[KLUG Members] KLUG Meeting Notes for 06/10/2003
magoo
members@kalamazoolinux.org
10 Jun 2003 23:18:50 -0400
KLUG Meeting Notes: Tuesday - June 10, 2003 7:00PM
I. PRESENTATION RECAP
II. NEXT WEEK'S MEETING INFO <=== Data Access Revisited!!!
III. KLUG MAILING LISTS
IV. KLUG & LINUX NEWS FLASHES
V. KLUG CONTACT & MEETING INFO
Tonight's Meeting Moderator: KLUG Chairperson Todd Pillars
I. PRESENTATION RECAP
THIS WEEK'S KLUG PRESENTATION: (22 active KLUG participants)
*****************************************************************
Relational Databases
by Bill Howlett
What's the difference between a flat file and a relational database?
Why is a relational database usually superior? Why should I design
the database -first- and the interface second? These and other
questions will be answered in this introductory explanation of
relational databases. Database newbie? This is for you. Ever had
trouble keeping your data synchronized, normalized, or un-anomalized?
We'll cover that. Not database specific nor an advanced topic, so we
won't be promoting a specific relational database program, just
explaining why we need a relational database and how to use it.
Read Bill's presentation in web page format at:
http://www.billtron.com/klug/rel.php
PRESENTATION SUMMARY:
**************************
Bill used a Red Hat Linux empowered laptop, a web browser, and the
KLUG SVGA projector to display the relational database information
for the attendees viewing pleasure. Being a web developer with PHP,
HTML, and database skills... he prepared his notes as web pages then
served them up for our review from the billtron.com web server. A
frequent KLUG presenter, Bill really brings out the FUN in every
subject he has presented. He told us that he liked the book...
"Relational Databases for Mere Mortals" when he was getting started.
Information was used from this book as content for some of this
presentation.
Bill did a great job of describing the evolution and specific
features of flat file, hierarchical, relational, and sequential
query language (SQL) databases. He clarified what is meant by
"relational database management system." You really needed to
attend the meeting to fully grasp his explanations.
He wisely avoided the MySQL vs PostgreSQL battle with such
deep application passions. Isn't it great to have both of
these well supported Open Source database tools available to
Linux users? Combine the Apache web server and PHP scripting
with either MySQL or PostgreSQL... and you have a powerful
compliment of web presentation tools.
Here are the 33 presentation web page titles:
==============================================
Hierarchical Database Models
Network Database Models
Hierarchical Diagram
HDM Relationships
HDM Advantages
HDM Problems
HDM Conclusion
Network Database Model
Network Diagram
NDM Relationships
NDM Problems
NDM Advantages
NDM Conclusion
Relational Database Model Motives
RDM Genesis: Dr. Codd 1970
RDM Basics: Relations
Relational Diagram
Relational Data 1
Relational Data 2
RDM Queries: SQL
RDM Advantages
RDM Disadvantages
RDM: RDBMS
Relational Databases vs. Flat Files
Real World Example 1: A checkbox problem?
Checkbox problem solution
Checkbox Problem Query
Real World Example 2: White gloves?
White Gloves Problem
White Gloves Solution
White Gloves Queries (Size & Color)
White Gloves Queries (Features)
RDB Conclusions
The question and answer portion included exploration of the
sample glove database. Amplifications of two key points about
relational databases: a unique ID for each record and lack of
redundant content.
Bill Hollett is the owner of Billtron Services, an independent
contracting entity specializing in web site development and
programming with information interchange via the web.
http://www.billtron.com
II. NEXT KLUG MEETING - TUESDAY 06/17/2003
******************************************************************
Data Access Revisited
by Adam Williams
We've discussed data access from Linux before, tonight we return
to that topic. Having NNTP, LDAP, and SQL servers that are reliable,
fast, and free is wonderful. But how about using that data on your
Linux Desktop/Workstation? Want to create merge documents (address
10,000 envelopes), generate bar codes from a database, create
pretty reports for the suits? Here is how. And alot has changed
since last time we visited the realms of ODBC, GDA, and their kin.
Adam is a network administrator based in Grand Rapids, but the network
he deals with is all over Michigan, with a couple of hundred
workstations, running Linux and other Operating Systems. Not only
does he deal with domain issues at work, but he is also the owner of
the domain "whitemice.org". Adam has been a regular contributor to
technical discussions on our main mailing list, both presenting and
solving some of the most challenging networking and configuration
problems.
III. K L U G M A I L I N G L I S T S -
*************************************************************
Diversified mailing lists can be found on the KLUG web site.
http://kalamazoolinux.org/listserv/
Facilitated by - John Bridleman listmaster@kalamazoolinux.org
Sign up and participate to serve the Open Source community!!!
(240 plus registrations on the "KLUG members" mailing list)
IV. K L U G & L I N U X N E W S F L A S H E S ! ! !
=====================================================================
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I T I S P A R T Y T I M E ! ! !
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
KLUG 4TH OF JULY P A R T Y IS POSTED ON THE WEB SITE - RSVP ASAP!
Go to the KLUG web site for the details and to sign up if you are
planning on attending the KLUG 4TH of July party this year. PARTY!!!
THE DETAILS
http://kalamazoolinux.org/party/p-details.php
RSVP
http://kalamazoolinux.org/party/rsvp.php
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
=====================================================================
SAMBA V3.0 RELEASED
The first beta release of Samba 3.0.0 is available for download.
While significantly closer to the final release, it should still
be considered a non-production release provided for testing
purposes only.
http://us2.samba.org/samba/samba.html
=====================================================================
APPLE WILL ANNOUNCE PLANS FOR G5
Apple will announce computers based on IBM's 64 bit PPC 970
processor in the upcomming WWDC and will market them as G5.
http://apple.slashdot.org/apple/03/06/08/1343205.shtml?
tid=107&tid=137&tid=187
=====================================================================
SCO SHOWS 80 LINES OF EVIDENCE
SCO claims to have shown their evidence to our independent analyst
friends from the Aberdeen Group. The evidence, all 80 lines of it,
allegedly even has identical comments."
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/06/08/1311256&mode=
thread&tid=98&tid=99
=====================================================================
WHY SCO S T I L L SUCKS
SCO has discovered an amendment to their contract with Novell that
may clarify that they did purchase the copyright to System V after
all. Heise has an interview in German with a former employee.
Cringely says SCO probably was responsible for any duplicated
code itself, with a theory that is quite plausible. One
non-programmer corporate analyst has looked at SCO's alleged
evidence. And SCO has another press conference today.
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/06/06/1238244
&mode=thread&tid=130&tid=185&tid=187&tid=190&tid=88
=====================================================================
SCO SCO SCO!
Still more links on SCO's assorted allegations of copyright
infringement. They say they're going to sue Novell. Software
analysts refuse to be part of the hoax - also some good quotes
from Linus here. SCO and UNIX: a Comedy of Errors. Salon has
a story on SCO too, but sadly it's not available to read freely.
And Wired has an old story which I think sums up the SCO claims
pretty well.
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/06/03/2012255
&mode=thread&tid=130&tid=185&tid=187&tid=190&tid=88
=====================================================================
PHIL ZIMMERMAN INTERVIEW
"The venerable GrepLaw crew has struck again, this time with
Editor Mikael Pawlo interviewing PGP author and all-around
encryption expert Phil Zimmermann. Pawlo discussed a number
of topics with Zimmerman, including the current state of
encryption export laws, DRM, and activism against erosion of
privacy both in the U.S. and internationally."
http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/06/06/2038214&
mode=thread&tid=126&tid=93
=====================================================================
WOULD YOU USE SELINUX?
"I am going to re-install my Linux box and being security
conscious I am looking for a secure distribution. After a
couple of Google searches I found a version called Secure
Linux, which sounded ideal. So I followed this link, which
turned out to be what I assume is a genuine NSA web-site.
All in all, it looks like a good idea and I can play around
with it as I wish, but eventually I will be using this
machine as my base-system. So before I start I want to
ask two questions: 1) Do you think that it is a good idea
to trust the NSA not to put in back-door/spy-ware type
code to enable them to snoop my personal information? 2)
What other security-patched distro's can people recommend?
I don't want to open up the floor for generic NSA-bashing,
but I also don't want to have to work my way through every
line of code before I install."
http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/06/05/0457253
&mode=thread&tid=106&tid=126&tid=172&tid=185
=====================================================================
LINUX INSTALLS GET RED CARPET TREATMENT
For those who are new to Linux, managing software installations
and updates can seem daunting and, without a Windows-style,
double-click installer in sight, even chaotic. Actually, though,
the RPM package management system that ships with major Linux
distributions such as Red Hat and SuSE is good at keeping
things organized under the covers—it's interfacing with RPM
that can prove tricky. Ximian's Red Carpet 2.0, which became
available May 15, puts a friendly, helpful face on software
installation and updating for the Red Hat, SuSE and Mandrake
Linux distributions on which it's available.
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,3959,1111895,00.asp
=====================================================================
ORACLE CLOSES IN ON 'UNBREAKABLE LINUX'
Linux Program Office, took to the stage at the Enterprise Linux
Forum at the Santa Clara, Calif., convention center on Friday
to talk about how Oracle has achieved most of its goals for
that initiative. "Our partnerships have really filled out
there. Along with Red Hat, we are working with the SuSE
engineering team on behalf of UnitedLinux, and all our
hardware partners are on board with regard to Unbreakable
Linux. We're really at a point where everything we talked
about in the past is now present tense," he told eWEEK in
an interview following his keynote.
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,3959,1120086,00.asp
=====================================================================
BALLMER MEMO CITES LINUX THREAT
Microsoft Corp. officials on Wednesday again expressed concerns
about the threat Linux and open-source software poses to the
company's business. In an annual letter sent to all Microsoft
employees by CEO Steve Ballmer following the company's annual
retreat for senior managers, Ballmer said that while most
non-commercial software products present challenges to the
firm, Linux in particular poses a competitive challenge to
both Microsoft and the rest of the industry.
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,3959,1117901,00.asp
=====================================================================
DON'T LAUGH AT LINUX
We all know that Linux is a "fringe" operating system that only
appeals to a few die-hard geeks. We know this because Judge
Thomas Penfield Jackson told us so during the antitrust trial,
where he decided that Microsoft had no viable competition.
Indeed, according to Patrick Thibodeau of the IDG News Service,
Washington Bureau, he laughed at Microsoft's attempts to "paint
Linux as a potent desktop foe".
http://www.guardian.co.uk/online/story/0,3605,970424,00.html
=====================================================================
IT'S A MATRIX MOMENT FOR LINUX
What's going on? Linux hackers suddenly find they are in the
Matrix, their brains feeding robotic corporations, and previously
successful organizations are in trouble. Could all this be
happening simply because there's no money any more?
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1107_2-1013088.html
=====================================================================
INTERVIEW WITH XIMIAN'S NAT FRIEDMAN
We've spent a lot of time polishing the user experience and making
sure things just work. Our focus is on creating _usability
through consistency_, which lowers support costs for big
organizations that replace Windows machines with Linux.
http://osnews.com/story.php?news_id=3705
=====================================================================
XIMIAN ANNOUNCES XIMIAN DESKTOP 2
Ximian, Inc., the leading provider of desktop and server solutions
enabling enterprise Linux adoption, today announced Ximian®
Desktop 2, a major new version of its popular Linux desktop
software installed by over 1,500,000 users worldwide. Ximian
Desktop 2 provides a complete productivity application suite,
breakthrough usability features, and seamless Windows
interoperability to enable organizations to easily and
affordably deploy Linux desktops in mixed Windows/Linux
environments.
http://www.ximian.com/about_us/press_center/press_releases
/index.html?pr=xd2_announce
=====================================================================
XIMIAN BEEFS UP LINUX DESKTOP
Although Linux has begun to grow into a compelling alternative
to Windows on the corporate desktop, many Linux companies have
tended to train their energies most keenly on the server-room
scenarios in which the open-source operating system has seen
the most success. Not so with Ximian Inc.'s Ximian Desktop
Version 2, which is scheduled to release the week of June 9th.
Its Ximian Desktop Version 2 is a solid and complete Linux
desktop interface that runs atop Linux distributions from
Red Hat Inc. and SuSE Linux AG, replacing the default
interfaces of those systems.
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,3959,1111880,00.asp
=====================================================================
A FIRST LOOK AT XIMIAN DESKTOP 2
A month or two ago Ximian asked if I would like to participate
in a beta for its new desktop offering. I said yes, but only
if it supported Red Hat 9. Ximian marketing folk said it would
and swore me to secrecy. The following is what I found in the
last two weeks: Ximian 2 is drop-dead gorgeous. It is much
more powerful than it was before, and many tweaks are now in
the interface. A couple of the tweaks I didn't like, but most
I did. I'll get into those specifics a little later in the
story. Let's start at the beginning.
http://www.linuxworld.com/2003/0601.barr.html
=====================================================================
FUN WITH LINUX HARDWARE
>From 64-bit servers to console conversion projects, your Linux
platform choices are better than ever.
http://www.linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=6821&mode=thread&order=0
=====================================================================
BUILDING A TIVO, A STEP AT A TIME
"Forget TiVo and ReplayTV. If you want a really super-duper
digital video recorder, you have to build your own..."
http://linuxtoday.com/infrastructure/2003060700226OSDPHW
=====================================================================
LINUX SECURITY: THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS
"'No firewall can keep all hackers out.' With these words,
security consultant Bob Toxen began his sermon, or workshop,
on the 'seven deadly sins' of Linux security. Any IT manager
who commits one of these sins will 'get nailed sooner or
later,' he said..."
http://linuxtoday.com/security/2003060601426OSNT
=====================================================================
RED HAT LINUX 9 - THE WINDOWS USER'S INSTALLATION EXPERIENCE
"There seem to be many reviews on Red Hat 9.0, but all seem to
be written by Linux junkies who really know their stuff. What
about the MS Windows Convert...?"
http://linuxtoday.com/infrastructure/2003060600326RVRHSW
http://www.linuxworld.com/2003/0401.tsu.html
=====================================================================
X86: THE NEXT GENERATION
Linux Magazine has seen the future, and it looks a lot like the
dual-Opteron-powered Newisys 2100 ECS server. This revolutionary
machine, which goes on sale tomorrow to coincide with the launch
of the AMD Opteron processor, represents the future of Linux
server computing.
http://www.linux-mag.com/online/pr_opteron_01.html
=====================================================================
KLUG'S DRIFTWOOD PROJECT SETS WORK DAY FOR JUNE 21ST AT 9:00AM!
The KLUG Driftwood Project will meet on Saturday June 21, 2003
at the Chamber of Commerce meeting site. The meeting is scheduled
for 9:00AM to 12:30PM. This KLUG project is based on the Asterisk
software running on a Linux server (donated by Joe Roman). Asterisk
is a complete PBX in software. It runs on Linux and provides all
of the features you would expect from a PBX and more. Asterisk
does voice over IP in three protocols, and can inter-operate with
almost all standards-based telephony equipment using comparatively
inexpensive hardware. http://www.asterisk.org/
=====================================================================
KLUG NOW OWNS A NEW XGA VIDEO PROJECTOR
Adam reported that KLUG has upgraded the video projector from SVGA
to XGA!!! From 800 x 600 to 1024 x 768, it should boost presentation
viewing pleasure. This projector is well rated:
INFOCUS LP335 DLP PROJECTOR
1000 LUMEN - XGA - LP-0335-V + Extended 12 month warranty
Digital Light Processing DLP which provides sharp images under
variable lighting conditions.
http://www.consumersearch.com/www/office/portable_pc_projectors/
Anyone know of a buyer for our 2 year old KLUG SVGA projector?
We should ask $800 for this unit and it is in excellent condition.
It has about 150 hours on a 1000 hour bulb. Works just fine.
It is an InFocus model LP425ZVB with padded carrying case.
Contact Todd chair@kalamazoolinux.org for more info.
=====================================================================
A1 SUPER COMPUTER SALE WILL BE IN KALAMAZOO ON JUNE 22!
SUNDAY 10:00AM TO 4:00PM KALAMAZOO COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS
Sometimes they change the schedule so check it before you go.
http://www.a1scs.com/
=====================================================================
KLUG NEEDS VOLUNTEERS TO FILL SEVERAL VACANT POSITIONS
Nutrimaster and Education Director volunteer slots are still
vacant. We need additional volunteers to act as the "Meeting
Firewall" to handle Chamber access control and security issues.
The Chamber has asked us to safeguard their assets as KLUG
members come and go from the meeting room each Tuesday night.
Bob and Zac need help with this function which requires that
you get to the meetings early and see that the everything is
locked up as the last person leaves. This means being at the
Chamber at 6:30pm and hanging around until 10:00pm. We have
other volunteer positions available and many of these duties
could be shared if you have an interest. GET INVOLVED IN KLUG!
Volunteers are needed for Beginner's Nights and Installfests.
Please contact installmaster@kalamazoolinux.org for more details.
See http://kalamazoolinux.org/organize for position descriptions.
=====================================================================
********* - ********* - ********* - ********* - ********* - *********
KLUG NEEDS SPEAKERS FOR THE WEEKLY LINUX RELATED PRESENTATIONS!
********* - ********* - ********* - ********* - ********* - *********
Contact Adam if you can give a presentation on any area of Linux
related subject or application. He would also like to hear your
suggestions for topics and possible speaker referrals. Do you
know anyone who is using Linux in Southwest Michigan and might
be willing to share their Linux expertise by making a technical
presentation? Professional, individual, or commercial speakers
on Linux accepted. Contact programdirector@kalamazoolinux.org
with your referrals and ideas. See the meeting schedule for open
dates. http://www.kalamazoolinux.org/meetings/schedule.php3
=====================================================================
V. K L U G C O N T A C T & M E E T I N G I N F O
*************************************************************
KLUG WEB SITE http://kalamazoolinux.org
MEMBERS AND GUESTS - COME JOIN US FOR A MEETING!!!
http://kalamazoolinux.org/meetings
WE MEET WEEKLY, EACH TUESDAY AT 7:00PM.
Our meeting site is the Kalamazoo Chamber
of Commerce office building downtown.
346 W. Michigan Ave. - Kalamazoo, MI 49007
http://kazoolug.org/meetings/maps.php3 <=== MAP!
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Kalamazoo Linux Users Group, Inc.
6749 South Westnedge Avenue
Suite K-288
Portage MI 49002
e-mail address: chair@kalamazoolinux.org
>><< send corrections, additions, flames to the KLUG scribe >><<
Ralph Worick
recordingsecretary@kalamazoolinux.org
= or =
KLUG Meeting Notes Assistant Editor
Bruce Atherton
Taz <htgage3@chartermi.net>
Copyright (c) 2003 Kalamazoo Linux Users Group, Inc.
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2
or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation;
A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU
Free Documentation License".
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/fdl.html#TOC1