Unit 11

How far have I come in this course? A very good question. I knew absolutely nothing about how to use Linux, Apache, MySQL, or PHP. The LAMP project that I worked on this Summer semester has been one of the hardest things I've done in school. Writing papers is easy but delving into the meat and bones of how a new computing system works in another matter entirely.

I had heard of Linux and my now ex-boyfriend uses it and has been religious about open source and freeware for years. He's been a part of the open source movement for over 10 years and belongs to some association or group that they have. But I digress... Although he helped me quite a bit in this course before we broke up a week ago. I will just have to find another mentor to help me with IRLS 675 in the Fall semester. I am afraid that course will be much harder than this one but, at the same time, it will also be easier because I have taken IRLS 672 and been exposed to new technology.

I still do not know if I will install Linux on my current laptop. Maybe when I purchase my next laptop I will explore doing a partition and installing Linux right beside Windows. My ex-boyfriend had completely removed Windows, then installed Linux and finally had Windows running virtually. I most likely would not want to get rid of Windows altogether. Plus I may invest in a Mac for my next laptop so I can learn how to navigate that systems as well.

I am more engaged in the world of digital information thanks to the many readings and assignments this course offered. Reading Neal Stephenson's In the Beginning was the Command Line really opened my eyes to the history of the open source movement and gave me a healthy respect for Linus Torvald and Richard Stallman. I am very eager to continue learning about command line interfaces, networked environments, relational databases, and programming. This course has been quite a roller coaster ride and it has been all I could to to hold on but in a very good way. Let the fun continue with IRLS 675.