security, solve difficult problems, and recover from near-disasters, including loss of data, hard disk failures, infections etc.
My best achievement is saving someone's entire PhD thesis, worth four years of work - and no, no backup - from total ruin. To date, I have installed or recovered Windows on more than 100 machines; I have also gallantly saved critical data on at least 20 systems - all for free, not a penny taken. And while these numbers may not seem much, I am proud of each of my achievements, the same way a firefighter is proud of his rescues.
Linux
My Linux skills date to year 2004 with SUSE 9.2 (if I recall correctly) and growing expontenially. In the last five years or so, I have tried more than a hundred distributions, focusing on openSUSE and Ubuntu as my home desktop favorites and RedHat (CentOS) and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) as my preferred server distro.
Using Linux to an extreme can have its merits, though. If you're really good at it, you can score a superb job in a superb company, dissecting the kernel to tiny bits, hunting for bugs and problems.
Linux Certifications
I've also taken the Linux path into the world of certifications. Early in 2008, I have been qualified as Linux System Administrato and have successfully certified for LPIC-1. In March 2009, I have completed the SANS GIAC Security Essentials (GSEC) certification, SILVER level, which makes me a top level geek when it comes to information security strategy, policies and defense in depth. I also intend to write a paper so I can upgrade my certification to GOLD level. I just need some time.
You can see a collection of my certifications further below.
Virtualization
I am a great fan of virtualization, too. Every single operating system I use has at least one virtualization product installed, sometimes two and, in a few cases, even more. VMware, VirtualBox, Xen, Parallels, I dabble or have dabbled in all of them at some point, trying to expand my scope and knowledge all the time.
My preferred professional tools in the arsenal are VMware products, Server and ESXi. I'm exploring the wonders of Xen and KVM as we speak, while casting an eye on the wonders of cloud computing.
Future plans
When the chance graces me with the right amount of time and opportunity, I'll get back to the slightly neglected LPIC-2 certification. After that, I'll gear up for RHCE, Novell CLP and probably even Ubuntu Certified Professional, just out of sheer ego. And who knows what else. Although these certifications mean little in my practical day to day work, as I'm mainly dealing with higher engineering tasks and kernel hacking rather than pure system administration, they certainly are a load of fun and a great way to keep sharp.
I'm writing a book, or rather a series of books, with the goal of introducing Linux to the world in a way never seen before. You can find a sample of the book material in the form of a 150-page PDF free for download in the Computer software section. Some of the other, highly technical articles and their associated PDF will also feature in the series. More than a 1,000 pages done, many more to go.
Setup
You may be wondering where all the magic happens.
Well, currently, my home setup includes two desktop rigs booting Windows XP and Ubuntu, two laptops with Windows XP, one laptop with openSUSE and three Ubuntu installations, one laptop with an ever-changing repertoire of operating systems, one ESXi server with RedHat, openSUSE and Ubuntu Server, and a huge collection of virtual machines, covering pretty much every single operating system available.
General
A few more things you may find interesting ... My cross-OS skills are interoperability between different systems, with emphasis on simplicity, network-resources transparency, automation of tasks, scripting, virtualization, and LAN security.
I'm also quite engaged in the security and Linux communities. I actively participate in some 5-6 security forums and another 3-4 Linux forums, where I try to be helpful and sympathetic to the plights of troubled users. Call me pretentious, but I find it rewarding to see that a few lines of carefully worded text can help people half the way across the globe ...
Other than that, I'm preaching Linux, security and common sense anywhere and everywhere I go, trying to enlighten people and help them evolve to a higher, more enjoyable and productive level of computing. Sometimes, I also teach Linux here and there, including my workplace and wherever I manage to get on the stage.
These are only the computer-related certificates (so far). Not sure if you care for them, but I like to stack them like books on a shelf. Nothing like a decent collection of certificates to keep your ego warm on a cold day.
Last updated: December 2009.