[KLUG Members] KLUG Meeting Notes for 09/23/2003
magoo
members@kalamazoolinux.org
23 Sep 2003 23:39:44 -0400
KLUG Meeting Notes: Tuesday - September 23, 2003 7:00PM
I. PRESENTATION RECAP
II. NEXT WEEK'S MEETING INFO <=== LTSP DEMO!!!
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: (21 active KLUG participants)
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Devil Linux V1.0 >>> PREVIEW <<<
by Bruce Smith
Devil-Linux is a dedicated firewall which runs entirely from
CD-ROM, no hard drive is required. Come see a sneak preview of
the soon to be released version 1.0 from one of the projects
core developers.
You won't find this presentation posted on the KLUG web site.
PRESENTATION SUMMARY:
***************************
Bruce used his laptop PC running Red Hat Linux v9 and the KLUG
XGA projector to give us the tour of the Devil Linux (DL) distro.
The applications he used to display the content included the
beloved vi editor, Mozilla web browser, Ximian Evolution, and
VMWare to run DL!
Bruce recently joined Heiko Zuerker's team as a core developer
on the CD-based Devil Linux (firewall) distribution. The Devil
Linux distribution is specifically intended to be used in
firewall and routing applications! It can do much more than
that... but it is optimized for the firewall task.
The current version of Devil Linux is 0.5 although Bruce said
that he recommends you use the 0.6-beta version because of its
stability and increased functionality. He told us what DL v1.0
is going to be like and when to expect it. An inside preview
of development information that has not even been announced yet
That little Devil Linux penguin is extremely cute!
WHAT MAKES DEVIL LINUX SO SPECIAL?
The DL firewall is designed to run from a CD-ROM drive which
cannot be written to by crackers attacking your internet
connection. No crashable hard drive is needed for the firewall
task. The configuration file can be stored on a floppy, memory
stick, or on the CD in read only form. The Linux code beneath
Devil Linux is from the roll-your-own distro, Linux From Scratch.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS?
Intel 486 or greater (try a $40 PII with a fresh BIOS battery)
CD-ROM drive
Floppy drive
64 MB RAM
NOTE: The PC MUST be able to boot to the CD-ROM drive first.
[Now doesn't that eliminate using it on a 486? Maybe so!]
If you have a PC that will boot from a memory stick you can
put the entire firewall on a 512 Mb stick. The DL ISO is
currently around 310 Mb in size.
PRESENTATION CONTENT?
First we looked at a vi file with lots of interesting DL
background and technical information. Occasionally he
popped up the DL web site with Mozilla for reference.
We read the installation instructions for DL v0.5 and v0.6-beta.
Bruce showed us the DL configuration files. Surprisingly, he
revealed that DL can provide many services besides security.
Most of the functions provided by the leading Linux distros.
VMWare, the magical emulator, was the environment Bruce used
to run a live installation demonstration of DL. Very nice
installation configuration GUI with a multitude of options.
We heard which ISO version to use, how to locate the source
code, compiling DL and what the development aspects are like.
He even shared some insights and info about his fellow code
developers. Bruce answered many questions during his DL
presentation and offered to reward attendees with a custom
ISO for a specific non-standard implementation if that was
needed. You could tell Bruce is excited about this project.
Load this URL to see what this Open Source project team is doing.
Devil Linux is a powerful distribution that is a rising OS star.
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
http://www.devil-linux.org
Bruce Smith is a Systems Administrator and Software Developer
for Armstrong International Inc. where he is responsible for
a Unix and Linux network of servers, workstations, printers
and X-terminals spanning five buildings in Three Rivers. Bruce
has a degree in Computer Science and Mathematics from Central
Michigan University. (go Chippewas! :) Bruce recently joined
Heiko Zuerker's team as a core developer on the CD-based Devil
Linux (firewall) distribution. He also creates the BSware
distribution for KLUG, is co-webmaster, sitemaster, and is a
past KLUG officer. Very active on the KLUG mailing lists, a
frequent technical presenter, regular PC show table worker, and
an all around solid Open Source and Linux sage/promoter.
II. NEXT KLUG MEETING - TUESDAY 09/30/2003
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LTSP [Linux Terminal Server Project]
by Dirk Bartley
The Linux terminal server project is the icing on the open source
cake. Linux and open source software make keeping track of and
paying for licensing a non-task. Now learn how to make the most
of your hardware investments by using inexpensive diskless
workstations on everyones desktops.
See how things have changed since the LTSP presentation done by
Adam Williams in July of 2000. A LTSP server and clients are an
extremely cost effective solution.
http://kalamazoolinux.org/presentations
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 was Chairperson of KLUG for
2001 and 2002 and now serves as Recording Secretary. He has been
the KLUG Librarian for 4 or 5 years, setting up the web-based DB
for the KLUG library. He remains an active promoter of Open Source
software in the community.
III. K L U G M A I L I N G L I S T S -
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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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RED HAT READIES ENTERPRISE LINUX 3
"Linux leader Red Hat is getting set to launch its Enterprise Linux
3 lineup for the data center next month..."
http://linuxtoday.com/it_management/2003092201326NWRHSV
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FIVE REALITIES OF LINUX
Misunderstandings and preconceived notions are the real enemy. Here
are five realities of open source (in general) and Linux (in
particular):
http://www.nwc.com/1418/1418buzz2.html
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RED HAT POSTS ITS BEST QUARTER YET
"Anybody remember the days when the naysayers said you couldn't
build a viable business model centered around open-source software?
After Red Hat's 2nd quarter report, well, insert FOOT in mouth; is
all I have to say. Okay, okay, the hubris of a Linux zealot aside,
the numbers look pretty good. Revenue for the quarter was $28
million, with net income at $3 million. You'd think SCO's
blathering would have damaged them, but they're actually up the
last couple of quarters after posting some net losses in previous
quarters." Kudos to Red Hat. They must be doing something right.
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/09/19/0319257
&mode=thread&tid=106&tid=110&tid=185&tid=187
http://www.redhat.com/about/presscenter/2003/press_q2fy2004.html
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WINDOWS VERSES LINUX: WHAT WORKS BEST?
"An increasing number of users are considering Linux as an
alternative to Microsoft for their desktop software..." A roundup
article on the pros and cons of using Linux instead of Windows.
Rather than being a cheap alternative to Windows, Gartner says
that most users should not expect to reduce costs by migrating
to Linux on the desktop. Should the sensible choice be to avoid
a Linux operating system on the desktop right now?
http://www.vnunet.com/Analysis/1143712
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TORVALDS AND COX WRITE EU PARLIAMENT ON PATENTS
"Linus Torvalds and Alan Cox have sent an open letter to the members
of the European Parliament. They ask for strict limitations to
software patents, argue for open standards and ask the members of
the parliament to follow FFII's voting recommendations. Vote on the
controversial software patents directive will be on Wednesday and
it is expected to be a very close one. Well, do you believe these
guys have any impact in Brussels?"
http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/09/21/2330232
&mode=thread&tid=106&tid=117&tid=155&tid=185&tid=99
=====================================================================
LESSONS IN PACKAGING LINUX APPLICATIONS
This article records our experiences with packaging an application
for many distributions and shows areas in which packagers, Linux
distributions, and developers can improve coordination for better
and easier distribution. We look at communication problems,
packaging errors, package dependencies, menu entries, and bug
tracking systems.
http://freshmeat.net/articles/view/992/
============================================================================
THIN CLIENTS GO FOR LINUX
"Linux is becoming an increasingly popular choice for thin clients,
and the open-source operating system could soon become the dominant
terminal platform, according to Wyse Technology..."
http://linuxtoday.com/it_management/2003092201626NWBZDP
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STAROFFICE V7, GNOME-OFFICE V1.0 RELEASED
"Abiword 2.0 has been released. Finally the Linux desktop has a
quality word processor that is faster to load than OpenOffice.org
and includes proper footnotes. It also no longer uses its own font
directory. At the same time Enchant 1.0.0 has been released, a
cross-platform abstract layer to spellchecking. Enchant has been
proposed to be a Freedesktop.org standard." That's not the only
news, though: Abiword 2.0 is part of the just-released GNOME-Office
1.0, which, "coordinates GNOME2 versions of AbiWord, Gnumeric, and
GNOME-DB, the database interface." Sun's StarOffice has just
reached version 7, as well:
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/09/16/2238255
&mode=thread&tid=131&tid=185&tid=189
http://newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=03/09/20/1632224
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OPEN CHOICE AWARDS 2003
Choosing the best of the best in different sectors of GNU/Linux
products and services is not an easy task. In many cases, there was
more than one contender that was worthy of an award in any given
category.
http://www.ofb.biz/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=265
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NOVELL DELAYS LINUX SERVICES FOR NETWARE
Novell is delaying shipment of its much anticipated Linux Services
for NetWare product until the end of this year, due to a decision
to integrate software code from Ximian, a recently acquired ISV
that is very active in the Linux space. Ximian code will show up
in other future Novell products, too, including a Linux-based
interface for Novell's GroupWise, and even possibly a desktop
GUI from Novell.
http://www.linux.org/news/2003/09/19/0004.html
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NOVELL'S LINUX USERS REPORT INSTALLATION GLITCHES
"As Novell prepares the year-end release of its Nterprise for Linux
services, early beta testers are liking what they see, but many are
reporting concerns with limitations in installing the software.
While Novell delays the release to include newly-acquired Ximian
software into Nterprise, it will have these issues to tackle as
well..."
http://linuxtoday.com/it_management/2003092201826NWBZSW
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BILL GATES EMBRACES RIVALS, LINUX ???
Gates and IBM executive vice president Steve Mills said their
company's three-year collaboration had developed tools that
will let computers conduct secure transactions whether they run
Microsoft's Windows platform or others, such as IBM's WebSphere
or the open-source Linux system that is given away. "We're being
as inclusive as we can," Gates said of Microsoft's role in the
cross-platform project. "This is a fabric for someone to do
e-commerce that's independent of the operating systems that
are out there."
http://www.linux.org/news/2003/09/18/0004.html
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LINUX SECURITY: GOOD ENOUGH
It's really simple. Linux has OK security , Windows doesn't.
"Any questions?"
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,4149,1274651,00.asp
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PHP USAGE IN THE ENTERPRISE
"Some open survey results were published about PHP usage in the
enterprise on the InterAKT site. An alternative survey on the
PHP open source movement can be found on Zend site. See how
we've evaluated the PHP market size($$$), what people think
about PHP as an alternative to Java and .NET, and what should
be done in order to have your large clients adopt open source
solutions."
http://developers.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/09/19/2133204
&mode=thread&tid=126&tid=169
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BOOTING LINUX FASTER
"IBM's DeveloperWorks explains how to decrease boot times for your
Linux box. The concept is to load system services in parallel when
possible. Most surprising to me is the use of 'make' to handle
dependencies between services." The example system shown is able
to cut its boot time in half, but the article stresses the
effectiveness can vary widly from machine to machine.
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/09/18/224207
&mode=thread&tid=106&tid=136&tid=185&tid=187
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HOUSE PASSES INTERNET TAX BAN
"InfoWorld reports that the House of Representatives today voted a
permanent ban on 'levying taxes unique to the Internet.' "
http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/09/18/0558255
&mode=thread&tid=103&tid=126&tid=95&tid=99
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GOOGLE CODE JAM 2003 ANNOUNCED
"The newest Google programming contest, Google Code Jam 2003."
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/09/17/167255
&mode=thread&tid=126&tid=156
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LINUX ARCHIVE, NOW BY DATE
"Ibiblio's historic archive for Linux, linked recently, offers lots
of old distros, but the dates aren't obvious. I went through and
dug out what dates I could for my timeline, but couldn't find any
date for several." Robot Wisdom managed to collect an impressive
list;
http://developers.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/09/17/0252232
&mode=thread&tid=106&tid=117&tid=185&tid=99=======
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GCC V3.3 UPDATE FOR MAC OS X AVAILABLE
"The August 2003 GCC updater includes the new GCC 3.3 compiler in
addition to other updates that will allow development of G5
optimized code...
http://apple.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/09/16/0427210
&mode=thread&tid=126&tid=156&tid=179&tid=185&tid=190
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FREEING COMPUTERS IN SCHOOLS
Linux in Education Why free software makes sense in education.
http://www.linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=7148&mode=thread&order=0
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LINUX LUNACY IN ALASKA
Glaciers, schmaciers. What can Linux Lunacy do for my hacking skills?
http://www.linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=7149&mode=thread&order=0
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LOBBYING FOR LINUX
It's not every day that you find yourself talking to your Member of
the European Parliament (MEP) about Free Software; a day becomes
even more unusual when an MEP's assistant starts to talk to you
about happy penguins and GNU/Linux..."
http://newsforge.com/newsforge/03/09/16/1428222.shtml?tid=17
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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.
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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.
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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 $600 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.
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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
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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