Joab Jackson

Joab Jackson learned about backend system software early.

As a parts clerk in the military, he extensively used the Army Maintenance Management System (TAMMS), a logistics automation system that still required data entry and manual inventories ("state management"). Since then, he has written for Government Computer News, IEEE Spectrum, Linux Weekly News, the IDG News Service and many others.

He was among the first U.S. journalists to write a syndicated column about the internet, for the Baltimore City Paper.