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Welcome!
Welcome to Hank's Digital Domain, my own little plot of digital real estate. Here you will find a lot of material pertaining to my main obsessions: Linux, computers, and amateur radio. You will also find tutorials and How-To's relating to Linux, especially Debian and Mint, as well as computing. Finally, if you have any interest in Linux or computers, I suggest you check out my links section, as I constantly update it with links that I find useful.
As a general warning, all information on this site is correct to the best of my knowledge, and works on my own computers and radios. Use this information at your own risk. I am not responsible for any problems or loss of data due to the use of anything acquired from this site. I always recommend backing up any important data before making any system modifications or configurations. Now, come on in and have some fun.
DOS: n., A small annoying boot virus that causes random spontaneous system crashes, usually just before saving a massive project. Easily cured by Linux. See also MS-DOS, IBM-DOS, DR-DOS.
Linux
I love Linux. Matter of fact, I love Linux a lot. Aside from it being free, I love having complete control over the operating system. If I decide I want to delete the kernel, then I can; of course only once. Some of the other reasons I love Linux are:
- Licensing Freedom: Want one copy, download one copy. Want 50 copies, download one and spread it around; all without the fear of the Software Business Alliance.
- Full command line: You can administer a Linux machine 100% from the command line if you know what you are doing. Try that with any other operating system.
- Centralized application installation/updates: With a package manager, you have a single location to go to for almost all of your applications and all patches/updates.
- Multi layered run levels: Linux will boot into whatever environment you choose. If you prefer to use the command line, Linux will boot into the command line (run level 3). If you prefer the gui, then Linux will automatically boot into it (run level 5). However, if you screw up your gui, then Linux will automatically boot into the command line, and you have every tool available to fix your problem. This has saved me numerous times.
- Modular design: The modular design of Linux makes it a much more efficient and stable operating system. In most cases, if I break one module, the other modules are unaffected and keep running while I fix the broken one. It also allows me to shut down sections of the OS while the rest keep running.
To learn more, go to my Linux page Here.
MS-DOS didn't get as bad as it is overnight -- it took over ten years of careful development
Computing
I got my first computer in 1983. It was a Radio Shack Coco II. It had 16k of RAM, and a tape deck for storage. I felt like I was the king of the world. I bought a book on Color Basic, and the rest is history. Not long afterwards, I added another 16k memory chip (that's right, chip) and bought my first modem. It was a 300 baud Tandy modem. Most of my friends had 110 baud modems, so 300 baud was blistering fast. My how times have changed. By the end of the Coco life, I had added two 5 1/4" drives, a voice synthesizer, and many games and programs, some of which I wrote.
My next jump in computers was a Tandy TRS-80 Model 3. This was one of my favorite computers, even today. When it was way past it's useful life, I turned it into a dedicated Amateur Radio terminal with an AEA PK-232 modem. I finally retired it in 1998, and still miss it today.
Today all of my computers are home built except my laptops. I have two Servers; one is running VMware esxi 4 hosting two Windows Server 2008 VMs, a Windows XP VM for my amateur radio gear, and a Linux Mint 9 VM. The other server is a Linux NAS server call FreeNAS that is hosting all of my programs and files, as well as handling any torrent downloads.
To learn more and see my computer tutorials, go to my Computer page Here.
Links
Here is a general list of links of Web sites that I use and that I think you might find interesting:Intellicast - A great weather site with radar loops for your local area.
X-treme Geeks - An on-line shopping site for the geeks. A must visit!
Think Geek - Another on-line shopping site for geeks.
Klear Gear - Yet another on-line shopping site for geeks.
Cyber Guys - Computer parts and accessories. Toys too.
Despair Inc - Tired of those motivational posters? Then this is for you.
Interfacelift - A Web site with amazing desktop wallpaper.
The Website is Down - A Web site with very funny network admin videos.
Book Recommendations
Here is a short review of some of the computer/tech/cyber-punk books I've read that I think geeks will like.Neuromancer: Written by William Gibson, it was the first cyber-punk novel written, and was the first cyberpunk book I read. This book had me hooked from the very beginning, and I spent every available moment reading it. I was sorry when I finished the book because that meant the story was over. I am glad that this was my first cyberpunk novel, but even today, it is a hard act to follow.
The Cuckoo's Egg: Written by Cliff Stole, this was a very enjoyable read. To start with, this is a true story of a hacker that was breaking into America's DOD computers and the way that the author caught him. Because it is a true story, the technical content is accurate, something very important to a computer geek. I just hope we've learned out lesson.
On the way to the Web: Written by Michael A. Banks, this is a fun book to read. It is a history of the Internet, where it all started, and how it grew from a simple WAN to the giant it is today. When I read about the Tandy TRS-80, and Compuserve, it takes me back to when I was just getting my feet wet in computers. I love the old days of the TRS-80 era; to me, it was a more exciting time.
Nmap Network Scanning: This book is a must for any IT professional who uses nmap or any port scanner. Nmap is the industry leading and most powerful network scanner, and Fyodor takes you from the basics all of the way through to the advanced scans. He also teaches port scanning, the various types of scans, and why you want to use a specific scan for a specific result. I have a long way to go with this book, but I can already recommend it as a must have for anyone wanting to learn about port scanning and how to use nmap to it's fullest.
Stealing the Network - The Complete Series Collector's Edition: This is a great book. It is a series of fictional short stories written by the industries leading security experts and hackers. Because it is written by professionals, all of the stories are technically accurate and could happen. This makes for an enjoyable read because I don't get sidetracked by technical inaccuracies. If you want a good book to read to escape from the daily grind, this might be the one.