Jay Versluis
AUTHOR

Jay Versluis

Health & Wellness
Tap the gear icon above to manage new release emails.
HI, I'm Jay Versluis. Nice to meet you! I've been writing about web technologies for many years, more for myself than for anybody else. I take notes about things my brain frequently forgets, and over the years I've had many friendly comments by likeminded individuals who have thanked me for such notes. Many were in the same situation as I was: trying to figure out difficult things for which there appears to be no user manual, or the instructions are just too difficult to understand. Computers are more than just machines to me: they are individuals with whom we can communi-cate, and each of them has their own little quirks. I don't hold more regard for my coffee maker than for my laptop: they both have benefits, and together they make my life wonderful. I love hardware, software packages and operating systems - but not necessarily in that order. My history with computers goes back to the mid eighties when everyone at school started playing games on early home computers. The three popular ones at the time were the ZX Spectrum, the Amstrad CPC and the Commodore 64. I was lucky to get my hands on the latter, after convincing my parents that owning one was a life and death situation. I don't think I've ever asked them for anything else. I loved the Commodore BASIC: it was a major thrill to communicate with a machine in a language both the computer and I could understand. It was like a new life form had been discovered, and I started speaking to it. I still hold the same fascination today when I talk to Linux machines via the command line. I didn't dream that "hacking computers" would be considered a career some years later. I went online for the first time when my colleague and I both purchased a modem in 1996. Mine was a 19.2k Dr. Neuhaus metal box that only ever connected at 14.4k. I was with CompuServe at the time, and as part of being a customer I was given a generous 2MB of web space. The lengthy URL was soon replaced by my first real domain, which I still own and use today. Remote computers have always fascinated me, and I often wondered how they work and why they're always ready for requests from web browsers and email clients. It wasn't until 2008 that I rented my first Linux server to take a closer look under the hood. There seems to be a huge divide between people who know "everything", and those who know "much less" but are eager to learn. I found it extremely tough to get started with the basics. One reason for writing this book was that this is the guide I wish I had when I started exploring this subject on my own: a kick-start in the right direction, supplementing the various tough to under-stand articles on the web. Aside from administering remote servers, I like to dabble in 3D Texturing and Modelling, iOS Development and the odd WordPress plugin.
Read more Read less

The Best Fiction Podcasts for Listeners Who Love a Good Story

You can’t beat a good story. Luckily, humans are great at storytelling, and the best fiction podcasts are all the proof that the modern listener requires. Get the popcorn ready; it’s storytime.

Featured Article: The Best Fiction Podcasts for Listeners Who Love a Good Story

Best Sellers

Product list
  • Broken Bowels cover art

    Price: $31.26 or 1 Credit

    Sale price: $31.26 or 1 Credit

    Try for $0.00