editors: Thread: Re: Let's profile our reviewers!

Dear Tab & Others,

Profiling the reviewers:

I'm not sure what information you would like, so I'll just go with the flow...
 
Well as some of you know, my name is Jamie Patterson, and I tend to review for content suitabiity, grammer, spelling and ease of reading (from a beginners point of view).

I have just turned 13 years old and currently attend Hazelton Junior USAF Private School here in Edinburgh, Scotland. 

I was born in El Cajon, which is in California. I moved here a little while ago, and move around alot as my Dad is a Fighter Pilot in the U.S.A.F.

I found the TLDP website when I was doing a google search for extended linux documentation  last year. I've only recently started volunteering as a reviewer. 

I wanted to help improve and build on the foundation blocks of the ever-expanding Linux Community.

I don't really know what else to put... Ok, this probably shouldn't go here but... I took personal offence at Al Dev's comments that you must have a computer science degree and years of experience to create/review TLDP Documents. I only have one more thing to add, Al Dev I've never had any compliants so far. 

Al take note "People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones!"


Take care everyone, Laterz!

Jamie Patterson.

- Personal history
My parents are both retired teachers.  My mom still corrects our grammar 
if we misspeak, so I have pretty good grammar -- and spelling and 
punctuation.


- Linux history
I have been using Linux off-and-on since 1997.  My first install was a 
dual boot of Slackware 3.1.0 and Win95 on a very non-IBM-compatible HP 
486-66.

I am currently looking for work (HINT! HINT!) as a SW engineer.  
Preferably involving Linux and/or embedded systems.

I decided to keep my skills sharp by setting up a dedicated Linux server 
at home.  Since I am not working I had my Dad build me a machine (he 
builds machines as a money-making hobby) out of slightly damaged parts 
(e.g. a motherboard that won't keep time when unplugged, a CPU that 
survived a lightning induced power surge, etc.).  Then I downloaded and 
installed the Mandrake 9.1 ISO's and I had a working server with 
everything on it!  Web, email, ftp, dns, samba, MySQL, ssh!  For free!  
And it was pretty easy thanks to all the awesome documentation put out 
by tldp volunteers.

Then I started to feel like the Dinosaur at the end of Toy Story, when 
he says, "Now I have guilt!"  I wasn't just playing around with Linux on 
a dual boot machine.  I had a real server for nothing but the cost of a 
few CD-R's.

So, I decided I should give back to the community.  I looked into 
contributing to the GNU/Linux coding effort but that would have taken a 
while to ramp up to speed, and I would have needed another machine to 
develop/test on.  But I knew I could review documents right away with 
the knowledge and HW I had available.


- Work history
I was an Embedded Software Engineer at Hewlett-Packard's DeskJet Printer 
Division for 9 years.  I once reviewed a 200-page document so thoroughly 
the author started calling me the "grammatically abused child."  He 
meant it in a good way. ;-)

I know and use Python, C/C++, Perl, XML, HTML, and a bunch of other 
languages and technologies.  I have a BSEE and a very broad background 
so I can review a pretty wide range of topics.


- tldp history
I did look into helping out on tldp in 2001.  But a bunch of the 
documents I looked at were from a certain author (who is currently a hot 
topic on the list) and they kind of discouraged me from getting 
involved.  I also got a new job right about that same time.

My forte is reviewing for typos, missing/double words, etc.  All the 
low-level stuff that English teachers catch.  I also read for technical 
content but I have to force myself to do both at the same time.

I often don't get around to reviewing docs I see on the list and want to 
review.  But I make sure I do review docs I say I will review.  So ask 
me directly, or have Tab ask, if you aren't getting review volunteers.


Electronically yours,

Mark



Tabatha Marshall wrote:

> On Tue, 2003-12-02 at 09:49, Machtelt Garrels wrote:
>
>> Is it possible to get each of the new reviewers to present themselves 
>> in a
>> couple of lines, and have them send a little picture of themselves to 
>> me?
>> I'd like to include that in a weekly news article.
>> I wonder btw how many actual reviewers we have? Maybe we can do the
>> existing ones in another edition of WN? What do you think?
>
>
> I think that's a great idea!
>
> I'm cc'ing this to the reviewers. All of you who are subscribed and
> actively reviewing, please "Reply All" (I want copies too!). Please
> tell us whether you are a technical reviewer, language reviewer or both,
> and a little about yourself, along with a photo if you have one.
>
> We'll eventually have a database to put this info in, but in the
> meantime, you all need some exposure so everyone knows we HAVE a review
> team and can get to know you!
>
> I would definitely like to see our reviewers profiled in an LWN
> edition. This is your chance for publicity, folks! Speak up!
>
> Incidentally there ARE benefits to doing this. I was interviewed by the
> Oregon Business Journal last week! They're doing a feature on Linux,
> and wanted to ask me some questions and quote me on some subjects. It
> was strange but fun to be interviewed, and had it not been for
> volunteering with the LDP, it may have never happened. The article
> should be out in the middle of December; I'll forward a link when it
> comes out!
>
> (And thanks, Tille, for being the FIRST to interview me!)
>
> Cheers!
> Tab
>