!My validation odyssee
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phlog
Sun Mar 22 12:48:00 UTC 2026
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This text was supposed to go into the
INTRO section of bboard. I'm not
allowed to do that, yet but this here
works, so ...

Hi all, I'm scnemo (snake_case_nemo).

I recently read an article about BSD
systems and sdf.org was mentioned. I
was here before a long time ago when I
could hardly type. It makes so much
more sense now.

Computers did not really concern me
until I was 19 years old. I bought one
because I thought it could become
useful and basically everyone at my
school had one. Catching viruses was
very easy with a freshly installed
Windows XP, no security and a 56k modem
to connect to the internet. Remember
the Sasser worm?

"You need a firewall", they told me.
"What's that?"

And that's where it started. I became
interested in computers and moved from
Windows to FreeBSD (of which I ordered
a CD delivered to me by mail! It was
4.0 I believe).

The quiet and sincere engagement with a
text console still brings me joy.

I never used gopher before, read about
it but wasn't interested. That changed
after reading a few lines on here. I'd
like to mention the user but I forgot
and I don't want to search for it right
now. I may get back to it another time.

The honesty in the user's report of
what seemed to be a usual night out
without the need of impressing anyone
or seeking for validation but just
reflecting on his life captured me.
That's where I want to be. What an
interesting place.

Here's another one I really liked:
gopher://sdf.org:70/0/users/agk/2026-03-19-kycomp.txt

I'm simplifying things in my life.
Simplifying my computing and online
activity makes up a large part of that.
It means bringing out the trash and
focusing on things that have substance
and integrity.

* So I wrote to membership to get an
  arpa subscription by sending crypto.
  No answer, yet.
* Asked on irc, some op said I'd have
  to wait.  Sent 3$ via paypal.  No
  validation.  Forgot to mention it's
  for validation, just wrote my
  username.
* Paypal email address differs from the
  one used to ask about crypto.
* Will they know?  Later found out,
  it's 6$ *facepalm*, I'll just wait.

The waiting is the hardest part. Don't
forget to like and subscribe.