Getting to Know David
David Delony is a freelance writer and technology enthusiast based in the Pacific Northwest. He combines his love of both technology and words in his career as a freelance writer. He’s covered everything from networking to operating systems to video games.
David Delony is a native of the San Francisco Bay Area. Currently, he lives in Medford, Oregon. He received a BA in Communication from California State University, East Bay.
David’s writing has appeared in Walyou, Make, The Motley Fool blog network, TMCnet, and Techopedia.
Our Interview with David
We interviewed David about his life and interests.
How did you get into technology and web development?
I’ve been interested in computing from a young age. My first entry into programming was, like a lot of people of a certain era, in BASIC. The 3-2-1 Contact magazine used to have a section called BASIC Training that had programs you’d type into your computer. I used QBasic on a Packard Bell 386 in the early ’90s. I first started playing with web programming as a teenager.
My first website was a terrible attempt at a humor site on a free website host, Xoom, at the turn of the millennium. The company was promptly bought by NBC and disappeared into the ether. I can’t even find it on the Wayback Machine.
Windows, Mac, or GNU/Linux?
I’m currently using Windows 10 at the moment, though I’ve used the other platforms for a while. I was a Mac fanboy in the ’00s. I’m still in love with the idea of a slick UI coupled with real Unix underneath. I was also experimenting with desktop GNU/Linux at the same time. I even used a Chromebook as a daily driver for about a year. I got my mother to use one after her old Windows machine broke down, and she loves it. It’s cool that Google finally got nontechnical people to use desktop GNU/Linux.
I do use Windows because the availability of games has always been much better, and interacting with the real world for professional purposes sometimes requires it. I have made some customizations. I use Cygwin to get a Unix-like environment, making heavy use of SSH and Mosh. The ability to run GNU/Linux on Windows 10 is cool, but I think I’ll stick with Cygwin while Ubuntu on Windows gets ready for prime time. I don’t really care if the binaries are real Linux executables or have just been recompiled for Windows as long as they work. All my dotfiles are in the Cygwin directory!
What hosting companies have you used?
My personal stuff is hosted on a shell provider, the Super Dimension Fortress, or SDF. It’s a public access Unix system running NetBSD with a lot of cool people, most of them fellow Unix geeks, who hang out on a custom bulletin board and chat system. Or, like me, idle with the help of tmux. Bob Odenkirk (Mr Show, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul) hosts his official website there.
How’d you get into technical writing?
I’ve always had a passion for writing. When I was younger, I wanted to be a novelist, then I got interested in journalism. The outlets for professional journalism seemed to be shrinking by the time I graduated from college. I decided to put my love of words to use in writing about technology.
Favorite code/text/HTML editor?
I usually use Notepad++ when I’m working locally. It’s free, and it’s got all the features I need, including syntax highlighting. On remote systems, I use Vim. It’s also lightweight while having a lot of features. I used to use Emacs as my Unix editor, but I realized that the keystrokes were becoming physically uncomfortable. Some people are put off by the modality in vi and Vim, but the latter has a visual cue that reminds you whether you’re in command mode or insert mode. The commands are so powerful. You can move mountains in a few keystrokes. Plus, everything’s on the home row.
Star Trek or Star Wars?
Definitely Star Wars. I saw it on the Disney Channel when I was very young, and that was the first day of the rest of my life. I enjoy Star Trek, but the world of Star Wars seems grittier and more real. Star Trek seems prissy and uptight at times.
What are your favorite books?
My reading range is eclectic. I enjoy science fiction and fantasy like a lot of other geeks, including authors like Neal Stephenson, Frank Herbert, and JRR Tolkien. My taste in nonfiction is a bit radical, with thinkers like Michel Foucault and Roland Barthes.
Where are you in the world?
I’m originally from the Bay Area, but I currently live in Medford, Oregon. I do prefer the nearby town of Ashland, with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and vibrant community, but the scenery is always nice around my home.
What do you like to watch on TV?
I like quality TV shows like Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and Netflix originals like Stranger Things. I’ve always been a bit of an anglophile, having been introduced to British comedy via Monty Python’s Flying Circus and the 1981 BBC TV adaptation of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. I’m also something of a late-blooming otaku. My favorite anime shows are Cowboy Bebop, Angel Beats! and CLANNAD. No one can get through the last one with dry eyes.
What about music?
Like a lot of geeks, I have pretty eclectic musical tastes. My favorite bands are Pink Floyd, Joy Division/New Order, Talking Heads, XTC, Joni Mitchell, and Cocteau Twins. I’ve also gravitated toward jazz recently. My favorite jazz artists are Miles Davis, Joe Zawinul, Jaco Pastorius, and Charles Mingus.
Selected WhoIsHostingThis Writing
In addition to his work for WhoIsHostingThis.com, David has written for a lot of our sister sites. Here are some of the articles he’s written for WhoIsHostingThis.com.
Enjin Hosting Review: looks at this hosting company that specializes in gaming. Gaming is one of David’s specialties.
Guild Hosting: an introduction to finding hosting for your gaming guild (clan, community, or faction). Must reading for gaming groups.
XenForo: learn about this forum platform and what you will need to host it on.
Elsewhere on the Web
David can be found elsewhere on the web:
Learn more about the WhoIsHostingThis authors and editors here.
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