2018 Beginners' Workshop - Speakers

The presenters at our workshop include some of OPCUG's most experienced members. Each has in-depth knowledge and expertise on a range of computer-related topics. (Check out their credentials below!) They will welcome your questions and hope to provide you with all the information that you need.

Jeff Dubois Jeff Dubois is Public Relations Chair of the Ottawa PC Users' Group. Holding a degree in Science Technology, and coming from a field of topographical and oceanographic mapping, Jeff's familiarity in computing spans more than 30 years. He has been an active member and advocate of the OPCUG for more than 10 years, and has broad knowledge in areas of software, hardware and system administration. His home network includes several Windows machines, a network attached storage server, and a Linux Apache web, Postfix/Dovecot mail, FTP and OwnCloud cloud server.

Alan German Alan is a research scientist who initially worked on mainframe computers, and then graduated to PC's when they first became available in the 1980's. Over the years, he has used various versions of DOS, OS/2, and Windows. For the past twelve years, he has focused on the use of Linux in a dual-boot (Linux/Windows) environment. Alan is a huge fan of open-source software and freeware, insisting that many free programs work as well – or better – than their commercial counterparts. He manages a number of web sites, and runs a blog dedicated to problems and solutions relating to Linux systems.

Jocelyn Doire Jocelyn Doire is an electrical engineer who has been using computers since the days of punch cards, the 8-inch diskette, the 300 baud modem, and when store clerks were watching suspiciously the young guys who were a bit too close to the computers on display. Jocelyn has been designing test equipment for the telecommunications industry for decades, writing many pieces of software and firmware, and is now running a small company. He's been with the OPCUG since around 1993, has filled several positions on the board, created many web pages, and has provided many workshop presentations over the years.

Chris Taylor Chris Taylor is President of the Ottawa PC Users' Group. He has worked in IT for over 40 years in areas of user support, server support, email management, IT architecture and security. Chris has been involved with the operation of computer user groups for over 35 years and firmly believes in the motto of the Ottawa PC Users' Group - "Users helping users". Chris has given hundreds of presentations on various aspects of computer technology. He has been awarded for 13 years as a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional for his volunteer efforts at helping people use Microsoft technologies and, in 2015, he was the recipient of the City of Ottawa "Mayor's City Builder Award" for his efforts in technology education.