[wplug] [wplug-announce] August 2005 Edition: The Open Pitt

Belcher, Christopher B. cbelcher at ccac.edu
Wed Aug 31 22:06:16 EDT 2005


Beth Lynn,
After reading the recent postings here about the concerns that WPLUG may have in the future over a meeting site, I thought that it may be possible to arrange to have space at CCAC to hold these meetings if CMU's space becomes unavailable. I can't promise anything, but I would be willing to investigate the issue. There would certainly be plenty of parking on the weekends, as well as the bonus of an easily-accessible location. Let me know what you think.
Christopher Belcher
Professor, CIT


-----Original Message-----
From:	wplug-bounces+cbelcher=ccac.edu at wplug.org on behalf of Beth Lynn
Sent:	Wed 8/31/2005 5:52 PM
To:	wplug at wplug.org
Cc:	
Subject:	[wplug] [wplug-announce] August 2005 Edition: The Open Pitt
                               THE OPEN PITT
       What's cooking in Linux and Open Source in Western Pennsylvania

===========================================================================
Issue 15                        August 2005 
www.wplug.org
===========================================================================

In this issue:
   Ohio LinuxFest 2005 Preview
   July Roundup
   From the Editors: Software Freedom Day
   Bylaws Update

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                Coming Events

Sep. 10: General User Meeting.  Topic: Linux on the XBox.  10am to 2pm,
          1507 Newell-Simon Hall, CMU
Sep. 17: Installfest.  10am to 5pm, 1507 Newell-Simon Hall, CMU
Oct. 1:  Ohio LinuxFest 2005.  Columbus, Ohio: see
          <http://www.ohiolinux.org/> for details
Oct. 15: General User Meeting/Nomination Meeting.  10am to 2pm, 1507
          Newell-Simon Hall, CMU (date tentative)
Sep. 17: Installfest.  10am to 5pm, 1507 Newell-Simon Hall, CMU (date
          tentative)

                     The public is welcome at all events
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ohio LinuxFest 2005 Preview

When you examine the recent history of the Browns and the Bengals,
especially when compared to the Steelers, the state of Ohio doesn't come
out looking too well.  But even if football isn't their forte, they
certainly know how to put on a first-class Linux gathering.

Now in its third year, Ohio LinuxFest continues to grow.  Drawing from all
over Ohio, the surrounding states, and Canada, it will take place this
October 1st at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.  The new venue was
selected to handle the anticipated increase in attendance.

What follows is a sampling of the speakers booked so far and their subject
matter.  Some of the details are subject to change, but this should be
reasonably close to the final lineup.  To get the most up-to-date
information on speakers, the conference site, hotels, and how to register
for the event, see the LinuxFest web site at <http://www.ohiolinux.org/>.

KDE
Aaron Seigo of Trolltech and the KDE project will give an overview of KDE
3.4 and its applications oriented for the desktop user.  He'll also 
uncover
some of the hidden treasures of KDE, useful tools and applications you may
have never heard of.  There will also be a sneak peek at the upcoming
version 3.5.

Symphony OS
The purpose of the Symphony OS project is to provide a more intuitive and
easier to use Linux desktop experience.  Project founder Ryan Quinn will
discuss this distribution and its unique Mezzo Desktop Environment.

Ubuntu
Billed as "Linux for human beings," Mark Shuttleworth's Ubuntu project has
rocketed to immense popularity in the span of less than a year.  Jorge
Castro will introduce the Ubuntu concept and distribution.  He will also
preview the new features and improvements in the upcoming Breezy Badger
release, due out in October.

Linux Terminal Server Project
The Linux Terminal Server Project is one of the more mature systems for
setting up a network of thin clients, where users' lightweight machines 
act
as displays for programs running on a server.  This arrangement allows
great flexibility while retaining centralized control and management.
Founder Jim McQuillan will share from his over twenty years of experience
with UNIX and networking, ten of those working with Linux.

High Availability Infrastructures
David J. Coulson of N2Net will explain how Linux can provide high-uptime
network services at low cost.  He'll show how to maintain a fully 
redundant
network environment, build a highly available IP router, and expand upon
existing infrastructure with Linux devices.

Virtualization Technologies
Virtualization is a hot topic today, with software like Xen and VMware
being used to create virtual machines for increased security, rapid
provisioning, and maximizing server utilization.  Ram Rao of Hewlett-
Packard will discuss his work with Linux and open source solutions for
mission-critical enterprise applications.

AstLinux
A brief introduction to AstLinux, an open-source telephone PBX built with
the popular Asterisk software.  Creator Kristian Kielhofner will be your
tour guide as we explore its features, design, and how it can be used to
solve interesting telephony needs.

Mainframe Linux
Scott Courtney of Sine Nomine Associates will cover how Linux runs in
virtual hardware on IBM S/390 and z/Series mainframes.  We'll investigate
its features and benefits relative to other system architectures.  He will
also discuss some of the practical challenges of managing a virtual server
farm.

BatchLogin
BatchLogin is a tool for managing connections to servers in a 
heterogeneous
environment.  Author Paul Ferris of Westfield Insurance (who also has over
a decade of experience in the Linux community) will review its 
capabilities
and how it can help overworked system administrators keep their sanity.

Digital Forensics
Detective Sergeant Michael Harrington of the Michigan State Police 
Computer
Crimes Unit will cover the use of Linux for digital forensic 
investigation.
Topics will include conducting investigations for presentation in a court
of law and the interface of the private sector with law enforcement.

Threat Management
Linux is increasingly used in high-security applications.  Alex Quinonez 
of
Astaro Corporation will discuss applying a layered approach for complete
perimeter security using Linux.  This is done under a model of Unified
Threat Management.

Hula
Growing out of Novell's Netmail project, Hula's goal is to be a fun and
easy to use open-source calendaring and mail server.  Joe Gasiorek, 
student
at Western Michigan University and Novell intern, will explore its
capabilities and progress so far.

Deploying Open Source in Schools
Kim Brand of Server Partners, LLC will share experience from successfully
deploying file servers, mail servers and thin client solutions in public
and private Indiana schools.  Volunteers will learn where open source
software makes the most sense and how they can help effectively.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

July Roundup

Jul. 9 General User Meeting: Several WPLUGers delivered a series of
presentations on various Linux and BSD distributions.  Chris Ott gave a
brief introduction, describing what a distribution is and the
characteristics tending to distinguish them.  Duncan Hutty covered the
Gentoo Linux distribution.  Its claim to fame is that users typically 
build
it from source with the Portage system, resulting in the software being
optimized for each particular machine.  A demonstration of Mandriva
(Mandrake) Linux was given by Vance Kochenderfer, showing off its package
management and administrative tools.  Jonathan Billings reviewed the fast-
growing Fedora project, concentrating on its philosophy and its origins as
an offshoot of Red Hat Linux.  The many abilities of the Knoppix Linux 
live
CD were discussed by Beth Lynn Eicher, from its use as a rescue tool to a
convenient portable desktop system.  Bill Moran finished up with FreeBSD,
another UNIX-like system with roots nearly thirty years old. He went over
FreeBSD's development process, the Ports system for installing software,
and the differences in layout between it and a typical Linux system.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

  From the Editors: Software Freedom Day

September 10 is being celebrated worldwide as Software Freedom Day
to educate the public about Free and Open Source Software.

Organizers hope to spread the word about the benefits of running software
that is not only zero cost, but is also "free as in freedom."  You can get
in on the action by demonstrating to your friends and relatives the power
of Free operating systems.  Live CDs like Knoppix and FreeSBIE are ideal
for this purpose.

If they're unwilling or unable to give up their proprietary operating
system, TheOpenCD contains a high-quality collection of applications for
Windows like OpenOffice.org and Firefox.  It even has a mini version of
the Ubuntu Linux live CD.  You can get more details and download it from
<http://www.theopencd.org/>.

Although not specifically a Software Freedom Day event, WPLUG will host a
General User Meeting that day with a topic of running Linux on the XBox.
You'll see how you can take this closed platform and turn it into one that
runs Free and Open Source software.

To get the latest scoop on Software Freedom Day activities, take a look at
the event web site at <http://www.softwarefreedomday.org/>.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bylaws Update

As reported in last month's Open Pitt, WPLUG's bylaws are undergoing
revision.  The timing of this transition has been altered somewhat, and
this is the currently-planned schedule:
   October 15: Nomination meeting
   November 13: Election meeting

Difficulties obtaining meeting space (see last month's issue) may force
these dates to be shifted slightly, so check the WPLUG web site for the
latest details.

===========================================================================
The Open Pitt is published by the Western Pennsylvania Linux Users Group
<http://www.wplug.org/top/>

Editors: Elwin Green, Vance Kochenderfer

Copyright 2005 Western Pennsylvania Linux Users Group.  Any article in
this newsletter may be reprinted elsewhere in any medium, provided it is
not changed and attribution is given to the author and WPLUG.

_______________________________________________
wplug-announce mailing list
wplug-announce at wplug.org
http://www.wplug.org/mailman/listinfo/wplug-announce
_______________________________________________
wplug mailing list
wplug at wplug.org
http://www.wplug.org/mailman/listinfo/wplug



-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: application/ms-tnef
Size: 8468 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://www.wplug.org/pipermail/wplug/attachments/20050831/af11c9e0/attachment.bin


More information about the wplug mailing list