PCQ expo posters. [long]

[Prabhu Ramachandran <prabhu@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dear Luggies,

	As you are all aware we are hosting a stall for the PCQ expo
that starts on the 24th and ends on the 26th of this month.  Lateral
software is funding the show lending us some computers, and managing
PR and doing a lot of stuff.  OS4 is also lending a hand with Asokans
Dell Laptop and with some manpower.  There are about 9 guys who
volunteered to come by during the expo to help out and man the stall.
We need to make posters for the show.  Roshan has agreed to actually
make the posters with help from his staff.  So we need to contribute
to the actual content on the posters.  Since there are more than 100
folks on the list who have all been helped in some way or the
other. Please help by passing comments/ideas. 

	Here is an initial draft of some random ideas off the top of
my head.  I wrote some stuff in detail and the rest I have no time
for.  Please fill up/delete as appropriate.

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

What is Open Source Software all about?
---------------------------------------

[Explain in some detail.  No need for the gory stuff but just
some stuff in plain english.]

Linux, GNU and all that.
------------------------

	Linux is an Open source OS that is developed by a large number
of volunteers on the internet that is similar to Unix.  It has evolved
to become the most popular unix currently.  The linux code base is
free and the source code for most of the linux OS and its associated
tools are freely available on the net.  Linux has been proven to be a
fast, stable, secure and reliable OS that is in increasing acceptance
today.

	Probably the most remarkable thing about GNU/Linux is the
sense of community that it evokes.  The linux source is distributed
under a license called GPL.  This is a license designed to improve the
linux community.  The GPL is the brain child of Richard Stallman,
founder of the FSF (Free Software FOundation) and the GNU (GNU is Not
Unix) project.  The GNU project is responsible for some of the very
important software that ships with linux distro's, namely the
compilers, debuggers and a host of other software.

	Linux has become popular through a large number of Linux User
Groups (LUG's).  The ILUG (Indian Linux Users Group) is one such LUG,
and ILUG Chennai is ILUG's Chennai chapter.  Typically these LUG's
provide a means for linux users to interact and help each other out,
create software in the public interest and generally have fun.  It is
this interaction that builds an linux community.  ILUGC now has more
than 100 users and is supported by several important folks notably,
IIT-Madras (through Dr. Sriram the Head Computer Center), OS4 and
Lateral Software.  Most linux users have interesting stories of how
their problems have been solved quickly by some helpful person on the
net.

	Linux has been popular in universities and the like for a long
while.  This is in part due to the fact that it is inexpensive and
also since the source code is available.

Blah blah blah

Linux 
1) is an excellent alternative to any commercial OS.

2) is incredibly stable, fast, reliable, relatively bug free, secure,
under heavy development ...

3) is inexpensive.

4) is open source (source code is available to be used/modified/studied).

5) runs on older hardware, unlike other OS's we hear of.

6) runs on a very wide range of hardware, x86, alphas, powerpc's,
sparcs ...

7) comes with a humungus amount of free, robust, software.  One can do
almost all one wants with a linux system today.  Our demos here are
proof of this.

8) can be used for all kinds of things, servers (of all kinds),
desktops, development machines, gaming machines, normal usage (email
browsing and the like), desktop publishing,
music/video/graphics/multimedia, database management, the works!


What you'd need to run linux
-------------------------------

	Linux, today, though popular, is still not preinstalled by our
hardware vendors as Windows is.  The first problem is therefore to
actually install linux on your machine.  PCQuest has done a lot in
this direction and has actually been responsible for the growing linux
user base in India.

As is evident one needs to know a little bit about computers to
install linux properly.  Linux is becoming increasingly easy to
install but still requires one not to be afraid of the computer and
most important of all requires one to be willing to learn.  It is
important to understand this principle, since one will never be an
efficient user of a computer if one is not willing to learn how to use
it.  Linux usually ships with a ton of online information.  It is
here, in getting clarifications and directions that an LUG steps in.
Ilugc with its mailing list and regular meetings fits the bill
ideally. (Wow! what a plug!)

<Add stuff here for ilugc subscrition with details and blah>

	Once one has installed linux one has to know how to use it
efficiently.  There is again a large amount of documentation available 
today.  <Add links here to all kinds of docs>


What is a distribution?
------------------------
<fill here>

if newbie:
	use redhat/corel/caldera
else:
	you know what to use (Debian, of course)


If you are ready to install linux do the following
--------------------------------------------------

	Get the CDs from the lateral stall.


Please read the docs
<links to Installation and getting started guide>
< possible books one can buy?>
< possible folks who handle installs on a commercial basis>

<ILUGC subscription?>

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	ilugc-REQUEST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

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Ok. Youve installed linux what do you read?
------------------------------------------
Must read docs for any linux user (read these before you ask questions 
in an LUG).
<links to Installation and getting started guide>
<Linux users guide>

Must reads for sys admins
<sag>

Must read for network admins
<nag>

<any other imp books>

<training for linux? -- Lateral?? OS4>


Software links:
---------------

<all kinda links>


News on linux
-------------
/.
linuxtoday.com



Commercial support:
-------------------
OS4, Lateral...

Big users of linux:
--------------------
Universities:

IITM:
	Computer center uses Linux big time. So does the Aerospace
dept.  Entire departmental labs run on linux like the Aero labs
<www.aero.iitm.ernet.in>. The ilugc list runs off a linux box!


Other univs please fill up.

Corporate users:
	BIG NAMES HERE PLEASE.


Did I forget anything?
----------------------



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


This is a decent start point for the posters/flyers that we need to
make.  Please contribute ideas, content etc.  Feel free to modify
stuff above this is just a guideline.  And dont quote the whole darned
email and just add a single line.  Please quote appropriately and do
not waste bandwidth.  OTOH, based on this how about putting up a web
page of the current state of the posters and interested folks just
send diffs of what they want to whoever is going to make the posters?


prabhu
---
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