Tech Savy - Page 4

theducks · 04-22-2011, 10:24 AM

I describe myself as a 'Hardware hacker' (old usage, before the black hats stole it).
Wrote my first proggy in Assembler code on a PDP-8L using a Teletype

, but never made the switch to non-modal languages in current use.

I ticked build it and running in 15. (Hey! An OS booting is part of running the OS install disk). They did not say, the FINAL OS

)

I get down to the soldering Iron level for through-hole components. (I also change out the fans inside the PSU when they get noisy)

I was in IT Hardware support back when the IMB PC was new

jersysman · 04-22-2011, 10:40 AM

I am a computer analyst for a software development company. I do know my way around a PC or two and their inner workings.

jgaiser · 04-22-2011, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Latinandgreek

I've been thinking about installing Linux on my old laptop, but my husband has taken it under his wing and doesn't want to learn a new OS. I'm not the most computer savvy person, but I do like to tinker with computers and I would love to try my hand at building my own, just to learn how to do it.

Ubuntu is easy to play around with and a *fairly* easy transition from Windows. Download a copy. Burn on to a CD or USB drive (instructions for both on the linked page). The image is bootable live drive (no need to install) and installation is pretty much a no-brainer. And there's more than enough technical help here on MR.

carld · 04-22-2011, 11:28 AM

I always used to build my own systems from the case up. Nowadays it doesn't really seem like it's worth the effort. PC prices have fallen so low you don't end up saving all that much doing it yourself. Now if you want something custom, yeah, then build-your-own is the way to go.

Xenophon · 04-22-2011, 02:25 PM

Ph.D. in Software Engineering. 30 years professional programming/software development experience. Have been an optimizing compiler developer, programming language designer, real-time OS implementor, and on and on...

But the overall tech-savvy question is ill-formed. I don't ordinarily do hardware -- my wife is the EE in the family.

Xenophon

dustbunnies · 04-23-2011, 06:39 PM

I am not at all tech savy. I love the machine for some of the amazing things it can do, but I don't know anything about the hardware or the software. When something doesn't work, I call my younger brother....

Ravensknight · 04-23-2011, 07:50 PM

IT manager at work [as my secondary. Primary is field tech as a land surveyor, go figure].

I love messin', just not too deep...

ApK · 04-26-2011, 11:29 AM

While my classmates were out playing sports and meeting girls, I was learning BASIC and 6502 assembler, and hacking photo resistors into the game port of my Apple ][+.

Spent many years on help desks, building and fixing PCs, and have spent the last 20 or so mostly as a .NET developer.

Sort of lost the hobbyist spirit a while back. Other than wasting time here and on other forums, I like to spend my free time away from the computer.
But every now and then some need will pop up in my life and will awaken the hacker in me long enough to accomplish what I want...installing custom firmware on my electronic devices, setting up customized home digital video distribution, tracking down and learning to use certain python scripts to make my ereader more flexible...

Hellmark · 04-26-2011, 03:02 PM

I am going back to school for a compsci major, and work as a systems tech and solder jockey for a company that refurbs and sells commerical phone equipment. Technology has always been the one thing that makes sense to me, more so than people.

Sydney's Mom · 04-26-2011, 03:10 PM

As if you couldn't tell, I am a user only. Before Calibre, converting books gave me a real thrill. I would spend a whole weekend trying to get one or another tool to work. But not anymore - it is all plugins!

zespectre · 04-26-2011, 03:33 PM

I -was- a professional. 20 years of hardware and integration (and as little programming as I could get away with). Then I had a major surgery just over a year ago and as I recovered from it I discovered that something was ... different.

I still love dabbling in the tech stuff but I just can not "track" it anywhere nearly as well as I used to. In fact I have a lot of sympathy for car wreck victims who have to learn to speak/walk again because (to a lesser degree) that's how I feel these days and so I'm in the middle of trying to figure out what better fits my time and talents these days.

kennyc · 04-26-2011, 09:52 PM

Hey! I missed the vote, but I would have been in the "give me half an hour or so ....." group.

kennyc · 04-26-2011, 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jocampo

I'm database administrator for the biggest IT company in the wolrd :-)
...

And that would be?

Sydney's Mom · 04-27-2011, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kennyc

Hey! I missed the vote, but I would have been in the "give me half an hour or so ....." group.

Sorry. It is 15 minutes or so. Guess you have to go down one level.

kennyc · 04-27-2011, 04:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sydney's Mom

Sorry. It is 15 minutes or so. Guess you have to go down one level.

faulty poll!

View Poll Results: How tech savy are forum members
PC, what's a PC	2	1.52%
Use PCs frequently but I often leave the complicated stuff to the help desk	9	6.82%
I can run my own PC	30	22.73%
Ipconfig/all is part of my vocabulary	23	17.42%
Give me fifteen minutes with all of the hardware and software I need and I can build a working PC	45	34.09%
I am a subject matter expert	20	15.15%
None of the above	3	2.27%
Voters: 132. You may not vote on this poll

04-26-2011, 11:29 AM	#53
ApK Award-Winning Participant Posts: 7,389 Karma: 68329346 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: NJ, USA Device: Kindle	While my classmates were out playing sports and meeting girls, I was learning BASIC and 6502 assembler, and hacking photo resistors into the game port of my Apple ][+. Spent many years on help desks, building and fixing PCs, and have spent the last 20 or so mostly as a .NET developer. Sort of lost the hobbyist spirit a while back. Other than wasting time here and on other forums, I like to spend my free time away from the computer. But every now and then some need will pop up in my life and will awaken the hacker in me long enough to accomplish what I want...installing custom firmware on my electronic devices, setting up customized home digital video distribution, tracking down and learning to use certain python scripts to make my ereader more flexible... Last edited by ApK; 04-26-2011 at 03:07 PM.

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04-22-2011, 10:24 AM	#46
theducks Well trained by Cats Posts: 31,079 Karma: 60358908 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The Central Coast of California Device: Kobo Libra2,Kobo Aura2v1, K4NT(Fixed: New Bat.), Galaxy Tab A	I describe myself as a 'Hardware hacker' (old usage, before the black hats stole it). Wrote my first proggy in Assembler code on a PDP-8L using a Teletype , but never made the switch to non-modal languages in current use. I ticked build it and running in 15. (Hey! An OS booting is part of running the OS install disk). They did not say, the FINAL OS ) I get down to the soldering Iron level for through-hole components. (I also change out the fans inside the PSU when they get noisy) I was in IT Hardware support back when the IMB PC was new

04-22-2011, 10:40 AM	#47
jersysman Wizard Posts: 1,747 Karma: 3761220 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Pennsylvania Device: T1 Red, Kindle Fire, Kindle PW, PW2, Nook HD+, Kobo Mini, Aura HD	I am a computer analyst for a software development company. I do know my way around a PC or two and their inner workings.

04-22-2011, 11:28 AM	#49
carld Wizard Posts: 2,698 Karma: 4748723 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: Kindle Paperwhite	I always used to build my own systems from the case up. Nowadays it doesn't really seem like it's worth the effort. PC prices have fallen so low you don't end up saving all that much doing it yourself. Now if you want something custom, yeah, then build-your-own is the way to go.

04-22-2011, 02:25 PM	#50
Xenophon curmudgeon Posts: 1,487 Karma: 5748190 Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Redwood City, CA USA Device: Kobo Aura HD, (ex)nook, (ex)PRS-700, (ex)PRS-500	Ph.D. in Software Engineering. 30 years professional programming/software development experience. Have been an optimizing compiler developer, programming language designer, real-time OS implementor, and on and on... But the overall tech-savvy question is ill-formed. I don't ordinarily do hardware -- my wife is the EE in the family. Xenophon

04-23-2011, 06:39 PM	#51
dustbunnies Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 1456 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: aluratek libre pro	I am not at all tech savy. I love the machine for some of the amazing things it can do, but I don't know anything about the hardware or the software. When something doesn't work, I call my younger brother....

04-23-2011, 07:50 PM	#52
Ravensknight Serpent Rider Posts: 1,123 Karma: 10219804 Join Date: Jun 2009 Device: Sony 350; Nook STR; Oasis	IT manager at work [as my secondary. Primary is field tech as a land surveyor, go figure]. I love messin', just not too deep...

04-26-2011, 03:02 PM	#54
Hellmark Wizard Posts: 2,592 Karma: 4290425 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Foristell, Missouri, USA Device: Nokia N800, PRS-505, Nook STR Glowlight, Kindle 3, Kobo Libra 2	I am going back to school for a compsci major, and work as a systems tech and solder jockey for a company that refurbs and sells commerical phone equipment. Technology has always been the one thing that makes sense to me, more so than people.

04-26-2011, 03:10 PM	#55
Sydney's Mom Wizard Posts: 2,899 Karma: 6995721 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Idaho, on the side of a mountain Device: Kindle Oasis, Fire 3d Gen and 5th Gen and Samsung Tab S	As if you couldn't tell, I am a user only. Before Calibre, converting books gave me a real thrill. I would spend a whole weekend trying to get one or another tool to work. But not anymore - it is all plugins!

04-26-2011, 03:33 PM	#56
zespectre BookMonkey Posts: 90 Karma: 18008 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Shenandoah Valley Device: NOOK, iPod Touch, Asus Netbook	I -was- a professional. 20 years of hardware and integration (and as little programming as I could get away with). Then I had a major surgery just over a year ago and as I recovered from it I discovered that something was ... different. I still love dabbling in the tech stuff but I just can not "track" it anywhere nearly as well as I used to. In fact I have a lot of sympathy for car wreck victims who have to learn to speak/walk again because (to a lesser degree) that's how I feel these days and so I'm in the middle of trying to figure out what better fits my time and talents these days.

04-26-2011, 09:52 PM	#57
kennyc The Dank Side of the Moon Posts: 35,903 Karma: 119230421 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Denver, CO Device: Kindle2; Kindle Fire	Hey! I missed the vote, but I would have been in the "give me half an hour or so ....." group.

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