Column: http://www.freesoftwaremagazine.com/poster/37372
Free Software Magazine was the first publication that I wrote for. The story of how I came to write for them is rather long. In July 2006, I sent in a proposal for cleaning Windows XP. I really didn’t understand what “free” in Free Software Magazine meant (it means free to look at the code, redistribute, sell, etc). Because of this, Tony wrote back and asked me how many of the programs were open-source. After telling Tony that WinDirStat was really the only OSS piece of software, Tony wrote back and said that he didn’t think he could publish it. I thought at the time that that was the end of my Free Software Magazine writing career. Little did I know what God had in store for me.
About a year later, after I had installed Kubuntu Linux, I decided to write to Tony again and ask him if I could do a feature piece on how to dual-boot Kubuntu and Windows XP. This time, he thought it was a fantastic idea. I wrote it, and it got published in Issue 18.
From then on, I became a regular at FSM. When the company stopped its bi-monthly issues, I was one of the few authors to be asked to be a regular columnist at the new Free Software Magazine site. I am also currently writing an Ubuntu Applications book, which will be published online at FSM and possibly even in print. Free Software Magazine was the place where I got my start as a writer, and without it and Tony, I wouldn’t be where I am today as a writer.