This year’s keynote speaker is David Both, an Open Source Software and GNU/Linux advocate, trainer, writer, and speaker from Raleigh, North Carolina. He has been working with Linux and Open Source Software since 1996 and with computers since 1969. He is a strong proponent of and evangelist for the “Linux Philosophy for System Administrators.”
He has written articles for magazines including, Linux Magazine, Linux Journal, and OS/2 Magazine back when there was such a thing. He formerly wrote prolifically for OpenSource.com and EnableSysAdmin. He now writes mostly for his own web site, Both.org, and the ATO web site, “We Love Open Source.” He particularly enjoys learning new things while researching his books and articles, building his own computers, and helping his grandchildren build their computers. He has found some interesting and unusual ways of problem solving, including sitting on one mid-range computer he was repairing.
David has published 8 books with Apress, “The Linux Philosophy for SysAdmins.” The 2nd Edition of “Using and Administering Linux: Zero to SysAdmin, a self-study training course in three volumes that was released in late 2023. His book, “Linux for Small Business Owners: Using Free and Open Source Software to Power Your Dreams,” with co-author Cyndi Bulka, yoga instructor, coach, and author, was published on July 3, 2022.
The Linux Philosophy For Developers
“The Linux Philosophy for SysAdmins,” while intended for system administrators, is also relevant to developers, particularly those using shell languages and Perl. This presentation covers the tenets most relative to programming in Perl and related languages.
We’ll look at these tenets in some detail.
• Use ASCII text data streams
• Automate everything
• Test early, test often
• Use commonsense naming
• Store data in open formats
• Make programs portable
• Strive for elegance
• Find the simplicity
• There is no should
• Mentor the young SysAdmins [Perl programmers]