I'm a developer. I use Java on Windows and Solaris at work (no much choice I'm afraid) and I use Linux at home. I develop stuff for fun as well, mostly in Java, Web technologies (PHP most of the time) or in Perl.
I started using Linux in 1997. It was Slackware. I moved to Mandrake and then went back to Sclackware.. then eventually tried Debian and loved it. When Ubuntu arrived I moved again... and I've been running Fedora and Ubuntu/Kubuntu since.
I started writing articles for linuxforums.org and review other distributions.
I started writing articles and howtos for myself as well on a website called linuxmint.com.
After reviewing a lot of distributions I got a fair idea of what I liked in each one of them and I started applying these ideas to Kubuntu and modify it to suit my needs. Eventually when I got bored applying and reapplying them I started to automate the process and generate iso files... the name was already there: linuxmint.. and soon Ada was released.
At first it was just an ISO I passed on to friends. I told distrowatch about it and eventually got on the waiting list. When Barbara was ready I decided to stop the articles, howtos and the Linuxmint portal and dedicate that domain name to that new distribution.
When Barbara came out, it got to be announced on distrowatch.. and you know the rest of the story...
Clem
