Tim's Technology Page

I am for lack of better word, a geek! I play with computers all day long for WellPoint Health Networks (WLP), which recently became the largest health benefits (think insurance) company in the United States. For a thumbnail sketch of what type of things I have done and am doing why don't you take a look at my resume. On a daily basis I work in a hetrogenous environment, i.e. I work with a mixture of different hardware and software. However my personal preferences in software almost always favors software that is licensed under the GNU (pronounced guh-NEW) open source license or similar licensing models.

Below is a list of links to some of my favorite software applications that I use every day. I plan to write some HOWTOs at some point in the future to help newbies get going on these stellar products. If you aren't familiar with any of these I suggest you give them a try. Each of these packages is a "best-of-breed" app for its niche in the software market.

Linux Logo Linux "What no favorite ditro" you say. Of course I have favorite distrubutions, I have a favorite one for hacking and learning, I have a favorite one for production servers, I have favorite ones for compiling software on. Some are easier to build, some easy to patch; some are neither but you learn a lot getting them setup and keeping them patched. As it was once put to me, "People who are arguing over Linux distrubutions should really be out in the parking lot throwing rocks at cans." It was rather blunt but I think there is truth there, don't stress about the disto, just make sure it is genuine GNU/Linux! :-)

Postfix Logo Postfix SMTP server. A truly killer SMTP server, Wietse Venema has created a mail server to replace all others. I would never switch back to Sendmail, Qmail or Exim at this point...and please don't even bother to mention Micro$oft Exchange, Lotus Domino, or Novell Groupwise! Here is my main.cf config file for reference.

Apache Logo Apache httpd web server. The defacto standard in web servers. Enough said!

Mutt Logo Mutt the world's most powerful MUA. NOTE: MUA is Mail User Agent for users of Micro$oft Lookout and Lookout Express! If you want the *most* customizable, *most* flexible MUA out there check out Mutt. It has features you never even thought of. If you read and respond to over 200 messages a day it is the only way to go.

Vim Logo Vim What do you edit text with? Still use Micro$oft's Notepad? Yuck, too slow, no syntax highlighting, you can't customize it, edit.exe ditto! Oh, you wised up and got syntax hilighting, but did you remember to order a macro language with your text editor. Yep you need Vim too! Get a real text editor that doesn't leave hidden characters in your text, get Vim.

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