So, I'm a hacker. No, not the kind you see on TV and in the movies. That's "cracking", not "hacking". We hackers are good folk -- writing nifty software so you non-programmers can get some use out of this box you're sitting in front of. And no, surfing does not count as use. That counts as wasting time. Of course, so does writing this page.
I would go into my non-hackerish life, but that would involve leaving the realm of $3LL0U7, and moving to my real-life alter-ego. We're not going to go there.
On with more hackerisms.
I run Linux -- OS of the gods. Actually, any Unix makes me happy, especially those of the free variety. Windows is hell and Mac OS is purgatory. I haven't yet had a chance to mess with BeOS on a regular basis, but anything with a single GUI has a major shortcoming in my mind. I know -- it makes it easier for the end user, but one of the strenghs of Unix is its ability to compartmentalize everything. The GUI is separate from the OS, as is even the command-line interface. You gotta love it.
My prediction: by the beginning of September 1999, Linux will be competing with Windows for majority market share. Only time will tell.
Well, that time has come and gone, and although majority market share seems a little much in retrospect, I think I saw a lot of the Linux popularity before the big companies caught on.
Now, languages. I'm a PERL nut. LisP pulls a close second, but I admire it more than I use it. C is good, C++ is not. Java is wonderful, as long as you can natively compile. I still have to look at REBOL, but it makes some abstractions I'm not sure I'm comfortable with. Finally, VisualBASIC is the Devil's tool. Only evil can come from it.
If you're looking to actually get some time f2f with me, you can try IRC. I spend a lot of time on #e on which I apparently talk too much. I have ICQ (235067), IM (sellout42), and Yahoo! Chat (pfeilgm), so you can see if I'm around. And e-mail (sellout@technomadic.org) is only a stone's throw away.