My name is Andy Jones, I am 42 years old and I live in Harrogate in the north of England with my black & white cat Fred. I have been a Postman for the last twelve years, also in Harrogate.

I bought my first computer in 1996, after seeing an article in a photographic magazine about digital image manipulation. Although I have been a keen photographer for twenty years, I have never had the room to set up a proper darkroom so I saw the computer as a good alternative. Now I have finally achieved this, with facilities to scan slides, take digital photos, and print them out.

Over the last few years I have become increasingly involved with free software, as I find the prices charged by some software companies are ridiculously high. I believe it should be possible to put together a good set of software tools using only free software, as is common practice with Linux open source software. To help with this I have written a selection of programs which I wrote because I could not find a free alternative at the time.

When I am not creating pictures, working on my web site, or writing programs, I like to play games on my computer or N64. My favourite game has to be Quake, the best game ever. Other games I enjoy playing are Carmageddon, and Perfect Dark and Goldeneye on the N64.

Other hobbies include cycling, as I do not drive this is my main means of transport when travelling locally, although I have also cycled to Lands End and back, a distance of about 930 miles spread over two weeks in 1983.