BIO: A Journey of Passion and Perseverance

Hello everyone! I’m Edi Rak, based in Šibenik, Dalmatia, Croatia. I’m a proud father of two brave teenagers, and during this pandemic, I’ve cherished the time spent with them.

Early Beginnings

In the early ’80s, my analytical yet naive five-year-old mind was ignited when I was introduced to LEGO Space. Yes, I had that blue space LEGO guy with the broken helmet and the mantra, “We Were Building Spaceships!”

Growing up, I was blissfully unaware of the influences surrounding me. Like millions of other children, my home playground was often set up near an analog black-and-white TV during bad weather. However, most of my playful time was spent climbing treetops and running up and down the rocky Mediterranean hills surrounding our neighborhood. I loved visiting the countryside with my grandparents, where the fields and vineyards were alive with people playing traditional sports—bowling, cards, dirt football, amateur racing, and more. Life was anything but urban and boring.

Little did I know that video game arcades would soon capture my attention, especially after seeing Richard Pryor hack a bank in Superman 3. At that moment, I thought, “This is how I’m going to make my millions!”

A Passion for Technology

I was fortunate that my father worked on an oil rig for Norwegians, which allowed him to buy me a Philips MSX2. He was unaware that there was no software or support for that home micro in our country. Naturally, I learned BASIC programming by reading the manual in Italian and studied hardware I/O ports from specification sheets.

Throughout elementary school, I kept the 1984 edition of Computers Magazine as my illustrated bible. Another significant publication that fueled my passion was the thick 1988 Conrad Electronics catalog from Germany.

During that time, Commodore 64 became my MTV, and I replaced comic books with computer magazines, especially the gaming sections. Unfortunately, luck turned for the worse in the ’90s, but I still had a plan: learn assembler on the C64 and create a demo. That never happened, but I developed a keen interest in machine language and CPU architecture.

Embracing Opportunities

I got here through a rather amusing turn of events. About 5 or 6 years ago, I made a post on Facebook offering my hardware and software skills for FREE! This unexpected leap into the tech world opened doors I never anticipated, allowing me to explore my passions and develop my skills further.

I took several courses in programming, both formal and self-taught. I started with MS BASIC in the ’80s and delved into assembler during high school. Although I briefly attended the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, I realized early on that my true passion lay elsewhere, leading me to leave after the first year.

The following years were filled with experimentation—working with junk radios, electronics, and the C64. I embraced the evolution of technology, transitioning from DOS to Windows 98, and learned HTML at home, creating my first static web pages on a free hosting service. This foundation paved the way for my MS Visual C++ certification as a business applications programmer, just before the .NET framework and C# became mainstream.

Professional Growth

With the advent of ADSL and flat-rate internet, I dove into web design, using Dreamweaver and Macromedia Studio. I fell in love with Fireworks and still believe Freehand is the best vector graphics app out there. Each step of the way, I was driven by a desire to create and innovate, leading me to where I am now—fully engaged in the tech world and excited about the future.

In 2005, I partnered with others to buy our first hosting and domains, of which only edoga.biz.hr remains today, serving as my personal playground. It was the right time to work out a capitalization strategy with hopes of creating software, services, or products. I even considered building and selling a video game. I acquired a 3D animation suite and went through the included tutorial, gathering gigs of assets. However, life knocked on my door, and suddenly I was a father of two, which changed my priorities.

I went on a hunt for a family-sustaining job, which led me to work in sailboat chartering for 14 seasons until I left that role in late 2018. During this time, I continued to explore technology, experimenting with Windows XP LAN networking and setting up a public web server from my desktop. I delved into hardware, routers, NAT, port forwarding, and firewalls, constantly seeking to expand my knowledge.

Current Endeavors

In early 2018, I received an invitation to rejoin a team working on AppsForce development. I’m proud to say that whatyou see now in the beta.AppsForce ecosystem is a result of our hard work over the last two years. I took a brief hiatus during the winter of 2020 to avoid burnout, as I’m not a fan of crunching. During this time, I conducted over a hundred tests—if not a thousand—on all apps, instances, installations, and setups. Trello struggled to keep up with our pace!

If anyone has doubts about whether hard work pays off, take my example. I’m the underdog who managed, in just two years, to become comfortable using Git, ditching Windows for Linux (a decision I wish I had made fifteen years ago), and building five Android apps from scratch. I assisted in the development of the Animus mobile app (Cordova version) using Ionic/Angular/Capacitor, and I became literate in TypeScript. I helped shape myCRM, myAccounting, myDate, and myEcom, beta testing 88% of what is in the beta.appsforce GitBlit repository while providing detailed feedback.

Even during my three-month break, I didn’t stop learning. I registered for a print-on-demand service as an illustrator designer, preparing and processing my old drawings and photos for merchandise. I casually played Fortnite competitively on Nintendo Switch, pushing myself through hundreds of thousands of players to end up among the top 5,000 players. I upgraded my ten-year-old office Intel Socket 775 PC and enhanced three more rigs at home for my kids to use for schoolwork. I switched ISPs, paid off my old one, and learned to use OBS and KdenLive for video editing and streaming. I produced and uploaded 30 videos, even experimenting with Windows Photos Video Editor to see how far I could push my skills.

Throughout this year, I cooked every day for myself and the kids (I rarely eat out, averaging only five deliveries a month), baked bread daily, did laundry, and even managed the cat’s comings and goings, figuring out what she wanted to eat.

As of September 2022, I am convinced with 100% certainty that I am done pretending to want to work jobs that I really don’t want to do. In the same vein, I’m finished with pretending that I don’t want to pursue the things I genuinely want to do!

Conclusion

My journey has been filled with challenges, learning experiences, and personal growth. I am passionate about technology and dedicated to continuous improvement. I believe that my diverse background, combined with my relentless pursuit of knowledge, makes me a valuable asset to any team. I look forward to the opportunities that lie ahead and am excited to contribute my skills and experiences to a new venture.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story!