Name

Name

Don Brown

Personal details

Location

Indianapolis, IN

Short Bio

Don Brown received his Bachelor of Technology in Computer Integrated Manufacturing Technology (CIMT) from Purdue University. His first computer was a TI-99/4A with which he taught himself BASIC programming from a book after work by the light given off by the TV/monitor. His father bought the family an IBM PCjr running IBM PC-DOS 2.1 and it required a BASIC ROM module, with which, he continued his exploration of programming. He quickly became the primary user of the family's computer and read computer magazines and user's manuals voraciously. He was introduced to another computer zealot who provided him with hours of discussions about computers and tons of software. He attacked any software he came across and found he had a talent to "feel" his way through it. He discovered dialing into Bulletin Board systems and downloaded software at a blazing 1200 Baud rate.

His programming classes (FORTRAN and Assembly) in college filled in the holes in his knowledge and solidified his love for programming. He taught himself C after building his first computer the following summer. He learned DEC's VMS while in college and eventually became a system administrator for the PDP11/70 in the Automation Lab. His system administration skills grew with the introduction of Windows NT and Windows Server Operating Systems. All of the experience really paid off when he was asked to pull double-duty as the primary IT Guy when the IT department quit at one of the companies he worked for. 

He was first introduced to UNIX (HP-UX) after college and transitioned quickly to the syntax. He discovered Linux when it was going through a tumultuous time and re-discovered it in 2007 after beginning his Teaching Career at ITT Technical Institute in Indianapolis, IN. He started teaching C Programming in Linux in 2007 and has been teaching Linux and programming classes ever since. Coming from a Controls Engineering background, he teaches classes in both the School of Information Technology and the School of Electronics Technology. He presented "Free and Open Source Software in Higher Education" at the inagural Indiana LinuxFest in 2011.

History

Member for

12 years 2 weeks