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How to reduce your system administration burden and cost while increasing service and saving the planet.Topics will include
- Advantages of the thin-client model versus a standard PC network
- Hardware considerations
- Open Source applications in education
- One school's experience using Linux
- Demonstrations
Welcome to the web page for our Fall 2002 Free Linux Seminars! This page provides everything you need to get started.What are the Free Linux Seminars?
What are Linux and FreeBSD?Chuug's Free Linux Seminars are an excellent way to learn about Linux and the other powerful, robust operating systems that have been developed in the past decade. The format of these seminars is informal, with the main focus being real-world applications of open source software, complete with demonstrations. Participants are encouraged to actively participate and ask questions.
Although the main focus of these seminars will be Linux -- due to the anticipated demand -- our members will be on hand to discuss and answer questions about FreeBSD and the other Berkeley-derived, freely-available operating systems.
Our goal for holding these seminars is to introduce these operating systems, which most of us use every day, to computer users who normally would not get the opportunity to discover on their own what these systems have to offer. When you leave, you should have a better understanding of what Linux and FreeBSD are, what they can be used for, and whether they are right for you.
When and Where?Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, and NetBSD are all operating systems derived from the Unix operating system, first developed at AT&T Bell Labs approximately 30 years ago. Unix-like operating systems have become popular for their straight-forward design, their robustness, and the large set of powerful software that they support.
Although these operating systems have traditionally been associated with network server applications -- since much of the internet has been powered by computers running them for the past decade -- these systems, particularly Linux, are rapidly becoming a stable, robust alternative to popular desktop systems such as Microsoft Windows. The development of desktop software on these platforms has progressed rapidly in the past several years, so that unbeknownst to many computer users, these systems now offer mature, well-developed desktop environments and office productivity software.
All of this software has been developed by numerous programmers throughout the world, who have given the products of their efforts away for free in the belief that the best software comes from a cooperative effort whereby individuals share their work. It is this philosophy that drives innovation and development and distinguishes these systems from the many commercial operating systems (including commercial Unices) available today.
The next seminar will be held at 7:00pm on Monday, November 25, 2002, in the Auditorium of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) building near the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. (A map and directions to the NRAO building are available on our website.) The auditorium is located just inside the main doors of the building.