From The Assistant Editor's Desk...

April Fools!

This isn't the Editor! It's the Assistant Editor.

As you can imagine, sometimes we're all at a loss for words. So it is with this column. I don't think I could write a column every single month. Heck, I have trouble with the welcome column for the Graphics Special Editions, and I'm only working on my third! My point is, I want to congratulate parnote on his awesome writing from month to month. I don't think I could do it.

I registered on the PCLinuxOS Forum on August 23rd of 2006 (it was actually my birthday). I've been here ever since. I've met loads of wonderful people (on the forum, anyway), and I hope many of them are good friends. Many of the forum members that were here when I registered are still here, and very helpful to those of us who aren't quite experts yet. Yes, I've been here for nearly 16 years, and I still don't consider myself an expert! I knew next to nothing about computers when I started - I got my first computer in 1995 - and have learned a lot, but I'm still amazed at all the huge gaps in my knowledge.

When the idea for the magazine came up, with our friend Tim Robinson as editor, I signed on to be a proofreader. I figured since I had been a teacher, I could at least check grammar and spelling on an article (not content, because in most cases, I didn't know enough). I've been on the magazine staff ever since, except for a short break in 2009. I even started writing articles on subjects I know a tiny bit about. I've even ended up doing several series of articles. Amazing for a newbie, huh? I'm thankful to parnote, who has continued to encourage my writing. Hopefully, one of these days I can meet him and his family in person.

Through the years, we have lost some good friends, and made some new friends. Some of us have more problems than we used to, and some are doing all right. I miss the ones we have lost and pray for those who are having problems.

I always enjoy browsing the forum because of the many comments, screenshots, jokes and photos. A few years ago, our musically-inclined members got together, sort of, and did a song. Many played instruments- drums, horns, etc - and our wonderful ms_meme wrote and sang. It was beautiful. In the whole forum, it is amazing how we all get along together, like a big family. We don't always agree on everything, but we recognize each others' talents and help each other with our computer and other problems. Tex and the programmers keep us all running perfectly (or nearly perfectly), and we all get updated so our machines run great most all the time. We cheer each other on, sympathize with problems or mourn with someone who has lost a loved one. One big happy family.

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This month's cover, fittingly for a Linux magazine, celebrates World Penguin Day on April 25.

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As parnote says, and it is my wish too, I bid you peace, happiness, serenity, prosperity ... and continued good health!