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KLUG Meeting Notes - 10/10/2000
KALAMAZOO LINUX USER'S GROUP
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 Room 4202 of Dunbar Hall on
the campus of Western Michigan University.
Tuesday October 10, 2000 7:00PM
KLUG Meeting Notes - Summary
I. PRESENTATION RECAP
II. NEXT WEEK'S MEETING INFO
III. PROJECT REPORTS
IV. GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
Tonight's Meeting Moderator:
Chairperson: Robert G. Brown
I. PRESENTATION RECAP
THIS WEEK'S KLUG PRESENTATION: (9 active participants tonight)
****************************************************************
Installation - Beginner's Meeting Part II
By Bruce Smith
Bruce's presentation discussed what is involved in
downloading and installing software on your Linux
system. Bruce talked about the two most popular
package formats, RPM files and TAR files. He has
no experience with, and thus, did not discuss the
Debian format, DEB files.
Tape Archiver (TAR's) -
Originally a backup or archiver tool, TAR's store
multiple files and directories into one, optionally
compressed, file. TAR files usually contain only
program source, but may contain binary files. You
can think of TAR as the unix version of PKZIP. Bruce
told us how to compile and install a package from
source code. Makefiles were discussed. Bruce gave
many examples of TAR usage.
Check out "man tar" or "tar --help | less" for more details.
Package Management (RPM's) -
The RPM command will install, un-install, update, verify,
check signature, query, and even create RPM binary files
from TAR source files. RPM's also check for dependencies
to help ensure that the package will run correctly. Bruce
gave many useful examples of RPM command usage.
While RPM's appear to be the simplest install method, you
should understand both TAR and RPM usage. There are
situations where use of one or both techniques could be
more desirable or even required. The TAR techniques seem
to be preferred by some and others say that the RPM's are
very valuable. The RPM's are newer but did not replace the
TAR function. Bruce breifly discussed how to build your
own RPM's.
You can find out more about RPM's from Red Hat's web site.
http://rpm.redhat.com/RPM-HOWTO/
THE BEGINNER'S MEETINGS ARE the first two Tuesdays 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,
see URL: http://kalamazoolinux.org/meetings/installform.html
Contact the KLUG Installmasters for more information:
installmaster@kalamazoolinux.org
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 session,
as we have done in the past. 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!
Bruce Smith is a Systems Administrator and Software
Developer for Armstrong International Inc. where he
is responsible for a HP-UX 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 Chips! :) Bruce runs Linux, almost
exclusively, on all his PC's at work and home, and
runs a lot of Armstrong's networking services on Linux!
NOTE -
* Must come to three meetings to qualify as a full member.
II. NEXT WEEK'S MEETING - TUESDAY 10/17/2000
********************************************************************
LINUX DEBUGGING TRICKS
By Adam Williams
Can't figure out why that program won't run? Linux has
lots of utilities for figuring out what a processes problem
is, such as netstat, strace, fuser, just to name a few. With
a handle on a few of these utilities you'll be able to know
what's REALLY going on.
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".
Recently married and ensconced as a KLUG officer (independent
events), 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.
---------------------------------------------------------------
COME TO A MEETING TO GET THE REAL GOOD STUFF!!! YUMMY!
There were delicious homemade chunky chocolate brownies
and ice cold whole milk served after the meeting! VERY TASTY!!!
T H A N K S Robert G. Brown and Adam & Michelle Williams!!!
----------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE -
* Must come to three meetings to qualify as a full member.
III. LINUX OR KLUG RELATED PROJECT REPORTS -
THE KLUG ANNUAL ELECTION OF OFFICERS IS IN JANUARY!
http://www.kalamazoolinux.org/organize
Start thinking about your choices and make nominations.
Anonymous nominations for every elected position!!!
http://www.kalamazoolinux.org/organize/nominate.html
HALLOWEEN RAFFLE AND DRAWING - TICKETS ON SALE NOW!!!
Tickets are $1 and will be for T-Shirts and stuff from Linux
vendors. You do not need to be present to win. See the
KLUG web site for more details.
BOOGIE CYBER CAFE - KLUG's public commercial Linux project.
There may be an update of the Linux distribution here soon.
Stop in and see this "pay-to-compute" implementation.
Check out - http://www.boogies.com/ Site by Matt Crampton!
This successful public demonstration of the flexibility and
suitability of Linux in a commercial environment provides
great exposure. This project provides a share of the profits
to fund KLUG activities. Members check on this LAN, remotely,
several times a day. The network support for Boogie has been
taken over by Peter Buxton and Ian Schirado. The Linux OS
STILL remains cool, calm, and constant! All PC's have been
upgraded to 64 Mb of RAM for performance.
WEST MICHIGAN POLIO NETWORK WEB SITE - A new project manager
has been identified and the process of project transfer is
in progress. The site development is heading into the final
stages. WMPN has asked us to assist them in getting their info
published for public use and good. The web content includes
information on post-polio disorders.
More info from "Robert G. Brown" <bob@acm.org>
THE LINUX VIDEO OUTREACH PROJECT -
We are looking for a new "Post-Production Video Project
Manager." Any ideas? See the intro footage demo at
http://www.imago3d.com/KLUG An idea has been proposed to
include footage of KLUG meeting activities. A visual
demonstration of this "community supported" OS. The
subjects covered in the video include the internet, Linux,
and KLUG. This video will be presented repeatedly on local
public access channels for educational and KLUG/Linux
promotional purposes. KLUG presents "The Internet Demystified"
More info from <bob@acm.org>
NOTE -
* Must come to three meetings to qualify as a full member.
IV. GENERAL KLUG ANNOUNCEMENTS
WHAT IS KLUG? -
KLUG is a volunteer group formed by and for LINUX
system users in the Kalamazoo Michigan area. We
support, promote, and develop activities related
to the use, study, and application of LINUX in the
local community.
THE BEGINNER'S MEETINGS ARE NOW the first two Tuesdays 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,
see URL: http://kalamazoolinux.org/meetings/installform.html
Contact the KLUG Installmasters for more information:
installmaster@kalamazoolinux.org
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 session,
as we have done in the past. 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!
IF YOU KNOW OF ADDITIONAL LINKS that should be included
in the KLUG LINKS page... please send e-mail suggestions
to <linkmaster@kalamazoolinux.org> so the LINKS team
can review the content of the site.
http://www.kalamazoolinux.org/links
REDHAT LINUX CERTIFICATION information is available
from a KLUG officer. See the club listserv for more
info or check certifications on the Links page.
http://www.kalamazoolinux.org/links/certification.html
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ > N E W S F L A S H < +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
Y O U ARE ASKED TO REMEMBER THAT K L U G IS...
A ---> VOLUNTEER <--- ORGANIZATION!!!
Please Honor the Spirit of the GPL! Is it REALLY Free?
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
VOLUNTEER CLUB POSITIONS NOW AVAILABLE:
All KLUG positions are NOT occupied currently.
Please consider serving the members as one of the following...
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
WEBMASTER
http://www.kalamazoolinux.org/organize/web-mast.html
INSTALLMASTER
http://www.kalamazoolinux.org/organize/inst-mast.html
LINKMASTER
http://www.kalamazoolinux.org/organize/link-mast.html
LISTMASTER
http://www.kalamazoolinux.org/organize/list-mast.html
WEBMASTER (Boogie's Cyber Cafe)www.boogies.com
PROJECT MANAGER Post-Production Video Outreach
More info from "Robert G. Brown" <bob@acm.org>
J O I N & S U P P O R T K L U G !!!
Be a KLUG Supporting Member! $25 annually *
($.50 per meeting) TRULY A GREAT BARGAIN!!!
THE SUPPORTING MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS INCLUDE -
*****************************************************************
GREAT MEETING PRESENTATIONS. Your opportunity
to share your Linux experiences and see what
other people are doing. Come enjoy a meeting!
If you have an IDEA FOR A KLUG PRESENTATION or know
of a good speaker, we want to hear about it! Make
contact with our KLUG Program Director, Brenda
Williams! <brenda@cvalaw.com>
A Pentium Class Desktop PC is Available for Use
in KLUG Presentations! Contact <bob@acm.org>
NEW GOLD EDITION CD GIFT FOR KLUG PRESENTATIONS!
In addition to the sincere appreciation felt
for those great KLUG presentations, presenters
will be given a gift of a new GOLD EDITION CD-ROM!
NON-COMMERCIAL OR PERSONAL WEB SITE HOSTED on the
KLUG server. Single page .html files can be sent to the interim
KLUG webmaster@kalamazoolinux.org for
posting. These are intended to be low traffic web
sites displaying appropriate content.
CHECK OUT THE NEW KLUG LIBRARY PAGE - See the updated
inventory listing of our KLUG Library. The items listed in
green are only available to KLUG supporting members.
We have Debian, SuSE, Mandrake, and WinLinux distribution
packages available in our library along with several others.
Did you know we have *non-Linux* distribution additions!
Everything else is available to anyone that can come to a
KLUG meeting. If you would like to check out one of these
items, please check it off and submit the form on the KLUG
library page. We are sharing these next two items as an F-Y-I !
Please do show up at the meeting if you have books requested.
What about you? Do you need to return any KLUG library books?
Contact Adam Williams for more info <awilliam@whitemice.org>
***************** BSWARE SOFTWARE **********************
=========================================
RED HAT VERSION 7.0 HAS BEEN RELEASED!!!
=========================================
This Linux distribution now comes on two (2) CD's.
Supporting Member Discount on BSware is $3 or 60% off!
Bruce distributes a non-commercial version of Redhat!
Notice - BSware prices are $5 per CD. A great deal!!!
Thanks Bruce!!! See http://kalamazoolinux.org/bsware/
NEW 50 Mb CREDIT CARD SIZED LINUX CD-ROM'S ARE HERE!
Contact Bruce to find out what Linux distributions and
application software he has available. E-mail him in
advance about your needs and pick up your CD's at the
next meeting. bruce@armintl.com
A PHP SIG HAS BEEN FORMED - FOR ALL those interested
in learning this powerful server-side scripting language.
THE FIRST MEETING WAS HELD Tuesday, June 13th at 7pm.
See the listserv info on the KLUG web site. Newbies and
experienced PHP developers alike will have ample opportunity
to share and encourage one another in the use of PHP. More
info from "Tony Gettig" <tony@gettig-group.com>
http://kalamazoolinux.org/listserv/ SIGN UP NOW!!!
MAKE SURE YOU ARE SIGNED UP for the KLUG mailing list!
**********************
THIS IS THE WAY TO GET THESE WEEKLY KLUG MEETING NOTES!
**********************
Diversified mailing lists can be found on our web site.
http://kalamazoolinux.org/listserv/
Currently Available KLUG Lists:
- Common List (All Members)
- Assistance for New Linux Users
- Merits/Weaknesses of different Operating Systems
- PHP
TAX DEDUCTIBLE STATUS - STILL WAITING FOR THE IRS!!!
The 501c3 application was sent to the IRS in December.
We have received notice that they are proceeding with
the processing of our request. We hope to hear from
them soon with notice of our charitable deductibility.
Charitable and tax-exemption status is routinely granted
to educational not-for-profit organizations. This should
help us attain our financial goals. We need working
capital for increased Linux promotional activities.
WEST MICHIGAN SEARCH & RESCUE - Web site is done.
Go there and see this KLUG public service project!
The site is ready for the next phase of development.
Contact Brenda Williams with questions or comments.
<brenda@cvalaw.com> Web site http://www.wmsar.org
NOTE -
* Must come to three meetings to qualify as a full member.
Bring a friend... who was disappointed by a proprietary OS!
THANKS to MORRISON INDUSTRIES, INC. for providing their
VGA Projector to support KLUG and Linux presentations.
THANKS to ARMSTRONG INTERNATIONAL, INC. for providing their
much appreciated IT Resources to support KLUG and Linux.
>><< send corrections, additions, flames to the KLUG scribe >><<
mag00@voyager.net or magoo@yakko.cs.wmich.edu
Space & Time Coordinates: The Holocene Period of Planet Earth