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Introduction

This is the SLUUG Frequently Asked Questions list, with answers to some commonly asked questions.

[TODO: Is there an existing SLUUG FAQ somewhere?]

[TODO: Not sure how to index this properly. DokuWiki needs to add some markup for FAQs.]

SLUUG Basics

  • What is SLUUG's purpose?

Our stated purpose is to promote UNIX and Open Systems.

  • What do I need to do to become a member?

To be a voting member, you must attend 2 meetings in the previous calendar year.

  • How can I contribute?

There are several good ways you can contribute:

  • Attend meetings.
  • Give a presentation at one of our meetings.
  • Enlist someone else to give a presentation at one of our meetings.
  • Attend a Steering Committe meeting to help us run the group.
  • Contribute to our mailing lists.

SLUUG Meetings

  • Do I have to be a member to attend a meeting?

No. All SLUUG meetings are free and open to the public.

  • There sure are a lot of meetings!

That's not a question, but we have to agree. You could probably attend 20

local user group meetings a month, and still miss a couple. There are
meetings addressing a variety of topics, formats/activities, and localities.

Your best bet is to figure out which meeting formats, topics, people,
and locations fit you best. Also, keep an eye out for presentation topics, 
and try to attend the ones that appeal to you.

SLUUG Resources

  • Why isn't there a separate mailing list for Linux questions?

Because most Linux questions are really UNIX questions. Or in other words,

so you can get the wisdom of the long-time UNIX readers. Otherwise, the 
long-time UNIX users might not read the Linux list and see the question.
  • What mailing lists exist?
  • How do I sign up for a mailing list?
  • How do I remove myself from a mailing list?

Other Groups

  • Which groups are official SLUUG groups?
  • Why are there so many LUGs in Saint Louis?
  • Is there a BSD group?

There's a group called STLBSD, but they have

not held any meetings recently, and their website has been inactive as well.

BSD topics and users are welcome at SLUUG meetings, even the "Linux" meetings.
We consider the BSD variants to be part of the UNIX/Linux family.

UNIX Basics

  • Who owns UNIX?

That's a long story! SCO currently owns the original copyright (maybe).

The Open Group owns the trademark.
  • How is UNIX supposed to be capitalized?

The Open Group has said that UNIX should be spelled in all capital letters.

However, UNIX is not an acronym -- it doesn't stand for anything. The name 
was originally a pun on MULTICS, a predecessor operating system.

Linux Basics

  • Which Linux distro should I use?

It's recommended to start out with a run-from-CD version of Linux

to try it out without having to worry about installing it, or making 
it co-exist with Windows. Knoppix is the most popular run-from-CD 
version of Linux.

If you want to install Linux to your hard drive, start with a 
desktop-oriented version such as Xandros, Ubuntu, Linspire, 
Mandrake, etc.

If you are building a server, it is recommended to use Debian or 
Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

Open Source Basics

  • I can't program; how can I contribute to Open Source projects?
faq.1110240769.txt.gz · Last modified: 2005/03/07 18:21 (external edit)