Smileeb: PCLinuxOS & Me

Editor's Note: With his vision continuing to deteriorate, Smilee Burnett reached out to the magazine staff with this article that he wanted to share with his PCLinuxOS family. Over the years, smileeb has been a loyal and faithful PCLinuxOS user, and a contributor to The PCLinuxOS Magazine. For several years, smileeb took care of the PCLinuxOS Forum Friends & Family column that you sometimes see in The PCLinuxOS Magazine. Smileeb was previously featured in that column in the January 2014 issue.

This article could be placed in a few spots on the forum. I chose this one because age, time and when were mentioned. I'm 89 years old, and a long time user, living in Rochester, New York. [I started] when PCLinuxOS came as a 32-bit CD attached to a computer magazine. I installed it on a desktop 32-bit computer given to my daughter when the company [she worked for] went out of business.

I later bought and got for Christmas a 64-bit desktop and laptop, which both ran the blue screen of death. Both posted one morning that they could not find the operating system. I fixed that problem and have never [again] seen that notice of not being able to find the system.

My avatar on the forum took me quite a while to do when my eyes were fairly good. I would not be able to do that now. I did do some of the Member's Corner articles in the magazine. You would have to go back a few years to see them. Like I always told Old-Polack, I'm not the brightest crayon in the box.

There are many smart and brilliant members on this forum, and feel grateful that they took time to help me. I used to chat with BaldBrick, and wished I got the address of the husband and wife who kayaked and fished in the Carolinas (Ed. Note: that would be Rudge and JRex). When we visited the Outer Banks, I was not sure if it was in their Carolina. I like to fish from a canoe.

I'm not sure if there is an article on the use of apps and the users of PCLinuxOS in the magazine on how they laid down some music and about eight or nine musicians with different instruments added to it and I believe lyrics. (Ed. Note: There was an article.)

The VA has given me loads of help. [They have provided me] keyboard stickers, [featuring] yellow background and large black letters. They also gave me two Patriot machines. In one of the pictures, I am wearing it. I wish it stayed charged longer and was usable while charging like some of our other equipment.

The other Patriot comes in a case like a laptop and is heavy. It has been very helpful for me, allowing me to read small books that come with new products in four or five languages. I can twist a knob and raise the fonts to 74 which makes it easier to read.

With only one eye and not great vision, [it] gives me poor depth vision and I hit the wrong letter [frequently] and [it] keeps the spell checker very busy.

The talent and experts that are members of the forum is amazing. Look at the magazine, which could get some kind of award for the amateurs who produce it. The magazine has a person who is an expert in GIMP. Speaking of experts, let's not forget Texstar, the founder of this great OS.

Linux has many great flavors, and many of you members have come from them to this OS and agree more people should use it. I'm not sure how much longer I will see with my last eye.

It has been a great experience and fun. Please do not send me emails – it took me all day to write this. Keep making PCLinuxOS the best OS out there.