Subject-Matter Expertise: Unix And Linux

I have been using Unix and Linux for a very long time. My Unix/Linux expertise span all aspects of the OS and major application areas including: Kernel and device drivers, systems programming and applications development.

My first exposure to Unix was in 1983. We started with first releases of BSD (Berkley Software Distribution) 4.1 and evolved through 4.3 on DEC Vaxes. Later in the late 1980s I also used a lot of SysVR3 on HP hardware. In early 1990s my main Unix usage was SunOS (Solaris). At around 2005, I switched to Linux starting with Debian’s Sarge and have been using various Linux distros and flavors.

Below is a brief summary of my Unix and Linux related experience:

Unix Philosophy:

I am quite disapointed that Unix philosophy has been badly diluted with evolution of Linux. In many respects Linux is now bloated and has lost much of Unix’s elegance.

Elegant Unix-ish Design:

I am delighted with Linux programs that are "properly" designed and that reflect true spirit of Unix. qmail and djbdns are such examples.

Choosing A Distro:

My favorit distro is Debian. I also use a lot of Ubuntu on newer devices.