Shalom to all and thank you,
4 3/4 years ago, I started out in these forums quite by accident, not even knowing about the point system. Earlier after a few unfriendly words with Bill Hassell in newsgroups he'd recommended the forums to me but this went in one ear and out the other.
After accidentally accumulating a few points, I figured out the system and answered questions.
Then one day soon after, I got my first hat, the ball cap. I became familiar with Merijn's statistics. I saw way up there on top of the heap A. Clay Stephenson and James Ferguson.
Class acts both of them. I came to the internal decision that it would be impossible, some 28,000 points from the top to become number one at this, and clearly based on knowledge and experience these and many others knew more than me about the subject matter.
I set the modest goal of earning 100 points a week and perhaps in 4 years earning the highest hat, at that time the Olympian hat.
My job at the time didn't involve the 500 systems it does today. So in fact once my L2000 install was done, my workload decreased a bit. Normally I got in trouble at that point but instead, I devoted all my free time to ITRC.
I am but one person, not a team of grad students.
There came a point where I was suddenly finding myself at the top of Merjin's stats week after week. Still, I gained little ground toward the top and also saw that JRF, Pete, Pat, and A. Clay still knew much more than I and could and with much less effort surpass me in the weekly point total.
So I just got back and tried to be the best I could be, not in terms of quality but just in terms of being a decent person, trying hard and creative use of google. I must credit the google search engine here, because HP's was and still is broken (Ask Bill Hassell why), and google helped me answer questions in which I had no experience.
I eventually started seeing my own answers when I search, and that makes me laugh to this day, right or wrong.
Interesting moments:
Posting from the right seat of my truck as my wife drove us through Minnesota, adding the mile markers to my posts, becoming quite annoyed when Sprint service ended and my modem/cell phone stopped providing me access.
Earning each of those nice hats.
Lets get one thing straight. JRF and A Clay and many of the top 25 members are more skilled than me at the trade of HP-UX administration. They have access to more varied kinds of systems and software. It look me thousands more posts to reach this level than A. Clay, and that says something about the quality of his mind and answers.
I stand here on top of a mountain, in awe, on the shoulders of giants.
Since being a small child, I always wanted to be best at something, and guess now I have achieved that goal. I'm best at accumulating points here and I try really hard to help people and be a nice person.
I thank you all for your kind greetings and congrats.
I really enjoyed meeting ITRC people in 2004 in Chicago and in Houston in 2006. Due to distance and work imposed travel restrictions, I doubt I'll ever be making the journey to one of those conferences again.
Pete, you've been a good friend. Thanks.
A. Clay, you have been a role model and I hope you are okay.
If anyone has heard from A. Clay "sing out" as they say to pilots on my favorite television program. I'm worried and would like to know.
I have met many fine people here and I intend to continue my participation here on some level as long as I can. I don't expect a new hat for 100,000. If HP set one for 200,000 that would stop the debate for quite some time.
Let me close by saying that ITRC has given me much, including to some degree my current job.
When I came to Interview at NDS Jerusalem with Victor Fridyev (
http://forums11.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/publicProfile.do?forumId=1&userId=BR70767&admit=109447626+1218788731768+28353475) I was informed that he already knew I had the skills for the job based on reading my ITRC posts for several years. I'd even answered a few of his questions, though not to his satisfaction based on point totals.
Today he's my boss and ITRC surely helped get the door open at NDS.
Concern: ITRC weekly point totals seem to have declined 20% from the peak a few years ago. Perhaps this is due to market fragmentation. Perhaps there is something HP can do about it. This forum is a great customer service product and HP should do more, IMO to promote it and get the word out.
So there we have it. Perhaps my last congrats thread. I hope those that have waited for this answer enjoy it. I really have the greatest respect for you all.
Shabbat Shalom
A healthy and happy year to all.
From Battlestar Galactica: "I'll see you on the other side." (Of the FTL jump).
Steven E. "Shmuel" Protter
Rosh Tzurim
Israel
Steven E Protter
Owner of ISN Corporation
http://isnamerica.com
http://hpuxconsulting.com
Sponsor: http://hpux.ws
Twitter: http://twitter.com/hpuxlinux
Founder http://newdatacloud.com
