I gradually became aware that this system was used by many students for purposes of socializing, and was thus drawn into geek society. Since then it's been a large part of my life. Indeed, it would be reasonable to say that it was that system that was responsible for most of my friendships of the time, where I lived for a couple of decades, and the job I hold. Here is a hint of some of the bizarre things that happened on b.
When I first got an account on ucscb, I selected my initials as my account name (jhdiii) without putting much thought into it. After finding that other users had more interesting logins, I changed my account name a couple of times before settling on spcecdt, which is the name I now use on this system.
Like other UNIX systems, ucscb had finger files (yes, it was hit by the Morris worm). In the pre-web days, this was the means used to share information about oneself with others. The finger command allowed you to read the finger files of not only local users but those on any other system on the net that supported the protocol. For your amusement, here is my finger file as frozen around 1991.
The main interaction between users on b occurs in the forae, various discussion systems written by users. In one of these, I posted a couple of messages as the Diary of a Pyro. This was the genesis of my most popular creation on b, my toe file. On b, a utility existed that was called toe by analogy to finger. It was customary to put somewhat more risque material in one's toe file than one put in one's finger file. So, during spring break in 1988, I expanded on the messages I had posted to create a lengthy description of pyrotechnic experiences. It brought lots of mail over the years. Here is the story itself, by chapter.
Other fun things I've done with b people over the years are Lazer Tag, food runs, and rocket shoots.
In October 1989 I was in between school and a job and logged into b when the Loma Prieta quake struck on the 17th at 5:04PM. In December 1989, I was hired by SCO (The Santa Cruz Operation) and have worked there ever since. I spent seven years in tech support, and the time since then in engineering. Here's an account of some of the first fun I had with my earnings.
In 2004 I married my girlfriend of 15 years, Irene Lubkin. In January 2005 our first child was born, John H. DuBois IV. He was followed in December 2006 by his brother, Blake Alexander DuBois.
| This web page maintained by John DuBois |