What Am I Doing Here?


# Intro

I worked with *IBM big iron* for seventeen years. I was mostly an
*[RPG II, III, IV](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_RPG)* developer
but also wrote, god help me, *COBOL* and of course *[CL (control
language)](https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/en/ssw_ibm_i_71/rbam6/clpro.htm)*.

During that time, I was forced to use windoze, and Mac OS, but on my
personal devices I used linux. I had been a **Slackware** user since
1993 or thereabout when I got a book on **Slackware** that included a
CD.

I have been an avid tinkerer with linux, I disdain the term <del>power
user</del>, but never had the oportunity to work with linux as a
developer eventhough I have experience with a good many languages
other than those specific business languages mentioned above.

During the early 1990s, the Internet didn't exist as it exists
today. There were a few browsers for the web (links, or lynx being the
one I remember) and then we got **NetScape Navigator** and then
everything started blinking and bouncing and boy was it ugly.

Eventually the great tools *(gopher, archie, veronica, etc)* were
either replaced or forgotten. A few years ago I discovered that
**gopher** at least, wasn't dead but was actually making a resurgence
with people like me who would rather their information didn't blink,
bounce, or slide all over the screen.

So I think what I might talk about here is that. I know there are tons
of resources on the web these days but maybe I know something or have
thought something that isn't out there already.

I guess we will see how it goes.

tags: intro linux gopher archie veronica