My Experience with Computers

2023-09-30

Since I am just getting started on this blog thing, I should talk about a little bit of history of me and computers.

Windows XP

My first time using a computer for real was on an old Windows XP workstation that was liberated from a dumpster. It was (and still is, it is on my project shelf to become a pfSense router) an amazing little computer for what I did. I think I was about 7, and I only managed to break it a few times. I was trying so hard to find a way to edit videos on it to make Lego stop motions. The problem is there were not any free ones that were also low powered enough to run on that thing.

The iMac

When my parents saw my interest they surprised me and my siblings with an iMac. Granted, they also had work that required a powerful computer, but hey, I got my own account and was free to use it when not doing school or someone else was using it. From there, I used iMovie to create some really epic Lego stop motions. As I got older I started exploring things I may want to do... How I wanted to spend the rest of my life. That is when I decided to learn 3D modeling in Blender. When I started to push the limits of the now aging iMac, I got my first job and decided it was time to buy my own computer.

The Alienware R15

Can I start by saying don't buy an Alienware? There is just better ways to spend money. Anyway, I bought an Alienware R15 with a 8th gen Intel i7 and an Nvidia RTX 2060. At this point the main difference between macOS and Windows 10 was the "X" button moving, I was not that technical yet. The Alienware Laptop served me well as I worked on my 3D modeling skills. While 3D modeling, I discovered scripting with Python. I started to really enjoy making little Python scripts more than 3D modeling. After about a year of trying other things for short periods of time, I knew what I was made for. I am a software developer. I am naturally inclined to think like a computer and a touch of OCD helps me keep my code clean. After about 3 years with the Alienware, I had discovered Linux and I wanted to try it out. After raise at my job, the discovery of LTT, and more general computing knowledge, it was time. I finally saved up and built my first desktop computer.

My First Build, MidnightSlicer

My first build went very well. I didn't have to take it apart again to get it to work like some do and it was overall an amazing experience (other than the whole MSI thing but I will write about that later). I built near the end of the crypto boom so I was only able to afford an RX 6600 XT, but it has been enough for what I do. The majority of my time on computers is spent doing CPU heavy work, with gaming being about a third priority. One interesting thing about this computer is I went out of my way to avoid RGB lights... Hence the name, MidnightSlicer. I installed Windows 11 on it for a little bit, but when I was finally ready to switch to Linux I installed Manjaro and have not went back to Windows since.