by clicking here. It is a 9.9 Mb file and will take some time to download

installing software, connecting peripheral devices like printers and headsets and was able tosolve a lot of problems without recourse to technical support. I had learned also to touch typewith two fingers on each hand, thereby doubling the speed at which I could enter data –especially useful for creating resources. I knew how to insert images and sound files intopresentations or documents, how to search the internet, how to access e-mail and so on. I alsoknew by this stage that programming was not a mystical science confined to the geniuses ofNASA or the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); it was a relatively straightforward20 th Century skill that could be acquired like riding a bike, operating a VHS machine oroperating hi-fi. Above all, I had lost my fear of computers. I knew that I could control them notvice versa and that they could be made to make my life easier.To the building of RE-Net version 1.0, therefore, I brought prior knowledge of the subject, basickeyboard and programming skills and the knowledge of where to get help. Reflecting on this, itseems as though my tendency to learn by active experimentation was enabling me to acquireknowledge and skills very fast. I can recall my excitement when writing a piece of html, savingthe file, opening the browser, clicking refresh and seeing the results of my programmingdisplayed online. The feat of accurately typing the full url for an image, in order that itdisplayed correctly was sometimes such a challenge that I forced myself to be very organisedabout file naming conventions and data storage. Such is the prior knowledge I carry forwardnow into the maintenance of a range of websites which I maintain professionally, commerciallyor voluntarily.241Simon Hughes Ph.D. Thesis (October 2012)