Laurence Southon
Laurence wrote his first computer program whilst at University reading Mechanical Engineering. Using the university mainframe computer looked a better prospect than several hours with a slide rule to compute the results of an experiment. Sadly that first program crashed; an important lesson in testing and debugging that has never been forgotten.
Laurence then followed a career on the technical side of theatre, eventually gravitating back to engineering by running a company specialising in mechanical scenic effects. Adoption of CAD drawing revived the interest in computing, and natural curiosity led in the direction of Linux, the only software that lets you find out how it really works.
He is very happy now to have the opportunity to help other businesses with Linux.
Interests over the years have varied, but one that has endured is a love of classical music, particularly the Baroque composers, with Purcell edging towards favourite. Laurence was surprised recently to learn that that is something he shares with Pete Townshend!
