So, it is without further ado that I introduce my next victim guest. Silver Fox is generally a quiet member of the Ubuntu Beginners Team, but does good work within said team which goes - largely - unnoticed. I thought it would be appropriate to try and bring these to light for others to see.

1. Tell as much as you're willing about your "real life" like name, age, gender, location, family, religion, profession, education, hobbies, etc.

I am a professional web developer and database administrator living and working in the UK. I don't really have much family but I do have a good number of friends. My hobbies include running, badminton and just lately photography. I also keep a blog where I post pretty much anything on my mind.

2. When and how did you become interested in computers? in Linux? in Ubuntu?

The earliest computer I remember "playing" with was an acorn electron. I got fascinated by how what you typed somehow made sense to the computer (certainly didn't to me). I got it into my head to try and work out how this all works. After much time and effort I had to give up, I just didn't "get it".

I can't remember what I was doing after that but I picked up the computer interest sometime around windows 3.1. Again I was drawn to the programming side , with fond memories of writing applications in qbasic. This time I seemed to get on better with it and stuck the course. Years later I found myself with a BSc (Hons).

Linux was a bit of a background noise initially to me, I had heard people mention it but I was not sure what to make of it at all. I finally took a jump after some serious problems with Microsoft Vista. A colleague suggested I try Ubuntu (I believe I caught the end of 7.10). Since then I have tried many distros but a firm favourite would have to be Ubuntu (and those based on it).

3. When did you become involved in the forums (or the Ubuntu community)? What's your role there?

I joined Ubuntu Forums in June 2008, though I lurked for a period before hand. Here is a link to my profile. I try to help anyone I can, even if its pointing them to a howto. I especially try to help those who post in Absolute Beginners Talk. These are the people I can relate to most, totally stuck and feeling lost. I consider myself a beginner at best but I would like to think I must have learnt something by now about Ubuntu

4. Are you an Ubuntu member? If so, how do you contribute? If not, do you plan on becoming one?

I am an Ubuntu Member. Here is a link to my wiki page. My main involvements are with the Ubuntu Beginners Team. I am in my second term of leading the IRC focus group. This group aims to provide real time support to those who require help. I have other activities listed on my wiki page for those who would like an in depth breakdown.

5. What distros do you regularly use? What software? What's your favorite application? Your least favorite?

Currently I am mainly using Ubuntu and #! Crunchbang Linux at home. From time to time I boot into Fedora and Zenix.

My favourite application would probably be Firefox. Its usually one of the first application I run when I turn on my computer

6. What's your fondest memory from the forums, or from Ubuntu overall? What's your worst?

My fondest memories on the forum are two little words, Thank You. I get great pleasure from knowing that I helped someone.

7. What luck have you had introducing new computer users to Ubuntu?

I have had some success in introducing people to Ubuntu. A few of my friends are now happily running the operating system with me serving as immediate source to help if it goes wrong (very little has )

8. What would you like to see happen with Linux in the future? with Ubuntu?

I would like to see awareness of Linux increase to the point where I can talk to "Joe Public" about Linux and to not get a blank look back.

9. If there was one thing you could tell all new Ubuntu users, what would it be?

Hello and welcome The community is fantastic. Never feel like you are alone when tackling a problem.

1. Tell as much as you’re willing about your “real life” like name, age, gender, location, family, religion, profession, education, hobbies, etc.

My name is Nathan Handler (nhandler). I live near Chicago, Illinois, USA, where I am an active member of the Ubuntu Chicago LoCo. I am currently a full-time student, and I enjoy contributing to Ubuntu and programming in my free time.

2. When and how did you become interested in computers? in Linux? in Ubuntu?

I have always had an interest in computers. About three years ago, I decided I would make the switch from Windows to Linux. I tried out several different distros. It was Ubuntu's great support for my hardware, and their excellent forum that convinced me to install it on my computer. I had already been using many open source applications on Windows, so the switch to Ubuntu was not too drastic. Thanks to the help of many users on the forum, I soon had Ubuntu setup the way I wanted it. After that point, I never went back to Windows.

3. When did you become involved in the forums (or the Ubuntu community)? What’s your role there?

I became involved in the forums shortly after installing Ubuntu. The very active forum was one of the reasons I chose Ubuntu over some other distros. As soon as I had acquired enough knowledge to start helping out, I began answering questions. This eventually led to me joining the Ubuntu Beginners Team, where I currently serve on the Ubuntu Beginners Team Council, and the Ubuntu Unanswered Posts Team. I have always had an interest in programming and development. With the help of many great developers, I began patching and packaging applications. These activities would lead to me becoming an Ubuntu Contributing Developer in July of 2008, a MOTU in December of 2008, and a member of the MOTU Council in
March of 2009. During that time, I also joined many other development-related
teams.

4. Are you an Ubuntu member? If so, how do you contribute? If not, do you plan on becoming one?

I am an Ubuntu member. I gained my membership by becoming an Ubuntu Contributing Developer. I am also a Kubuntu member. I mainly contribute to Ubuntu as a developer. However, I also contribute to many other non-development teams.

5. What distros do you regularly use? What software? What’s your favorite application? Your least favorite?

The only distro that I currently use is Ubuntu. However, I do plan on installing Kubuntu and Debian in the near future. Most of the software I use is for Ubuntu development. However, some other applications that I regularly use include Firefox, vim, irssi, and screen. I do not have a least favorite application.

6. What’s your fondest memory from the forums, or from Ubuntu overall? What’s your worst?

This is a hard question to answer. I would have to say that everyday is filled with fond memories. I really enjoy getting to work with so many great people to improve Ubuntu. This fun and friendly community is one of the things I like the most about Ubuntu. My worst memories are when I need to deal with users who insist on not following the rules and guidelines that exist to keep this great community running smoothly.

7. What luck have you had introducing new computer users to Ubuntu?

I have had some success converting a few friends to Ubuntu. They were very impressed with the level of support provided on the forums and on IRC. They also enjoyed having thousands of applications only a few clicks away.

8. What would you like to see happen with Linux in the future? with Ubuntu?

I would like to see awareness of Linux and Ubuntu increase to the point where I can walk up to a random person on the street and talk about Ubuntu and/or Linux without getting a blank look back. Eventually, I hope to see Bug #1 marked as 'Fix Released' on Launchpad.

9. If there was one thing you could tell all new Ubuntu users, what would it be?

I would tell them to join a team. Joining a team is a great way to meet other people who share similar interests. It is also an excellent way to begin contributing back to the community.