Hello. The instructions asked for an introduction, so here it is:
I am an anonymous wikipedia-gnome, but linking to my Wikipedia user would blow the anonymity. I have some contributions to bugzilla under that username, but plan to switch to using ejhuff since I want this account connected, and since Fedora requires real names. Facebook does too: they kicked by alias off without comment within one day when I signed up to try wordscraper.
My first computer use was in 1965, on an IBM 1620 at NASA headquarters, courtesy my father. I also used an 1108 while attending CWRU. I worked in nuclear medicine imaging at a hospital lab (GA 18/30), power plant automation (Modcomp), and telecommunications (Modcomp, then 68000 on Versabus) before finishing my BA at NYU c. 1980 and entering grad school (NYU biomolecular chemistry) in 1986. I took the full 10 years to graduate, finishing in September 1996. I learned that I'm not cut out for lab work but it was fun while it lasted. I worked at a research scientist for a few years for my mentor, but I am now retired for personal reasons.
My first PC was a kit-built Z80, 1981 I think. I didn't upgrade when the PC came out, but hacked Z80 code for some time.
I got a MacII in about 1987 or 1988 in order to use chemistry graphics applications, and because I was a 68000 expert from my last telecommunications job. I did image processing development on Macs at NYU, and switched to Unix in 1992, using a Sparc 10 with Solaris 2.2.
When I replaced my MacII in 1998 (after 8 meg was not enough to run Netscape), I walked over to my neighborhood Staples and picked the cheapest machine (an IBM Aptiva) and the most expensive monitor (MultiSync E1100). I hardly ever used Windows but installed Red Hat linux 5.2. Later I erased the windows 98.
I upgraded the software regularly and now use Fedora 9 on a set of 5 PC-chips V21G VIA motherboards powered off the 24V batteries of my UPS via a 24 to 12V supply (drawing about 3 amps at 12V). I also have a P4 (i686) desktop running Fedora 9, but the Aptiva is my firewall/router running FC2. FC6 didn't work when I last tried to upgrade.