15 October 2005 - Intro to Linux
Topics
Intro to Linux (by Jason Bechtel, Abdul (QoD), Josh Locklear)
Beginner Q&A
Installation
Applications
Attendance
20-25
Presentation Resources
Meeting Announcement (txt)
YaKuake (a cool auto-hiding terminal app for KDE)
Table of Equivalents of Windows software in Linux (original, Russian site; very extensive)
Linux software equivalent to Windows software (new wiki at LinuxQuestions.org; less extensive)
Meeting Notes
I arrived about 5 minutes late, but at least I already had the pizza and pop with me! :-) There was a good crowd and lots of new faces, which was exactly what we were hoping for with the "Intro to Linux" topic... People were encouraged to get pizza and beverages while I set up, so that worked out pretty well. I forgot to pass around a sign-in sheet, but I'm guessing there were at least 20 people, maybe 25. There was a decent-looking projector, but not the ViewSonic projector from last time. I tried to get it working with my laptop, but it wouldn't go. Abdul finally got it to work with his Presario laptop, but only at 640x480, which was at least good for visibility. I'll have to ask about getting a different one for next month.
I started with a welcome and skipped the recent Linux news. Instead, we went around the room and did introductions: name, how you found out about TALUG (or how long you've been coming), and what you hope to get out of today's meeting. That went very well, I thought, but next time a sign-in sheet should be circulated while this is going on. It was great to hear how everyone found out about the group (one person only three hours before the meeting started!) and what their goals were.
Since there were quite a few people who were totally new to Linux, I decided to just launch right into a list of good starting places, using the links on TALUG's website under "External Links" as a reference. That turned out to be a pretty effective way of covering the basics of Linux. It brings up common questions, like "where do i get software" and "how can i do ___ under Linux"... With Abdul at the helm and me writing on the board, we covered documentation, the separation of the systems in the GUI stack (X, WM, Desktop), distributions, and many other topics. One person was particularly interested in DVD playback, so we spent some time discussing the legal issues and the general trend of digital media and Linux.
We took a break at 4:00pm, and Josh set up to walk through an install of openSUSE 10.0. He ran quickly through the basic setup options (language, keyboard, etc.) and focused mostly on partitioning and filesystems. He hit a snag the first time through, though, due to a bad burn of disc 1. Using a good disc, he was able to complete it, though.
During the break and Josh's presentation, we burned copies of distros on request. I think we burned another two copies of openSUSE 10.0, a couple of Ubuntu 5.10 install CDs, some DeMuDi, and one copy of TheOpenCD. Bob Eiser provided many ISOs on a portable Linksys network fileserver device, which I easily browsed over SMB using Konqueror. A new member (Kevin, a.k.a. bigk101) donated a spindle of CDs.
Security didn't interrupt us early this time and we used the room until 5:30pm. Then it took another 15 minutes to pack up and move out. Thanks to all the people who helped me out to my car with my 20 boxes.
I think overall it was a *very* successful meeting. People had lots of questions answered. Lots of new people were introduced to Linux. And some regulars (and not-so-regulars) got to spend over three hours in geekdom. ;-)
So, congratulations to all involved. It was a great meeting. Let's carry forward that momentum next month. Volunteer to give a presentation now! Just send an email to me or to the list.
Jason
PS: UPDATE: TALUG now has an official bank account! It's a 100% free checking account. So, now we can accept personal checks for donations. Steve Tryc and I are on the account now. When new officers come on board, they can be added as signatories.
