Just Who is Bob van der Poel

These pages started as my first effort at HTML programming . . . I'm still no expert, but it does get easier with time. I'm not into a lot of graphics, so you will not find much of that here; however, it sure is tempting to go overboard on text colors, textured backgrounds, and other whiz-bang stuff. I got a scanner a few years ago and have played with a few old photos so you can see what an ugly fellow I really am.

I've been playing with computers since about 1982 when I brought home a Tandy Color Computer with 8K of RAM (that is 8192 BYTES...we didn't know what words like meg meant in those days) from Radio Shack. It used an old TV for a monitor and a cassette tape for mass storage. My, how far things have gone in a few short years. During those early years I started a small software company, Bob van der Poel Software, which developed and marketed software for the Color Computer. That particular part of life is gone ... but I still have the writing bug. So, now I just write software for projects that interest me. And, yes, I still try to make my software "commercial" quality. It forces me to finish what I start and to write documentation. Silly me, I even do this for stuff I just intend to give away—must be some old fashioned work ethic.

Besides computers, I do have other interests. Like tea!

Music (playing, not listening) is an important part of my life....so much so that I've created a separate page just for that. So, have a look at my music page. Let me know if you have suggestions or comments.

Lots more too: Writing, local politics, home improvement...but I think I've bored you enough.

Want to say hello? Drop me note at bob@mellowood.ca