President's Message
by Rob Limbaugh

April, 2007

One thing that I think we can all say we’ve observed in life is that change is always inevitable. When I attended my first General Meeting in June of 2006, I had no idea that within a year I would find myself as the new President of DACS. Boy, how change can come right out of nowhere! I’m a firm believer in the “if you don’t stretch, you don’t grow” and therefore confident that this will be a rewarding experience!

Good Thing I Have Big Feet
For my first article as the new President I thought it would be fitting to read what those before me have written for their first Presidential Messages. Not only did I figure it would give some historical perspective, but I also wanted to see what types of things were discussed. It didn’t take much reading to see there are some pretty big shoes to fill!

While it was humbling to read what the outgoing and incoming Presidents’ thoughts were, it was also rather comforting. When one reads those articles, it becomes abundantly clear that there are common thoughts, values, and concerns among all of them. They all thanked the support of those who volunteer their time to run the organization. They all deeply value the Members and the experiences. Each expresses their hope and visions for the future of this organization.

Given the size shoes to fill of all those before me, I’m honored that the Board of Directors has placed faith in me to share my hopes and visions for DACS. Thanks for the encouragement and the opportunity!

Tripping Down Memory Lane
My first introduction to computers was in 1982-83 when my school purchased their first Apple IIe. Sometime in 1984 my parents brought home a Commodore 64. I was disappointed because I didn’t know anything about the C64. The frustration of having two dissimilar platforms between school and home urged me to learn how to translate programs from one to the other. It was through that need and ability that I started learning more about computer hardware itself and what it was capable of doing.

Back then, there wasn’t much taught in school with regard to computers. User groups were hard to find or distance prohibitive. So, I pretty much had to teach myself. In doing so, I ended up learning about basic electronics and how the computer and peripherals worked. Of course, a teenager can only go so far before his parents wonder why they want to use a screwdriver on the family computer...

At that point, I quickly learned the value of a learning environment and how much yard work it takes to equal a Commodore 64 system. It took about a year of doing odd jobs, shoveling snow, allowances, and gifts. Finally, I had my own equipment to tear apart! My first modification was to add device selection switches to the floppy drives. Then I added a second sound chip for stereo sound. Then there was the warm reset switch, etc.

One day I could no longer go forward because I had done just about everything with my system one could do and I could not afford one of the newer x86 computers. There weren’t any ‘used’ computers yet except for a handful of Apples and Commodores that were snapped up quicker than lightning. My only options out of High School were to go to learn Novell or ditch a car for a new computer. I gave computing up for a while. That was around 1989.

Sometime around 1994 or 1995, I had the fortune to be helping an acquaintance, who was a licensed electrician, to do wiring work for a restaurant. It happened there was a computer they were throwing out. It was an 8088 with an MFM hard drive, monochrome monitor, two built-in floppy drives, and a keyboard. They said I was welcome to it but the monitor smoked, which is why they were throwing the system away.

Knowing enough about electronics to suppose that the monitor smoking had nothing to do with the PC, I set out to fix the system. Sure enough, the monitor smoked—because a bristle from a wire brush fell across the circuit board shorting out a capacitor. Less than one dollar and a trip to Radio Shack later, I had a working PC! Back in the saddle!

By 1996, I had acquired an incomplete Packard Bell 486DX2 system. The power supply fried and the system was out of warranty. Being an “all-in-one” custom motherboard, my friend was going to sell it in a yard sale but offered it to me for less than $40. Within a few months, I had built a full blown system out of it and fitted it into a standard AT computer case. The computer company I bought my parts from ended up hiring me. My break had finally come!

DACS Is It’s Own Best Resource
The reason for telling that story is not really to showcase what I have or haven’t done, where I have or haven’t been, or what I can or cannot do. The point of the story is that learning stops when resources aren’t available. Once they become available again, the learning can resume. I wish I would have had access to a group like DACS 15 years ago—I’d be well ahead of where I am now professionally.

Since my learning curve is highest with Linux, and programming, I try to attend the Linux, Open Source, and dotNet SIGs as often as possible. By immersing myself in those environments it helps me (re)learn syntax, jargon, and methods. I learn from what obstacles others have run into and how they overcame them.

The PC Maintenance SIG is a must for anyone who wants to start learning how to fix computers because it gives exposure to different users, different configurations, and different problems. What books can’t teach is how systems are in the real world with real people using them.

Server SIG is another fun one. In the past few months we’ve explored what it takes to get servers racked and how to lay a new network foundation. In the March SIG Jim set up a new domain controller, new DNS services, transferred DHCP, and set up a new subnet to handle the new network framework that will allow us to expand the resources available in the DACS Resource Center.

Mac SIG is another favorite. I’m immersed in the Windows world on a daily basis. For me, learning more about what Mac has to offer is somewhat of an escape. I’ve learned more about Macs in the past few months because of this SIG than through any other means. The information obtained has helped me for work related purposes when we deal with clients that are Mac-based organizations.

What I see in DACS is a lifelong way to keep learning and exploring. To me, the SIG's are a vital resource in that ongoing learning for myself. I encourage anyone who hasn’t been to a SIG in a while to check them out. There is no way any one person can learn everything about technology, but I think its fun to try!

Going Forward
There are many objectives that DACS as a whole would like to see come to fruition. For the coming year, my goal is to have the foundation set for DACS to reach the next level. This means the creation of an infrastructure that is strong and flexible. The foundation to attain that goal is already making progress.

If you have any thoughts, concerns, ideas, talents, interests, or resources from which the group could benefit, please contact me at relimbaugh@dacs.org. The best time to catch me in person is at one of the SIGs.

See you at the next meeting!

Rob Limbaugh