Welcome From The Chief Editor

So ... what did YOU do during the Great PCLinuxOS Forum Outage (GPFO) of February, 2016? Did you have an incurable case of "Forum Withdrawal (FW)?" Whatever shall you do the NEXT time the PCLinuxOS Forum goes dark?

The GPFO occurred after a thunderstorm rolled through the Houston, TX region on February 23, felling a tree (that looked like it was due to come down) that then fell into the electrical service pole, knocking out power to half of Texstar's house ... which also houses the server that runs the PCLinuxOS website.

Texstar made the following announcement in the PCLinuxOS forum, informing the PCLinuxOS community about the impending power outage:

"Houston we have a problem. A tree fell on the electrical line coming into the house and bent our house pole. The electric company will be out tomorrow to cut power so we can fix the line and the pole. The website will be offline during this power outage. If it isn't one thing it is another!"

He went on to add that half of his house was without power. To keep the PCLinuxOS website up and running until the power company cut the power for repairs on the following day, Texstar ran an extension cord to the "computer room" to supply the necessary power to keep everything up and running.

Admit it. You find it hard to go without your daily "forum fix." It's ok. You have a LOT of company. There are many PCLinuxOS users who spend a considerable amount of time checking to see what their PCLinuxOS friends and family members are up to. So ... back to our original questions: what did you do during the February 2016 GPFO? What will you do the NEXT time the PCLinuxOS Forum goes dark? C'mon. You know it will happen again, sometime. So, it's best to have a plan.

Here are some ideas of things you can do to fill the time you might have otherwise spent in the PCLinuxOS forum, had it been up and accessible.

• Visit another Linux OS's forum. Sure, it probably isn't going to be as friendly as the PCLinuxOS forum, but it might help fill the void. Who knows ... you just may be able to help someone with the knowledge you gained from running PCLinuxOS.


• Reintroduce yourself to your wife/husband/kids.


• Watch a movie or catch up on the TV series you skipped out on, because you had to check in on the PCLinuxOS forum.


• Try out a new recipe you've been wanting to try, but couldn't find time to. For that matter, try out one of YouCanToo's tasty recipes from his monthly "PCLinuxOS Recipe Corner" column.


• Check in with your "other" friends on social media, just to let them know that you're still around and kicking. While they may not be as fondly viewed as your PCLinuxOS friends and family members, they'll most likely appreciate the effort.


• Start the physical fitness program that you have kept putting off.


• Work on your "honey do" list, and get a few projects done around the house. It will go a LONG way in getting/keeping you out of the proverbial "dog house."


• Rediscover one of your old hobbies. You remember them, right? You know ... those things you used to do before you spent so much time in the PCLinuxOS forum. Having amnesia? Then start up a new hobby you've been wanting to try (I like making homemade wine ... it's very easy and the results are very rewarding).


• Catalog and organize your vacation photos ... from last year (or the year before).


• Install and try out a new program you've always wondered about, or thought about trying/learning.

See! There are other things you could do when the PCLinuxOS Forum goes dark.

So, until next month ... and the next GPFO ... I bid you peace, happiness, serenity and prosperity.