After being criticised for not being computer literate when going for advancement many years ago, I acquired a low quality 486DX2 running Windows 3.11, which was current then.

After some coaching and training by a computer buff I met whist searching for a starter book on the subject I acquired a Pentium 90 machine and started to teach myself peer to peer networking in Windows 3.11 and then 95.

The acquisition of an early hand scanner allowed me to progress to picture scanning and manipulation. These pictures were, by and large posted on the appropriate newsgroups of the time, using the nickname given to me elsewhere of 'BoilerBill'.
Through the newsgroups I received help, comment and assistance from the other scanners and posters.

Through the newsgroups I also met and became friends with an American who introduced me to Novell 4.1, leading me to build my first Novell 4.11 server based on a PC. Moving on to Novell 5, I discovered a major error in their main book, since when they have kindly provided me with free licences for 5 and 6. For a while I ran a network of two Novell 6 servers .

For some time I hosted my own web sites on the Novell 6 server.

These sites came about after getting a very early first generation digital camera and being left for some time on the roof of America House, a large building overlooking the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. Realising that the tourists I was looking down on would give their eye teeth for a chance to see this view, I took a few pictures and that was the start of my first web site. This has now developed into the monster site at www.unseenlondon.co.uk . The site is still as primitive as when it started and now untouched for some years as the storage allowance is full.
More modern sites presently live are at www.blackpooltram.co.uk and www.amerseyferry.co.uk.

I am still active on the newsgroups, especially alt.binaries.pictures.scenic and alt.binaries.images.vintage-engineering where I post as BoilerBill. However, I have moved on to more Image stitching, hence producing more panoramic photographs and some video work now, which are usually posted.

Over the years I started to build my own computers and then machines for friends and family, with full repair, maintenance and software support being included. This support not just being limited to machines of my own build, but to whatever they are having trouble with.