[KLUG Members] KLUG Meeting Notes for 11/04/2003
magoo
members@kalamazoolinux.org
04 Nov 2003 22:54:31 -0500
KLUG Meeting Notes: Tuesday - November 04, 2003 7:00PM
I. PRESENTATION RECAP
II. NEXT WEEK'S MEETING INFO <=== e-xoops: A LAMP CMS System!!!
III. KLUG MAILING LISTS
IV. KLUG & LINUX NEWS FLASHES
V. KLUG CONTACT & MEETING INFO
Tonight's Meeting Moderator: KLUG Vice-Chair: Stu Gillis
I. PRESENTATION RECAP
THIS WEEK'S KLUG PRESENTATION: (18 active KLUG participants)
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Linux for Beginners
by Stu Gillis
THE BEGINNER'S MEETINGS ARE HELD the first Tuesday of each
month. Linux basics and distribution installs are the
lessons of these evenings. If you do want KLUG's FREE help
installing Linux on your computer at one of these meetings,
http://kalamazoolinux.org/meetings/installform.html
Contact the KLUG Installmasters for more information:
installmaster@kalamazoolinux.org
- and -
ORDER YOUR SOFTWARE HERE: http://kalamazoolinux.org/bsware
Now is the time to get started! Linux is becoming a mainstay
of free software, free choice, dependability and power.
===============================================================
THE STANDARD KLUG BEGINNER'S PRESENTATION - LINUX BOOT CAMP!!!
http://kalamazoolinux.org/presentations/beginner01.html
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PRESENTATION SUMMARY:
**************************
Stu Gillis did the introductions tonight and led the group in
the night's activities. He asked what people wanted to learn
about and the answer was Linux network services. Dirk Bartley
gave 4 knowledge hungry attendees a tour of the Linux environment
and Samba networking. Adam Williams is working to develop an
updated KLUG beginner's presentation and that should be ready
for presentation soon.
Installmaster Andrew Thompson was a popular Linux technician
tonight. He had three current install requests and two
other people show up for post-install assistance. He did
an outstanding job of taking care these tonight. Not being
able to be in three places at once, he recruited Bruce Smith
and Stu Gillis to assist with the installs.
Install Summary:
Dan Hopkins brought in his Gateway Model: GP7-500 with SuSE 8.2
already installed to get help with setting up his modem. He has
a Winmodem and was having trouble compiling the kernel module
it required until Installmaster Andrew Thompson showed him the
additional elements required. It has yet to be tested but
everything appeared to have gone well with the setup. Dan worked
very hard on his own until turning to KLUG for assistance.
William Van Sweden has been tenacious in his attempts to install
SuSE Linux Pro v8.0 on his AMD 1500. For some unknown reason it
was having problems with the partitioning. Stu Gillis (Mr. SuSE)
and Installmaster Andrew Thompson worked diligently and borrowed
Mr. Hopkins' SuSE Linux Pro v8.2 and resolved the problems.
John Szewczyk was to receive assistance putting SuSE 8.2 on his
custom built PC with an AMD 850 but was unable to attend.
Rich Knowlton was using Red Hat v8.0 on his IBM Thinkpad 600 and
then installed Ximian's XD2. For some reason he started having
problems. It is a mystery why installing XD2 would have caused
the problems he experienced. Bruce Smith reviewed the situation
and suggested reinstalling Red Hat v8.0 after careful study. It
appeared that the problems were resolved satisfactorily.
We also had a Red Hat v9 install request from a person with an
AMD 1000 (going by the nick - prophetul) that appeared to be from
Romania. Perhaps their trans-Atlantic flight was delayed because
no one ever showed. :-)
Note:
As Linux matures as an OS, the educational needs are evolving.
The Beginner's Meeting format is changing with those needs.
It is difficult to cover all the basics in one meeting. Linux
is not just for CS experts and IT professionals. The "BASICS"
meetings are intended for those with limited experience with
Operating System's or even Personal Computer's. Your comments
and questions are welcomed!
Stu Gillis is a System Administrator for the Kalamazoo branch
of Venturi Technology Partners, Inc.
II. NEXT KLUG MEETING - TUESDAY 11/11/2003
******************************************************************
e-xoops: A LAMP CMS System
by Patrick McGovern
e-xoops is a GNU cms (content management system) that uses LAMP
tools (Linux, Apache, Mysql and PHP). It can be set up for free
on some hosted web sites. Mr. McGovern will demonstrate the
benefits of a CMS and how he uses a test instance of e-xoops on
his home PC and the production instance on a web host provider.
- more information -
http://www.e-xoops.com/
http://freshmeat.net/projects/e-xoops/?topic_id=243%2C92
Mr. McGovern is a life-time resident of Grand Rapids, Michigan,
born in 1958. Married with four fun loving kids. Hobbies include
bicycling, hunting, fishing and tree breeding with hybrid poplars.
Currently employed at Gordon Food Service as a software
developer/support person for the Manugistics SCM application.
GFS uses Sun Solaris servers to host Java J2EE applications and
Oracle databases. College education: Associates of Marketing from
Grand Rapids Community College in 1980. Microcomputer Network
Management Bachelor degree from Davenport University in 2001 with
emphasis in Oracle database and Unix operating system. Linux
Experience/Projects: I have been using Linux since 1999. Currently
developing a web site using the EXOOPS Content Management System,
HTMLDOC html to pfd conversion system and Mysql to create a web
site for reference papers.
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 ! ! !
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NOVELL BUYS SUSE LINUX
Novell today announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire
SUSE LINUX, one of the world's leading enterprise Linux companies,
expanding Novell's ability to provide enterprise-class services and
support on the Linux platform. With the open source expertise of
SUSE LINUX and Novell's world-class networking and identity
solutions and support, training and consulting services, Novell
will be able to deliver Linux and all its components β from the
server to the desktop β and give organizations a secure, reliable
and mature Linux foundation. Novell will pay $210 million in cash
to complete the acquisition. The transaction is subject to
regulatory approval and the winding up of shareholder agreements.
Novell expects the transaction to close by the end of its first
fiscal quarter (January 2004).
http://www.novell.com/news/leadstories/2003/nov3/
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OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE ECONOMICS
As an occasional user of Linux, and someone in the software industry,
I've followed the "Open Source" movement for quite some time. To a
minority, Open Source Software (specifically GPL licensed Open Source
Software) represents an ideological and sociological movement,
something that will change the world. To the majority, it is simply
a way to get cool and useful software without going through the
expense of buying, or the hassle of pirating it.
http://www.newsforge.com/software/03/10/30/1433239
.shtml?tid=132&tid=150&tid=82
=====================================================================
TORVALDS: TEST THE KERNEL, V2.6 MAY BE OUT IN 2003
"In this interview, Linus Torvalds talks up the test version of the
2.6 Linux kernel released last weekend. He also hints at when a
stable, production 2.6.0 might be released."
http://developers.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/10/29/
1746230&mode=thread&tid=106&tid=126&tid=163&tid=185
=====================================================================
RED HAT WAITS FOR NEW LINUX KERNEL TO POP
An updated version of the heart of Linux is expected soon, but it
could be more than a year before the operating system's top seller
includes it in its corporate product. Red Hat's newest product for
businesses, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3.0 (RHEL 3.0), released last
week, is based on version 2.4.21 of the Linux kernel, the core part
of the OS. Customers will have to hold out for RHEL 4 to see Linux
version 2.6 in the corporate product, said Brian Stevens, Red Hat's
vice president of OS development.
http://www.linux.org/news/2003/10/29/0003.html
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THE LINUX DESKTOP CONSORTIUM ANNOUNCES COMPLETION
IBM's Samuel J. Docknevich, Linux and Grid Services Executive for
IBM Global Services Americas discusses the company's Desktop Linux
strategy and the current opportunity to extend the benefits of open
standards from the server to the client environment in his
presentation, βThe time is now for Linux on the Desktop.β Red Hat's
Brian Steves, VP OS Development offers a preview of the the
company's road map and talks about Linux's surge into the enterprise.
Applications for Linux are driving Linux deployments and Sam Hiser
of OpenOffice.org discusses the impact that the open-source office
suite and more application has on the increasing number of Linux
desktops emerging throughout the world.
http://www.desktoplinuxconsortium.org/?page=2003.10.31
----------------------------------------------------------------------
There is what is expected to be a preview of this coming to GR -
November 13th, features Novell, IBM, and Ximian
http://register.novell.com/login/index.cfm?action=prelogin&fuse=event
&id=9623&event_id=9623&lcode=enu
=====================================================================
FREEBSD V4.9 RELEASED
"Excellent! FreeBSD 4.9 has been released, and if it's anything
like the RC series, this will be a release to remember. You can
obtain it from the usual sources, or if you're feeling generous
and supportive, you can buy the cd set. Support your local Daemon!"
http://bsd.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/10/29/
1348239&mode=thread&tid=162&tid=185&tid=190&tid=99
=====================================================================
BSD: OPENBSD V3.4 RELEASED
"We just couldn't wait another 2 days, so now you can enjoy OpenBSD
3.4 a little early and protect yourself from ghosts and goblins.
More details at the OpenBSD website and official announcement.
http://bsd.slashdot.org/bsd/03/11/01/0813223.shtml?
tid=126&tid=162&tid=172&tid=185&tid=190&tid=99
=====================================================================
THE LINUX DOCUMENTATION PROJECT TURNS 10
"The Linux Documentation Project is happy to announce its 10-year
anniversary! Once upon a time, there was a general consensus that
Unix in general, and Linux in particular, lacked good documentation.
Matt Welsh decided to do something about this, and wrote the first
Linux HOWTO - the 'Installation HOWTO' - the first of what is now a
huge collection of focused, solution-oriented documents. It became a
movement just like Linux itself.
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/10/31/1644257
&mode=thread&tid=106&tid=146&tid=185&tid=99
=====================================================================
GOOGLE CONSIDERING MERGER WITH MICROSOFT
"According to this New York Times Article (registration, etc.),
Google may be considering a merger with Microsoft in the near
future. As many people know, Google's search services are powered
by Linux. "
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/10/31/1248253
&mode=thread&tid=109&tid=126&tid=187&tid=95
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MAC OS X V10.3 VS. LINUX
"This is a nice and fairly complete 'first look' at Mac OS X 10.3
(Panther), but author Chris Gulker, who I happen to know was an Apple
PR guy years ago, spends a lot of time comparing the Mac 'Panther'
release to Linux, which he seems to use most of the time these days.
He obviously likes a lot about Panther, but he doesn't think many
Linux users will switch to it, and that a lot of 'Classic' Mac OS
users may not want to move to it, either."
http://apple.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/10/31/0314225
&mode=thread&tid=106&tid=107&tid=185&tid=187
=====================================================================
FREEBSD, LINUX KERNEL SOURCE CROSS REFERENCE
"Robert Watson of the FreeBSD Core Team has put up a FreeBSD and
Linux kernel source cross reference based on the LXR software used
for the Linux kernel cross reference. The stated purpose is to make
it easier for FreeBSD users and developers to explore and understand
the FreeBSD code, as well as to compare the FreeBSD approaches with
abstractions and implementation in the Linux kernel.
http://developers.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/10/30/
1740234&mode=thread&tid=106&tid=122&tid=185&tid=190
=====================================================================
KOFFICE V1.3 RC1 RELEASED
"The KOffice team is proud to announce the first release candidate
version of KOffice 1.3..."
http://linuxtoday.com/infrastructure/2003103100226NWKESW
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LINDOWS ANNOUNCES NVU - FRONTPAGE FOR LINUX?
"Michael Robertson, the Lindows founder, has announced in his
'Michael's Minute' newsletter that Lindows has started the creation
of a Frontpage-type program for Linux, called Nvu." Nvu promises to
be "...a complete Web Authoring System for Linux Desktop users to
rival programs like FrontPage and Dreamweaver", is "100% open
source", and will be free to download when it launches.
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/10/30/0210215
&mode=thread&tid=106&tid=185
=====================================================================
RED HAT: NEW LINUX REACHES UNIX LEVEL
While Microsoft's coast-to-coast, carpet-bombing campaign to launch
the next generation of its market-dominating Office productivity
suite took center stage last week, the dominant Linux distributor
was rolling out a new version of its flagship open-source product.
Red Hat called the release "a major milestone" in its oft-stated
strategy to penetrate the enterprise.
http://www.adtmag.com/article.asp?id=8414
=====================================================================
RED HAT V3 FEELS AT HOME IN ORACLE'S DATABASE
Oracle (Quote, Chart) continued its commitment to Linux and one of
the open-source operating system's leading purveyors when it
announced that its database has been optimized for Red Hat's latest
platform, Enterprise Linux 3.
http://www.internetnews.com/storage/article.php/3099761
=====================================================================
APACHE HTTP SERVER V1.3.29 RELEASED
"The Apache Software Foundation and The Apache HTTP Server Project
are pleased to announce the release of version 1.3.29 of the Apache
HTTP Server...
http://apache.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/10/29/
0720209&mode=thread&tid=148&tid=162&tid=185&tid=99
=====================================================================
SAMBA 3 RUNS RINGS AROUND WINDOWS SERVER 2003
Tests by IT Week Labs show the latest version of the open-source
Samba file and print server software is 2.5 times faster than
Windows Server 2003 in the same role. The news comes as many
firms are grappling with the consequences of Microsoft ending
support for NT4.
http://www.itweek.co.uk/news/1144289
=====================================================================
DOCTOR'S PRESCRIPTION CALLS FOR DESKTOP LINUX
The Desktop Linux Consortium's conference will be hosted at Boston
University's Corporate Education Center on November 10 and new
program information is now available. Highlighted at the event is
a presentation by Dr. Martin Echt, CEO and Cardiologist of Cardiology
Associates (CCA) that demonstrates the business case for switching to
Linux thin clients in his Albany-NY based cardiology practice.
http://www.linux.org/news/2003/11/01/0003.html
=====================================================================
LINUX SECURITY: TIPS FROM THE EXPERTS
Is Linux more secure than Windows, or vice versa? Fueled by
conflicting industry reports, this controversy keeps raging.
To arrive at a well-informed opinion on the subject, you need
to know as much as you can about what kinds of security measures
are actually available for Linux. Moreover, if you're administering
Linux already, some implementation tips from Linux security pros
can undoubtedly come in handy.
http://www.linux.org/news/2003/10/31/0001.html
=====================================================================
IS THERE A PLACE FOR DEBIAN IN THE ENTERPRISE?
"Users who are technically self-supporting and don't want to pay
Red Hat for service and support could deploy Debian, says Open
Source Development Lab analyst Stacey Quandt, 'and it would lead to
greater return on investment...'"
http://linuxtoday.com/it_management/2003110100526OSBZDB
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SUSE V9 HITS AMERICAN SHORES
"SuSE Linux, until now known mainly as 'that European flavor of
Linux' with many Americans, is getting ready for a big push with
businesses and government organizations, with the introduction of
SuSE Linux 9 with 64-bit processing and 2.6 kernel enhancements to
the Americas Thursday..."
http://linuxtoday.com/infrastructure/2003103001726NWSWSS
=====================================================================
TIPS FROM VETERAN LINUX PROGRAMMER SPENCE MURRAY
"Spence Murray is one of the top Linux developers around, and a
long-time UNIX champion. Fellow Linux developers will benefit from
the useful, common-practice shell scripting techniques that Murray
and his Codemonks Consulting partners employ on a daily basis in
their Linux development and applications services work..."
http://linuxtoday.com/developer/2003103000526OSCYDV
=====================================================================
LINUX USERS REACHED THE 18 MILLION MARK?
What's the current size of the Linux community? About 18 million
users, if the statistical calculations of the ten-year old Linux
Counter project are correct.
http://counter.li.org/
=====================================================================
KLUG MAKES LINUX AVAILABLE AT THE LOCAL COMPUTER SHOW
A team of KLUG volunteers and officers were on hand at the last
fairgrounds computer show to tell people about KLUG and Linux.
They talked with lots of people and demonstrated Linux for many.
BS-Ware was readily available with nice labels and jewel cases.
To volunteer for a future show contact: showperson@kalamazoolinux.org
http://www.a1scs.com <--- Check schedule
=======================================================================
IN THE OPEN SOURCE SPIRIT KLUG CALLS FOR MEETING SUPPORT VOLUNTEERS
Please don't make us RANT about organization needs for volunteers!
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 truly does need
help with this function which requires that you get to the meetings
early and see that everything is locked up as the meeting attendees
leave. We have several other KLUG volunteer positions available
and many of these duties could be shared if you have an interest.
G E T I N V O L V E D I N K L U G N O W ! ! !
Please contact installmaster@kalamazoolinux.org for more details.
See http://kalamazoolinux.org/organize for position descriptions.
=====================================================================
THE WMU COMPUTER CLUB - YAKKO IS THEIR MAIN LINUX SERVER!
The Computer Club at Western Michigan University exists to promote
a better understanding of computers for both members of the club
and members of the WMU community. This goal is achieved through
various club projects, member presentations, Linux Install Parties,
and discussions at our meetings. Do you need help getting your
computer to function properly? Are you interested in installing
Linux? Do you just want a place to hang out and have a good time?
If the answer to any of those questions or any other question is
'yes' then you should come check us out. We welcome anyone
(regardless of computer experience) who is willing to share
whatever talents they have, listen to others, and have a good
time. http://yakko.cs.wmich.edu/
=====================================================================
KLUG SUPPORTING MEMBERS CAN GET THEIR PICTURE ON THE WEB SITE
Want your picture posted with your name as a KLUG Supporting
Member? Send the tasteful graphic file and your request to
webmaster@kalamazoolinux.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.
=====================================================================
KLUG NEEDS VOLUNTEERS TO FILL SEVERAL VACANT POSITIONS
"Firewall" and Education Director volunteer slots are still vacant.
Please contact chair@kalamazoolinux.org for more details.
Volunteers are needed for Beginner's Nights and Install fests.
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
NOTE:
Effective January 1st, 2002, KLUG has been granted 501C3 status by
the IRS. This is a big step forward. Now all donations (including
hardware, services, cash, or membership dues) are tax deductible!
>><< send corrections, additions, flames to the KLUG scribe >><<
Ralph Worick
notetaker@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