Get to know some of our talented authors featured in our author spotlights. You can see interviews, detailed biographies, and book summaries of some of the best in the industry.
LEBLANC: I've always been a mix of a computer geek and a writer, so finding a way to blend the two interests was a no-brainer when it came time to choose a career. In 1994 I was introduced to this odd operating system called Linux. Since I had experience with Unix from my time at Penn State I toyed around with it. While at first I didn't combine my technical writing and Linux, I soon discovered that publishers really needed people who could do this. And so, a Linux writing career was born. But don't think I'm just a writer. I've been doing systems administration, teaching, and consulting since 1990 in various capacities, and currently administer my own Linux systems.
LEBLANC: I know how hard it is to find qualified technical people when you are not a specialist in their particular field. It is far too easy for an interview candidate to say just the right things and yet not have any idea of what they're doing. I was curious to see if the ReviewNet testing systems were going to help Human Resources in that regard, and wanted to help provide quality material toward this goal.
LEBLANC: Linux is a broad field, and I found it interesting to sit down and really think about what the base qualifications were for any Linux administrator. Since I also write for the Linux certification arena, this exercise has helped me to further analyze how the various certification tracks stand up to real life situations.
LEBLANC: I started, believe it or not, by writing the book "Using Eudora" with my husband. It wasn't very technical and I didn't even know how to use the Eudora email program when I got the job, but I discovered that I really enjoyed finding all of the ins and outs of the software and imparting that knowledge to my readers. In fact, I did a second edition of this book later on my own and won an international award for my efforts!
LEBLANC: The book that's coming out in October is "Linux Routing," from New Riders. My co-authors and I built what we feel is a thorough reference on a complicated subject. Routing is not something that most system administrators need to know much about, whether they administer Linux machines or other operating systems. There are a lot of protocols and special tools that have to be considered. So, "Linux Routing" covers the more popular unicast and multicasting routing protocols, the tools used to implement them under Linux, and also other complex networking issues that tend to come along with the need to do your own routing: classless IP v4 addressing and IP v6.
LEBLANC: A lot of reading, a lot of questions, and a lot of listening. Newsletters are great for scanning the headlines and article summaries for things that I might want or need to know. I also subscribe to mailing lists where experts hang out--for example, I'm on an IP multicasting mailing list because this is not my specialty but I do cover the technology from time to time. And when I notice a trend or new technology that I just have to know more about, I make sure to get out there and find the right people to talk to.
LEBLANC: There is a sharp learning curve for Linux if you aren't already familiar with Unix. The main thing I have to say is practice, practice, practice. Set up your own Linux box and set tasks for yourself, which means that you can learn things like how to use the vi text editor and how to restart a daemon in the process of setting up your Apache web server. If you really find Linux just too complicated, consider taking a course or joining a user group. Perhaps you'll find it easier with a bit of guidance.
http://www.dee-annleblanc.com
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