[GTALUG] Tutorials on Linux command-line -- any interest?

Mon Jul 24 09:09:08 EDT 2017

Warm Greetings To GTALUG,

>From a Windows XP "orphan" and Linux newbie :)

Lately I haven't had much to say on this GTALUG email forum. No pressing issues needing help right now. Not pushy enough to waste GTALUG bandwidth with general musings.

However, in response to William Park's observations about the status of GTALUG, may say that I find good value in simply "lurking"? Often I am saving a snippet of wisdom copied from a GTALUG email, into one of the plain-text notes files I keep on various projects.

Actually William, your offer of a Linux command line tutorial caught my interest. If only I lived closer to the meeting venue ... 

Except that I'm probably going to be using mksh rather than bash. But having some basic vi(m) skills could come in handy. Every time I've had to use vi, it's been the most frustrating hair-pulling nightmare just trying to get that stupid arcanely-user-interfaced program to do the simplest darn thing ...

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Earlier, I received a some hugely helpful advice from GTALUG members, regarding my list of proposed components for a new desktop PC build. I revised the recipe accordingly. Got delayed with the PC build project, but am now back working on it. Made more revisions to the parts list, which is "almost" finalized now.

My beautiful new heavy-duty 24/7 desktop PC is replacing a very old Dell Windows XP PC. Bye bye Microsoft. Hello Linux. And I'm  counting on GTALUG as my go-to source of advice.

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This new desktop PC will be running debian Linux (+ LXDE) as its primary OS.

I may install Windows (7 / 10) in case of a dire need for some Windows functionality. E.g. flashing the ASROCK mainboard bios. But just today (24 July 2017), I learned from D. Hugh Redelmeier's posting, about the FreeDOS alternative for flashing firmware, so I've tucked that idea away in a notes file for future reference -- Thanks Hugh !! 

I hope to be building the new PC iwithin the next month. Real sson now.

No doubt, as I work to install debian Linux, and configure the disk drive, etc. I will be coming to GTALUG for advice.

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So, my feedback to GTALUG is that the e-forum aspect of GTALUG is a very important resource for me (and I expect for a number of other "lurkers").

In addition, I find GTALUG email forum  to being a source of some very interesting wider tech-ralated musings, by knowledgeable members. I've even passed some interesting bits (e.g. apps detecting surveillance of cell phone traffic) on to the OpenMedia openmedia.org folks (re: concerns about muncipal police forces misusing RCMP-provided Sidewinder traffic sniffing).

I do regret that I live so far away from the Yonge St. + Dundas St. area, otherwise I would be attending GTALUG meetings.

Thanks to GTALUG for being there / here ...

Steve

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P.S. I have an idea, for something GTALUG could consider doing, to re-energise, raise GTALUG visibility (and maybe raise a few dollars for GTALUG initiatives). An idea related to my new PC build. Once my build is done, I will raise this idea.

Steve Petrie, P.Eng.

Oakville, Ontario, Canada
(905) 847-3253
apetrie at aspetrie.net

----- Original Message ----- 
  From: William Park via talk 
  To: talk at gtalug.org 
  Sent: Sunday, July 23, 2017 9:21 PM
  Subject: Re: [GTALUG] Tutorials on Linux command-line -- any interest?

  There was no formal discussion with the GTALUG board.  I just got tired
  of talking about it and decided to show initiative. :-)

  GTALUG has long ceased to be "users group" and has degenerated to social
  get-together.  Symptoms are
      - It has stopped growing.
      - No new idea or people are coming in.
      - It's not doing anything, because the current people are already
        expert in what they are doing, so no need to do anything.
      - It's falling behind the time.  There are people who knows Linux
        and never heard about GTALUG.  (I see this at work)

  So, what's the cure?  I think that structured tutorials is the best way
  to hold on to people.  "Linux Command-Line" is not the only topics.
  There are many others, even from this mailing list alone.
  -- 
  William

  On Sun, Jul 23, 2017 at 06:40:47PM -0400, Gary via talk wrote:
  > I will attend but I think it would be great if gtalug could get some
  > visibility on this for the public at large. How might this be done.
  > /gary
  > 
  > On 17-07-22 11:17 PM, William Park via talk wrote:
  > > Subject of "tutorial" comes up every year at Linux BBQ.  This year, at
  > > Hacklab, was no different.  OK, I'll bite first.
  > > 
  > > I will give a series of tutorials on "Linux Command-Line", starting with
  > >      - Shell (bash)
  > >      - Vi editor (vim)
  > > It will be workshop style.  So, you can bring laptop (Windows and
  > > Chromebook), try out examples, and ask questions.
  > > 
  > > How many are interested?
  > > We'll work out the logistics later.
  > 
  > ---
  > Talk Mailing List
  > talk at gtalug.org
  > https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk
  ---
  Talk Mailing List
  talk at gtalug.org
  https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk
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