[KLUG Members] KLUG Meeting Notes for 09/02/2003
magoo
members@kalamazoolinux.org
02 Sep 2003 23:58:54 -0400
KLUG Meeting Notes: Tuesday - September 02, 2003 7:00PM
I. PRESENTATION RECAP
II. NEXT WEEK'S MEETING INFO <=== Open Database Connectivity!!!
III. KLUG MAILING LISTS u n i x O D B C
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 Dirk Bartley
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,
Be sure to fill out the installation request form and get
a response before you bring your PC in for install help.
http://kalamazoolinux.org/meetings/installform.html
Contact the KLUG Installmaster Andrew Thompson for more
information: installmaster@kalamazoolinux.org
- and -
DON'T FORGET TO ORDER YOUR SOFTWARE BEFORE INSTALLATION...
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.
KLUG BEGINNER'S NIGHT SUMMARY:
*********************************
Stu Gillis, the KLUG Vice-Chair took control of the evening
and took us through the introductions and obligatory shameless
plugs for becoming a member, donor, Red Hat devotee, or even
a volunteer. OK! Maybe we skipped those tonight... Whew!
Stu parted the session into two locations.
In the main presentation area, Dirk Bartley gave the KLUG
beginner's presentation just like back in the day. Command
line, basic file structure and function info, alias usage,
redirection, RPM's, DNS explained, ifconfig?, pings, and vi!
So it wasn't exactly Linux GUI Boot Camp... all the information
still applies and is certainly valuable as a beginning into
learning about the world of Linux and way things are organized
in the open source software community. Trying to do everything
from the Gnome GUI isn't practical... for some things you will
need to go look at logs or configuration files or something that
will bring you to a $ prompt. Dirk did a great job of pulling
his knowledge of Linux forward to share with people that are
looking for the basics. He delivered.
The KLUG Installmaster Andrew Thompson was busy in the "Green
Room" with KLUG wizards Bob Brown, Peter Buxton, and Bruce Smith
to assist in the installation and tweaking of several PC's.
Jack Carlson had a home built AMD 2.1 GHz with 512Mb RAM
that was having BS-Ware v9 installed. One KLUG member
was helping to get a 56k USB modem configured in the network
devices GUI. This computer was running Mandrake v9.0. The
persistence award goes to the St. Joseph County visitors
who came back for an adjustment of the graphical display.
Red Hat v6.1 was up and blinking...
There were lots of side conversations about Linux and doings
in the Open Source community. Discussions about web sites,
new software releases,distributions, etc... Big thanks to
the KLUG Nutrimaster William Jordan for the yummy snacks.
===============================================================
THE STANDARD KLUG BEGINNER'S PRESENTATION - LINUX BOOT CAMP!!!
Circa 1999. Good basics, being revised in the near future...
http://kalamazoolinux.org/presentations/beginner01.html
===============================================================
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!
Dirk Bartley, a WMU graduate, works as a systems administrator
for Schupan Aluminum Sales, a division of Schupan and Sons. His
passion for free software comes second to spending time with his
wife Dawn, an Upper Peninsula native, and taking Shelly, their
sheltie/terrier mix pound pooch, for a walk. These interests are
only followed by his love of playing ice hockey. Dirk is the
Past-Chair of KLUG after having served two terms. He is the
KLUG Librarian and serves KLUG as an officer in the position of
Recording Secretary.
II. NEXT KLUG MEETING - TUESDAY 09/09/2003
******************************************************************
OPEN DATABASE CONNECTIVITY (ODBC)
By Erik Gillespie
ODBC is an open Application Program Interface (API) for accessing
databases of all shapes and sizes through a layer of libraries and
drivers. The API was created by Microsoft to be cross-platform.
Of course, M$ wouldn't think of writing the ports to Unix/Linux...
so enter unixODBC. unixODBC is more than a standards-compliant
port of the ODBC API to Unix platforms, it also includes many of
the enhancements Microsoft supports. So pick your favorite OS and
join me as we walk through the world of platform independent
database connectivity.
NOTE: July 21 2003 unixODBC v2.2.6 Released
- more -
What is ODBC?
ODBC is an open specification for providing application developers
with a predictable API with which to access Data Sources. Data
Sources include SQL Servers and any Data Source with an ODBC Driver.
http://www.unixodbc.org/
The unixODBC Project goals are to develop and promote unixODBC to
be the definitive standard for ODBC on non MS Windows platforms.
This is to include GUI support for both KDE and GNOME.
Erik Gillespie is a recent graduate from Western Michigan University
with a degree in Computer Science. He has a keen interest in all
walks of software development for the PC but holds a particular joy
for graphics programming and development on non-PC platforms. When
not at his computer he can be found hanging out with friends or
spending the day with his little sister.
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 ! ! !
=====================================================================
THE YEAR OF THE LINUX DESKTOP?
2003 will be marked by the emergence of three new enterprise desktop
offerings. Corporations seem interested, especially with Microsoft
boosting prices. So, once again, we ask: Is this the year of the
Linux desktop?
http://www.linux-mag.com/2003-05/linuxdesktop_01.html
=====================================================================
LINUS TORVALDS ENTERS RACE FOR CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR
In a surprise announcement this morning, Linux creator Linus
Torvalds says he will enter the race to be the governor of
California.
http://newsforge.com/newsforge/03/08/25/1910248.shtml?tid=16
=====================================================================
GUESSING LINUX V2.6.0 RELEASE DATE
"Guessing about the linux-2.6.0 release date is hard, but here
is a new angle (pseudo-scientific): I made a graph (gif) based
on errors/warnings from John Cherry's (OSDL) compile statistics
for linus' linux bitkeeper tree. My guess is around 12th October,
2003. What is your guess and more important, why?"
http://developers.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/08/27/0152206
&mode=thread&tid=106&tid=117&tid=133&tid=185&tid=186&tid=99
=====================================================================
HOW TO UPGRADE TO THE V2.6 KERNEL
"KernelTrap has posted a howto detailing eight steps to upgrade
your GNU/Linux OS from the 2.4 stable kernel to the 2.6.0-test
development kernel. Complete with screen shots, the end result
sounds to be well worth the effort." Since chances are most
people will be upgrading anyway once 2.6 is deemed release-worthy,
it's always worth learning the upgrade procedure well.
http://developers.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/08/30
/139250&mode=thread&tid=106&tid=117&tid=185&tid=99
=====================================================================
ON SWITCHING TO LINUX...
"The latest Infoworld is running a lengthy piece about The Real
Cost of Switching to Linux, where it makes sense and where it
doesn't. As one of their columnists points out, the debate has
switched from "if" to "where". One of the big wins for Linux
was in the area of remote administration. Specifically noted
was ssh. Also of note is the shift in calculating cost from
TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) as has been calculated in the
past, to ROI (Return on Investment) that focuses more on what
you can do with the technology to get work done."
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/08/30/178254
&mode=thread&tid=126&tid=163&tid=98&tid=99
=====================================================================
POSTGRESQL INC. OPEN SOURCES REPLICATION SOLUTION
"PostgreSQL Inc, the commercial company providing replication
software and support for PostgreSQL, open sourced their eRServer
replication product. This makes PostgreSQL one step closer to
being able to replace Oracle as the de facto RDBMS standard.
More information can be found on PostgreSQL's website."
http://developers.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/08/29/1236203
&mode=thread&tid=137&tid=185&tid=198
=====================================================================
BECOMING A LINUX KERNEL PROGRAMMER?
"In my 6 years of IT life, I've been a sys admin, perl programmer,
and a config. mgmt. engineer. I've recently learned programming in
C, and somehow ended up learning a bit of Linux Kernel programming
as well. I now have developed a strong motivation to become a Linux
kernel developer, but given my background, I am not sure how to
approach companies or Open Source Project groups. I ask all those
who were in a similar situation - how do you become a full-time
kernel developer?"
http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/08/28/2124250
&mode=thread&tid=106&tid=126&tid=156&tid=185
=====================================================================
REVERSE ENGINEERING AN MPEG DRIVER
"Following on from the recent spate of reverse engineering articles,
there is an interesting summary of the reverse engineering of a
binary only Linux driver. The driver is for the integrated MPEG
decoder on VIA's popular EPIA-M boards. At the moment VIA has not
publicly released the source code for the MPEG chipset on these
boards and will only make the code available under NDA saying that
"Typically, only requests from companies developing product for sale
will be approved." As a result this is holding back development of
open source tools (e.g. xine, mplayer, vdr) that would be able to
make use of the interesting hardware on these boards."
http://developers.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/08/29/0052217
&mode=thread&tid=126&tid=156&tid=188
=====================================================================
LINUX VS. WINDOWS: CHOICE VS. USABILITY
"In this article at DevX, Executive Editor A. Russell Jones makes
the case for a standardised GUI for Linux. He argues that the
promotion of choice of GUI as a positive feature of using Linux
is detrimental to its chances of attacking Microsoft's home user
monopoly. From the article: '...the open source community must
recognize that its primary goals: freedom of choice, freedom of
source code, and freedom to alter applications, are not the goals
of the average user.' In particular he argues that the choice of
desktop between KDE, Gnome, IceWM etc, is not one that a former
windows user, even a fairly technically competent one, is going
to able to make an informed choice on, and that they should not
be forced to make that choice in order to get good use out of any
applications they might want to use."
http://developers.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/08/28/1336224
&mode=thread&tid=106&tid=166&tid=185&tid=189&tid=99
=====================================================================
FASTEST US SUPERCOMPUTER RUNS LINUX
"The Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
has brought online a 11.8 teraflops supercomputer based on the
Linux operating system, comprised of ~2,000 Itanium processors,
and assembled by HP. Touted to be the fastest unclassified computer
in the US, its main duties will be atmospheric chemistry, systems
biology, catalysis and materials science."
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/08/27/2357227
&mode=thread&tid=106&tid=137&tid=173&tid=185&tid=187
=====================================================================
MOZILLA V1.5 BETA IS OUT
A new beta for the popular open-source browser has been released.
Release notes, links within.
http://linuxtoday.com/infrastructure/2003082801226NWDTSW
=====================================================================
MANDRAKE V9.2 RC1 RELEASED
"Mandrake 9.2RC1 is out. Go get it with bit-torrent and speed up my
download. I like the idea that posting to Slashdot could actually
speed up a download. It seems so wrong." If you're on a slow pipe,
don't underestimate the throughput of the postal system. Mark Walker
writes "Mandrake Linux 9.2 RC1 is appearing on mirrors as I type this.
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/08/27/176242
&mode=thread&tid=126&tid=147&tid=163&tid=187
=====================================================================
IS LINUX AS SECURE AS WE'D LIKE TO THINK?
"With all the recent brouhaha about Blaster and Sobig, there's been
a lot of talk about how poor Windows security is, especially compared
to the Linux we all know and love. But is this really true? The
website defacement archive at Zone-h shows that Linux accounts for
61% of the defacements in the last 24 hours (note, this figure
changes, so it might be different when you view it). An analysis
of the last few weeks of their archive shows a similar percentage
of exploited Linux systems. Note also that the 'Unknown' category
is rather high, and certainly contains at least some Linux systems,
further increasing the percentage.
http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/08/25/1959204
&mode=thread&tid=106&tid=126&tid=172&tid=185&tid=95
=====================================================================
EUROPEAN PROTESTS AGAINST SOFTWARE PATENTS
"There will be a last-minute demonstration at the European Parliament
in Brussels against the proposed directive on software patents,
organized by the FFII. As an additional (or alternative) action,
people and organizations are encouraged to participate in an online
demonstration that day, replacing the main pages of their Web sites
with text explaining the dangers of introducing unlimited
patentability in Europe.
http://freshmeat.net/articles/view/965/
=====================================================================
LINUX MOVES BEHIND THE SCREEN
"Linux, the fast growing and freely available operating system,
looks like the software of choice for future televisions, set-top
boxes and DVD recorders, consumer electronics executives and
specialists said. Linux, currently a software system mostly used
to power big servers and personal computers, is now emerging as a
small set of computing code to drive devices like mobile phones,
remote controls and TVs."
http://www.linux.org/news/2003/08/29/0002.html
=====================================================================
ONLINE GET-TOGETHERS FOR LINUX NEWCOMERS
The Linux Online Web site (www.linux.org) contains information
about using Linux and has links to Linux-related documentation,
news and other information. The site has a page devoted to Linux
user groups, computer clubs where people meet in person to discuss
how to use Linux. To see if there is a user group in your area,
check the list at www.linux.org/groups/usa/ or on the Linux User
Groups Worldwide site at lugww.counter.li.org.
http://www.linux.org/news/2003/08/28/0005.html
=====================================================================
PHP 4.3.3 RELEASED
After a lengthy QA process, PHP 4.3.3 is finally out! This
maintenance release solves a fair number of bugs found in prior
PHP versions and addresses several security issues. All users
are strongly advised to upgrade to 4.3.3 as soon as possible.
http://www.linux.org/news/2003/08/28/0002.html
=====================================================================
INTERVIEW WITH BJARNE STROUSTRUP
"A discussion about the creation of C++, its strengths and what
C++ programmers should remember..."
http://linuxtoday.com/developer/2003082900626INCYDV
=====================================================================
DON'T TRY THIS LINUX TRICK AT HOME--JUST YET
"Four weeks ago I wrote a column on Linux. It listed several myths
about this open-source computer operating system software. For
each myth, I described the kernel of truth behind the myth, then
debunked the myth itself. "Generally favorable, it nevertheless
took a balanced, sometimes critical approach. "The response was
a storm of 40 e-mails, way more than the norm, according to my
editor. While most expressed favorable views about the column,
several took issue with specific points. "The experience taught
me a thing or two about the Linux community and global
communications. I also learned more about the challenges of
making Linux work for non-technical users like me..."
http://linuxtoday.com/infrastructure/2003082900826OPCYMS
=====================================================================
OF MONKEYS AND PENGUINS
"Indeed 'the SCO case' of 2003 sounds increasingly like the famous
Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925, which pitted religious fundamentalists
against progressives wanting to teach Darwin alongside the Bible in
American classrooms. The SCO case plays the same role in a culture
war now consuming the software industry. On one side are the
equivalents of the fundamentalists -- buttoned-down types clinging
to proprietary and closed computer systems. Facing them are today's
evolutionists -- the pony-tailed set championing collaboration and
openness in the form of Linux, an operating system that anybody can
download and customise for nothing."
http://lwn.net/Articles/46928/
=====================================================================
GREPMAIL
With all of the fancy, graphical email applications available for
Linux, newcomers are often surprised to learn that many long-time
Linux users still use old, text-based email management tools. These
old-timers thoroughly embrace the ancient Unix philosophy of using
several small, discrete command-line tools rather than a single
monolithic application. This month, we look at grepmail, one of the
most indispensable command-line email utilities.
http://www.linux-mag.com/2003-05/diy_01.html
=====================================================================
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.
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.
=====================================================================
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
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