I have been working with computers since 1983, first as a hobby and then as a profession. I have done everything from data entry to programming. I have written articles on programming for several computer magazines, and was the technical editor for several programming books.
Most of what I know about programming I learned from reading books and from writing programs. In fact, I wrote and published several games for Windows 3.1 that were published by a company called SoftSource. You might actually have seen them at one time or another in K-Mart or Electronics Boutique. There were three game packages: Solitaire, Dice Games, and Casino Games. Surprisingly, since they were written for Windows 3.1, the games stayed on the market for over four years. I actually sold enough copies that at one point we could have lived off the royalties.
Until recently, I worked as a Programmer/Writer at Microsoft, writing documentation and the accompanying example applications for the Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) and for ADO.NET, the database component of the Microsoft .NET Framework. However, last fall (2003) I left my job so we could move back to the East Coast to be closer to family, particularly my parents, since my father has had some health problems. Since we moved back I have been working as a freelance writer.
I am married, and the mother of three children. The youngest is an eight-year old, named Matthew, who has been playing computer games since he was two. He has had his own computer (a hand me down from my husband) since he was five and spends every moment on the computer that we will allow, playing computer games or playing online games at places like NickJr.com and Playhouse Disney.
In addition to my son, I also have two grown children and three grandchildren, as well as about a dozen nieces and nephews and various aunts, uncles and cousins by marriage. My husband has a large family, you see. Quite a change for an only child.
Away from computers and the Internet, I also love to read (just about anything) and play role-playing games.
I won't bore you any more, but I thought you might like to know a little about who I am and why I created this particular site. Enjoy your visit to the Tangled Web and drop me a line if you have comments or suggestions for future tutorials. You can reach me at webmaster@irenesmith.com
