Welcome From The Chief Editor

It's hard to believe, but another year has passed, and the holiday season is once again upon us. I'm in the United States, and I'm writing this just before Thanksgiving, the annual holiday that usually marks the start of the holiday season (if you discount the fact that retailers are pushing out holiday displays earlier and earlier each and every year).

It's an American "tradition" to recount the things that we are thankful for, in association with Thanksgiving. Also, the closer we come to the Christian holiday of Christmas, many of us who observe that holiday become increasingly overcome with "Christmas Spirit." People typically become a bit more tolerant, a bit more charitable, and quite a bit friendlier.

Ryan The Lion and me on Halloween.

It's a good idea to reflect on our lives from time to time, and to list the things that we are thankful for. In the U.S., the winter holiday season is the time that's traditionally viewed as the most appropriate time to enumerate the things that we are thankful for. So, here are the things that I am thankful for during this holiday season.

I am thankful for my wife and child, both of whom keep me grounded and bring me so many joys in life.

I am thankful for being able to work for a living wage at a job I truly enjoy. I am also thankful for the countless number of lives that I've touched over my career, and the positive impact that I have had on their lives.

I am thankful for Texstar for creating PCLinuxOS, keeping me free from the "usual" trappings that plague other operating systems, such as malware, viruses, crapware, spyware and security vulnerabilities. I can use my computer(s) with peace of mind that everything is going to come tumbling down around me and my data. I'm also thankful that PCLinuxOS is so much more stable.

I am thankful for my relatively good health.

I am thankful for my PCLinuxOS "family." Over the years, I've met some really interesting and awesome people from all around the world, many of whom I consider to be great friends -- even though we've never met, face to face.

I am thankful for my traditional family, even with all the drama baggage that traditional families tend to carry.

I am thankful for my friends and the ways that they enrich my life.

I am thankful for being able to do things that make my life so much more rewarding, fulfilling and enchanting. These include things like bicycle riding, hunting, fishing, woodworking, and photography.

I am thankful for the abilities to write articles for the magazine, and the skills to produce The PCLinuxOS Magazine month after month.

So, until next month, I bid you peace, happiness, prosperity and serenity. Oh -- and Happy Holidays!