I've been a programmer since I scraped together $499 for a Level 1 TRS-80  Model I with 4K of RAM in 1978.

I've published numerous articles in computer magazines... mostly back in the  Golden Age of Personal Computing :)  and I am the author of a published  book(Macmillan) on Intel Assembly language programming.
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Life is a journey.  
Along the way, we see things that are bright and  beautiful, things that strike us with wonder and awe, things that excite the imagination, things that inspire pride, things that astonish, electrify, and  thrill.  

That moment when you step up to the rim of Grand Canyon and time stands still.  The strange lump in your throat when one hot summer day in 1969 you watch a man step onto the moon.  Witnessing the miracle of the birth of your firstborn child.  The delight in seeing a rare double rainbow spanning the mountains somewhere in Northern Wyoming.

As we travel that road, we also encounter the opposite -- things that disappoint and disillusion.  We learn the dirty little secrets that lie hidden behind the bright lights; mildewed pressboard beneath the walnut veneer; the festering evil concealed by the smile and the handshake.

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In April of 2000, my travels took me to this place -- Experts Exchange -- and  I was enthralled.  Here is a Community of technical people sharing their expertise in a friendly competitive environment.  I recall feeling a great epiphany -- this was something new and exciting; I wanted to be a part of this phenomenon.  Over the years since then, I spent countless hours contributing my time and expertise to helping this site grow and mature.  I participated in the EAB, an early attempt to give the Expert/Volunteers a voice in policy decisions.  I worked on site-wide problems such as how to handle abandoned questions -- it was I who coined the term "Cleanup Volunteer" as I worked on the "impossible" task of clearing the enormous backlog of unclosed questions.

Late in 2003, I was chosen to be the first Page Editor -- a new position designed to help keep EE running smoothly and to enhance the experience of the deluge of new paying customers who were suddenly upon us.  I took part in the evolution of this new position.  I was proud of my position as PE in much the same way that I took pride in my Expert Certificates and my position in the Hall of Fame.  As one of the long-time Community Members, I had earned a position of status among my peers.  I used my position to voice opinions on certain policies and administrative actions.  When I saw injustice -- or, worse, callous stupidity -- I raised my voice against it.

In May of 2005, the site administrators decided that it would be easier for them if this member did not have a position of status here.  Without  even an email of warning, and without ever providing a plausible justification, they stripped me of my rank.  I was  stunned at the injustice of that action.  It opened my eyes to a cruelty that exists in the human heart.  It left me disappointed, disheartened, ... and finally bitter.  I have documented this part of my journey in several threads in the Lounge and Expert Input threads.  They are summarized here:
   
   Admin Code of Ethics
   http://www.experts-exchange.com/Q_21447086.html#a17161620

Eventually, some of what I've been saying has been heard by the people who can take action.  A new section devoted to "Expert Care" has been created; it's a place for Experts to voice dissatisfaction at administrative mistreatment and a means to put right some wrongs of the past.

Now, one year and four months later -- after the truth of what I have been saying was finally verified and new policies against unfair administrative practices have been implemented -- I was able to get a fair hearing of my grievances.  I have now been reinstated to my former position as Page Editor.

What has happened has happened.  The fact that I was eventually reinstated does not change the past.  But I honestly believe that EE is now a better place.  I believe that the new policies will put a rein on power-tripping administrators and I believe that the past is safely behind us.

The road ahead looks bright and beautiful again.

-- Dan Rollins / July 2006

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For questions related to EE Page Editing, I can be contacted at
    DanRollins (at) Experts-Exchange (dot) Com  
In the body of the email text, please include the URL of the EE Question to which your email relates.  Thanks!