Meetings:2010-10-21

=Location= Siouxland Libraries Oak View Branch in Sioux Falls, Room 3 at 6:30pm.

=Agenda= Adam will discuss the differences (and similarities) between BSD and Linux.

We are still looking for 5- to 10-minute demos for October's meeting.

If you've tried a new distribution or found an open source program that makes your computer more useful, show it to the club. A laptop is available for these demos, so you don't need to bring your own machine.

To volunteer, contact Glenn (dakota.son at gmail.com).

=Minutes= Prepared by Glenn

Intro to BSD
This month, the club got a glimpse into the world of the BSD (Berkeley Software Distribution) operating systems, with comparisons between FreeBSD to Debian Linux.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkeley_Software_Distribution

Adam, who has used FreeBSD since 1997, spoke about how the BSD system includes both a kernel and userland applications, unlike a Linux distribution, in which the kernel has been developed separate from the GNU userland applications.

http://www.freebsd.org/

The main configuration tool in BSD is the sysinstall application, which is run on installation, but can be run to reconfigure system settings at any time.

In FreeBSD, upgrades are usually a two-step process, in which the kernel and userland are upgraded first, followed by any third-party applications.

Adam also introduced the FreeBSD ports system. In FreeBSD, software can be installed either via packages, which are pre-compiled binaries, or via the ports tree, a directory that contains links to the source code of thousands of software packages and default makefiles for compiling them.

Port management tools, such as portmaster, provide dependency resolution similar to Debian's apt-get command.

http://dougbarton.us/portmaster.html

The single most important document when learning FreeBSD is the FreeBSD Handbook, Adam said. The handbook contains information about Unix basics, as well as clear How-Tos for advanced topics.

http://www.freebsd.org/doc/handbook/

The BSDs generally include a Linux compatibility layer, which allows BSD users to run Linux applications in a chroot environment. Since the conversion is only in system calls, the Linux applications run at near native speed, he said.

Adam also discussed using GEOM to create a mirrored disk RAID with five commands, and some of the features of ZFS, the self-healing file system developed by Sun.

Hackerspace
Steve, Dusty, Rob, and Dan are planning to create a local hackerspace. A hackerspace is a physical space that allows people to meet and work on projects and participate in workshops.

http://hackerspaces.org/wiki/

They would like your help and your input.

The next hackerspace meeting will be at 7 pm on Thursday, Nov. 11, at the Caribou Coffee shop at 1924 S. Minnesota Ave. in Sioux Falls.

For more info, visit:

http://mooncitylabs.org

Other Business
Dan and Steve have converted the SLUG's website to a new wiki-based site. Club members are welcome to register and edit pages.

Thanks to Dan and Steve for all their hard work!

Help Session
The evening began with a new member reporting problems getting Linux Mint to work with a Kodak ESP 3 printer and a web cam.

Members gave their initial advice, and he was given a web page to check. Discussion will continue on the mailing list.

Attendance
In all, 13 people attended the meeting, including two new mailing list members.

November Meeting
The SLUG will meet on Thursday, Nov. 18, at the Siouxland Libraries Oak View Branch in Room 3. The room will open at 5 pm for setup.

A general help session will begin at 5:30 pm.

At 6:30 pm, Dusty will show us how to improve our use of The Gimp (GNU Image Manipulation Program).

We welcome anyone willing to do a 5- to 10-minute demonstration for November's meeting.

If you've tried a new distribution or found an open source program that makes your computer more useful, show it to the club. A laptop is available for these demos, so you don't need to bring your own machine.

To volunteer, contact Glenn (dakota.son at gmail.com).

December topic
Dinner at Tommy Jack's Pub - details TBA