It’s been a little more than a month since I resigned as Chairman for Svenska Linuxföreningen (The Linux Society of Sweden) at the annual meeting and since then I’ve been thinking about what to do now. I’m a very restless person and I need a project to work on or a dream to work towards to feel happy. Since sometime in high school I’ve been dreaming about working with Linux in business critical environment and tomorrow I’ve been doing so for exactly two years. I love my job and I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world, but I need a new challenge – a new long term project to work on. I’ve set my goal to become one of the best in Sweden at administrating Linux and open source systems on IBM midrange/mainframe hardware.

I’ve got the time and the interest, but no matter how much money I save I’m not even close to my own IBM server and my search for someone that has one they don’t need continues. In the meantime I’m not just going to sit around and wait, I’m taking up an old project of mine that’s been put aside for a while.

In February 2007 I published the first version of my book Fritis Datorkunskap A which is a textbook for course in basic computer knowledge at upper secondary school here in Sweden. The book has only been published in Swedish and i doubt that it would be translated to any other language since it follows strict rules from Skolverket according to what subjects are brought up in this book. More specificaly the book brings up what a computer is together with a little history about computers and Internet, how to search and how to behave (netequitte) on the Internet and introductions to office applications such as the OpenOffice.org suit and the Mozilla products Firefox and Thunderbird.

In November 2007 I released a new version 1.1 which contained some clarifications and spelling correction. I’ve got some feedback during these one and a half year as the book has been online, but not as much as I was hoping for. Anyhow, since the OpenOffice.org project is working hard on release 3.0 I’ve decided to upgrade my book so it’s compatible with OpenOffice.org 3.0 when it’s released.The book surely needs a face lift with new front page, click-able table of content and new screenshots.

Aside from being compatible with OpenOffice.org 3.0 and look better than ever the version 2.0 will most likely be written in LaTeX instead of OpenOffice.org because of it’s ability to convert into a lot of handy formats. Another thing is that I’m giving up on GNU FDL and consider a BSD-like license instead. If you have any useful input on the license subject feel free to comment this article with your opinion or send me an e-mail at amelia {at} linuxchick {dot} se.

Does your company have an old IBM iSeries or zSeries with the POWER processor architecture that’s not in use anymore? I’m looking for an IBM iSeries or zSeries to have at home to learn about how to virtualize Linux or IBM hardware. If you have one you don’t need anymore or if you know someone who does, would you consider giving it away to someone who wants to learn about it’s hardware and systems? .

I already have one IBM AS/400 with the 48-bits CISC-processor from 1993 running OS/400 V3R5 that was given to me in 2004 from a company where my dad was working at the time, my most grateful thanks to them. Now I look forward to combine the knowledge I’ve gathered from working with both Linux and IBM hardware to take the next step and learn how to virtualize Linux on IBM midrange and/or mainframe with the POWER processor architecture.