User:TomXP411

TomXP411

Introduction

Let's start of with my name: what does it mean? Well, my first name is Thomas, but I prefer Tom. When I devised this particular pseudonym, I was working for a computer company and had just started experimenting with Windows XP. Considering the number of questions I'd received on the topic, I became "Tom, the Windows XP Information Guy", or TomXP411.

I still field many questions on computer related topics, from simple day to day operations, upgrading and maintenance, and software development.

My Life

I'm currently full-time software engineer, and I have a daughter. I live in Southern California, where it's sunny and beautiful 360 days a year.

Why am I here?

I created a Wikipedia account because of a perceived injustice. The entry to a popular print and web comic strip was deleted, and I sought to keep the article. While comics come and go, I feel that certain artists and strips rise above the rest, and that their presence should be noted as part of our cultural heritage. We all know about comic strips like "Dilbert" and "Peanuts", but the webcomic market remains relatively small. Even the largest and most popular comics, like PVP or Penny Arcade, see fewer daily readings than the average newspaper strip. However, the lack of syndicate censorship and the lack of corporate accountability means that the artists can be free to explore topics that are verboten in the newspaper strips.

My opinion was ultimately upheld. However, I've also realized that I can be guilty of trying to keep things because I want them, rather than because guidelines say they should be there. So now whenever I make an edit or propose a change, I try to act based not on what I want, but on what's proper.

I strongly believe in the idea of Inclusionism. In many cases, removing verifiable content serves no useful purpose and does not improve Wikipedia. That doesn't mean that all trivia should be deleted, but if an article is borderline it should be kept.