[{"content":"Who am I? Civil Engineer in Physics, graduate of the Universite libre de Bruxelles (ULB), I have been applying my scientific background to hands-on IT projects for over twenty years.\nMy motto: human-scale IT. Technology should serve people, not the other way around. Every solution I design is meant to be understood, maintained, and mastered by the people who use it every day.\nSpecialisations IoT and embedded systems \u0026ndash; sensors, gateways, field protocols (MQTT, Modbus, LoRaWAN), real-time data integration Linux infrastructure \u0026ndash; servers, virtualisation, containers, monitoring Automation \u0026ndash; CI/CD, scripting, orchestration, data pipelines IT consulting and architecture \u0026ndash; pragmatic technology choices, vendor-independent Career As an independent IT consultant based in Belgium, I have supported organisations of all sizes \u0026ndash; from industrial SMEs to large infrastructure operators \u0026ndash; in designing and deploying tailored solutions. My approach always favours robustness and simplicity over unnecessary complexity.\nMaker Beyond consulting, I am a Maker: I love building, experimenting, and prototyping. Raspberry Pi, Arduino, PCBs, 3D printing \u0026ndash; this insatiable curiosity fuels my technical expertise and keeps me sharp.\nOutside of work Chess \u0026ndash; strategy takes practice Music \u0026ndash; for balance Table tennis \u0026ndash; for reflexes Reading \u0026ndash; for everything else ","permalink":"https://linuxfan.be/en/about/","summary":"\u003ch2 id=\"who-am-i\"\u003eWho am I?\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCivil Engineer in Physics, graduate of the Universite libre de Bruxelles (ULB), I have been applying my scientific background to hands-on IT projects for over twenty years.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy motto: \u003cstrong\u003ehuman-scale IT\u003c/strong\u003e. Technology should serve people, not the other way around. Every solution I design is meant to be understood, maintained, and mastered by the people who use it every day.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"specialisations\"\u003eSpecialisations\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIoT and embedded systems\u003c/strong\u003e \u0026ndash; sensors, gateways, field protocols (MQTT, Modbus, LoRaWAN), real-time data integration\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLinux infrastructure\u003c/strong\u003e \u0026ndash; servers, virtualisation, containers, monitoring\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAutomation\u003c/strong\u003e \u0026ndash; CI/CD, scripting, orchestration, data pipelines\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIT consulting and architecture\u003c/strong\u003e \u0026ndash; pragmatic technology choices, vendor-independent\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"career\"\u003eCareer\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs an independent IT consultant based in Belgium, I have supported organisations of all sizes \u0026ndash; from industrial SMEs to large infrastructure operators \u0026ndash; in designing and deploying tailored solutions. My approach always favours robustness and simplicity over unnecessary complexity.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"About"},{"content":"Get in touch Have a project, a question, or simply want to discuss a technical topic? The simplest way to reach me is by email.\nEmail: thierry@linuxfan.be\nI typically respond within 24 to 48 hours.\nService area: Belgium (Brussels, Wallonia, Flanders) \u0026ndash; on-site or remote engagements.\n","permalink":"https://linuxfan.be/en/contact/","summary":"\u003ch2 id=\"get-in-touch\"\u003eGet in touch\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHave a project, a question, or simply want to discuss a technical topic? The simplest way to reach me is by email.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEmail\u003c/strong\u003e: \u003ca href=\"mailto:thierry@linuxfan.be\"\u003ethierry@linuxfan.be\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI typically respond within 24 to 48 hours.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eService area\u003c/strong\u003e: Belgium (Brussels, Wallonia, Flanders) \u0026ndash; on-site or remote engagements.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Contact"},{"content":"Selected projects Here are some examples of completed assignments. Out of respect for my clients, names are anonymised \u0026ndash; only the business sector is mentioned.\nBelgian railway operator Design and development of several safety awareness systems for use near railway level crossings. The system collects data from sensors on connected bikes, processes it, and presents it in dashboards or interactive videos.\nDomains: industrial IoT, real-time supervision, data visualisation Technologies: Python, embedded systems, industrial communication protocols\nIndustrial SME \u0026ndash; energy monitoring Implementation of an energy consumption tracking solution across multiple production sites. Sensors, collection gateway, storage, and visualisation dashboards.\nDomains: IoT, monitoring, energy efficiency Technologies: MQTT, InfluxDB, Grafana, Raspberry Pi\nLogistics sector \u0026ndash; process automation Automation of data flows between heterogeneous systems (ERP, WMS, internal tools) through integration scripts and processing pipelines.\nDomains: systems integration, automation, ETL Technologies: Python, REST API, cron, Linux\nMore projects will be added over time. Get in touch to discuss your project.\n","permalink":"https://linuxfan.be/en/portfolio/","summary":"\u003ch2 id=\"selected-projects\"\u003eSelected projects\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere are some examples of completed assignments. Out of respect for my clients, names are anonymised \u0026ndash; only the business sector is mentioned.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"belgian-railway-operator\"\u003eBelgian railway operator\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDesign and development of several safety awareness systems for use near railway level crossings. The system collects data from sensors on connected bikes, processes it, and presents it in dashboards or interactive videos.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDomains\u003c/strong\u003e: industrial IoT, real-time supervision, data visualisation\n\u003cstrong\u003eTechnologies\u003c/strong\u003e: Python, embedded systems, industrial communication protocols\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Portfolio"},{"content":"What I offer Pragmatic IT services, focused on your actual needs. No over-engineering, no vendor lock-in. Solutions you understand and control.\nIoT and connected systems Design, prototyping and deployment of industrial and professional IoT solutions:\nSensor / gateway / cloud architecture Field protocols: MQTT, Modbus, LoRaWAN, HTTP/REST Real-time data integration and dashboards Supervision and predictive maintenance Infrastructure and automation Setup and optimisation of your technical environments:\nLinux servers (Debian, Ubuntu, CentOS) Virtualisation and containerisation (Docker, LXC) CI/CD and deployment pipelines Monitoring and alerting (Prometheus, Grafana, Zabbix) Scripting and automation (Bash, Python, Ansible) IT consulting and architecture Guidance for your technology choices, with an independent approach:\nExisting infrastructure audit Architecture recommendations Tool and platform selection Migration planning Custom development Software solutions tailored to your specific needs:\nPython applications, integration scripts Data visualisation and dashboards Internal tools and process automation Training and knowledge transfer The best solution is one you can master yourself:\nLinux and command-line training IoT and embedded systems introduction DevOps best practices On-site or remote support Every engagement starts with a conversation to understand your context. Get in touch to discuss your needs.\n","permalink":"https://linuxfan.be/en/services/","summary":"\u003ch2 id=\"what-i-offer\"\u003eWhat I offer\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePragmatic IT services, focused on your actual needs. No over-engineering, no vendor lock-in. Solutions you understand and control.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"iot-and-connected-systems\"\u003eIoT and connected systems\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDesign, prototyping and deployment of industrial and professional IoT solutions:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSensor / gateway / cloud architecture\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eField protocols: MQTT, Modbus, LoRaWAN, HTTP/REST\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eReal-time data integration and dashboards\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSupervision and predictive maintenance\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"infrastructure-and-automation\"\u003eInfrastructure and automation\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSetup and optimisation of your technical environments:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLinux servers (Debian, Ubuntu, CentOS)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVirtualisation and containerisation (Docker, LXC)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCI/CD and deployment pipelines\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMonitoring and alerting (Prometheus, Grafana, Zabbix)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eScripting and automation (Bash, Python, Ansible)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"it-consulting-and-architecture\"\u003eIT consulting and architecture\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGuidance for your technology choices, with an independent approach:\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Services"},{"content":"Hello, World! This site is finally live. Welcome.\nYou will find:\nTechnical articles \u0026ndash; experience reports, tutorials, and tips on Linux, IoT, automation, infrastructure, and everything that excites me in IT. My portfolio \u0026ndash; a selection of projects I have worked on (anonymised, of course). A bit about me \u0026ndash; engineering background, Maker hobbies, and why I do what I do. Why a static site? This site is generated with Hugo, a static site generator written in Go. No database, no heavy CMS, no PHP. Just Markdown, a hugo --minify command, and it is online.\nIt is fast, secure, version-controlled with Git, and deploys in a single command. Human-scale IT, in essence.\nThe theme is PaperMod, clean and efficient, with dark mode by default \u0026ndash; because a site called \u0026ldquo;linuxfan\u0026rdquo; deserves a terminal-friendly look.\nWhat is next Upcoming articles will cover practical topics: industrial IoT, automation with Ansible, monitoring with Grafana, and other field experiences.\nSee you soon.\n","permalink":"https://linuxfan.be/en/blog/2026-03-28-welcome/","summary":"First post: why this site, and what you will find here.","title":"Welcome to linuxfan.be"}]