Sydney Linux Users Group (SLUG)

As well as other events, SLUG typically holds regular meetings on the last Friday of each month.

We normally send out an announcement a week or two before each meeting. To receive these notifications, you can subscribe to our low-traffic announcements mailing list and/or our ical calendar feed.

These meetings present talks on various topics, aimed at both experienced and new Linux users.

• Meeting format
• Participation
• Past Talks
• Guide for speakers

If you're interested in speaking to SLUG, please see our Call for Participation.

SLUG meetings follow a standard meeting format with a common first half, and then dividing after the break. This is to provide two streams of content catering to both new and experienced Linux users.

The standard meeting agenda is:

18:15: Doors Open

18:30: Announcements, News, Introductions

Introduction to SLUG, Q&A, "What has Linux done for/to me lately?", SLUG News & Discussion

18:45: General Interest talk

The General Interest talks are designed to be of an intermediate level. Previous topics have included:

• SLUG Forum: "Package Management Systems comparison"
• Conrad Parker: Sweep
• Adrian van den Dries: Zope

19:30: Break/Intermission

Refreshments available in the foyer. We request that you make a gold coin donation to cover our expenses.

19:45: Split into two groups for:

• In-Depth talk. Previous topics have included:
  • Bruce Badger: "Smalltalk"
  • Peter Miller: "AEGIS"
  • Jeff Waugh: "Open Mosix clustering"
• SLUGlets. quick talks/demos and discussion of Linux and Free Software

8:30pm: Dinner

How do I join the list

The easiest way to join the SLUG mailing list is to use the Mailman web interface. In the Subscribing to SLUG section, enter the email address you want the list messages to be sent to, and a password. This makes sure your subscription can't be changed by anyone else - without it they could maliciously unsubscribe you.

If you prefer to subscribe using email, send a message to slug-request@slug.org.au with subscribe in the subject line. If you click on the link provided, your mailer should have all of this entered correctly, so you just need to send it.

You will then be sent a confirmation email; reply to this and you're on your way!

Subscribing to the digest (a less voluminous list, replacing many smaller emails with fewer, albeit larger compilations) is also very easy. If you're using the web interface, there is an option to receive the digest below the password fields. If you'd prefer to use email, you should put subscribe digest in the subject line.

How do I leave the list?

Why on Earth would you want to do that?!? ;-)

The easiest way to unsubscribe is to use the Mailman web interface. In the SLUG Subscribers section, type in your email address and hit the Edit Options button. You will be able to unsubscribe there, after entering your password.

You can also unsubscribe using email. Send email to slug-request@slug.org.au with the subject "unsubscribe password", where "password" is the password you were sent when you joined up.

Note: If you are only temporarily leaving the list - perhaps for that long-awaited holiday - you can simply set the "no mail" option on the Mailman web interface, or by sending set nomail on to slug-request@slug.org.au.

What other things can I do with my subscription?

There are many options and settings available with out mailing list software. The best way to find them out is to log into your options page on the Mailman web interface - down the bottom in the "SLUG Subscribers" section - or by sending "help" to slug-request@slug.org.au.

Argh! What's this about a password?

The new mailing list software uses passwords to make sure that you are you, and your prankster best friend who thinks that unsubscribing you would be funny, is not.

You can retrieve your password using the Mailman web interface. In the "Slug Subscribers" section, type in your email address and hit the "Edit Options" buttion; you will be able to retrieve it there. You can't do this via email.

Who do I contact about the mailing list itself?

You may want to contact us if you're having trouble with the mailing list software, or something has gone wrong.

Email the list administrators at slug-owner@slug.org.au. They are usually quick to reply, though please remember that the SLUG mailing list is driven by volunteers - not cron jobs - and they do take flames personally.

What other mailing lists are available, and what are they for?

slug

The main discussion list, slug@slug.org.au, is where all the discussion goes on. Everything related to installing, maintaining, developing on Linux or Free/Open Source Software is on topic for this list, from configuring your ADSL modem on a 386 with 4MB of RAM up to rolling out a highly available global mailserver network.

slug-chat

Everything that isn't on topic for the main list, such as the social ramifications of 4WDs versus bicycles, or distribution flamewars, are the reason for the slug-chat@slug.org.au mailing list. If you have any hesitation about the on-topicness of a post, you should immediately edit the To: header and send it to slug-chat.

activities

activities@slug.org.au is where the committee, and others, discuss the organisation of SLUG events. If you are interested in getting more involved with the running of SLUG, or if you just want to check that the committee are doing their job correctly, then this is the list to be on.

announce

Finally, if you want to be kept aware of SLUG events but you don't want to read every single email that goes to the main list, you should subscribe to the announce@slug.org.au mailing list. This very low volume list is solely for SLUG event announcements - meeting announcements, and extracurricular events such as workshops and social events.

You can subscribe to any or all of these at the main main Mailman list overview page.

What kinds of questions can I ask on the list?

Well, if it's Linux-related, it's appropriate. That normally covers a lot of other Free Software or Open Source projects, such as Apache or Perl.

As Linux has become more popular, there have been less development and highly technically-oriented questions on the list. Don't feel that you can't post these sorts of questions! There are lots of coders and gurus on the list who enjoy getting their teeth into thorny problems - your questions and ideas are very welcome.

Inappropriate questions are usually ignored, rather than flamed. If you don't receive an answer, either we don't know one (not very common!), or you may be asking the wrong audience. Often enough, someone in the know will direct you to a better source.

Are there any rules I should be aware of?

We don't really have any rules. Being the Sydney Linux User Group, it's pretty evident what we're interested in, and how we go about it! :-) As a rough guide, though, you may want to be aware of the following points:

• Stick to the subject. It's all about Linux and Free Software from here on in, although we do talk about lots of general UNIX. We have a few resident non-Linux UNIX gurus whom we know and love (they're often plotting and planning for a Linux takeover in their place of work anyway!)

  If your post is off-topic, you'll likely be pointed to slug-chat. This list is the Pandora's Box of SLUG's mailing lists. There is nothing that is too off-topic for slug-chat (although some interesting discussions have been pointed back to the main list!).

• Please don't post in HTML format! If you are using Outlook or Netscape Messenger, please turn off HTML formatting for your posts to the list.

• Delve and research. If you will be asking a question, before you post to the list, try to find the answer in the available documentation or the list archives. The Linux Documentation Project is a good place ot start. Failing that, a search on Google will often yield answers.

• Be nice, there is no need to be rude. Avoid expressions that may be interpreted as aggressive towards other list participants, even if the subject being treated is particularly relevant to you and/or controversial.

• The SLUG mailing list is not a place to complain about other operating systems.

• Don't drag on with controversies. Don't try to have the last word. You will eventually have the last word, but meanwhile you'll have lost all your sympathy credit. We hardly ever have on-topic flamefests here anyway. :-)

• Don't flame the newbie! As we are a Linux User Group, this is very important. No matter how l33t you are, you too were once a newbie. Also remember that we're often seen as a representative of the "Free Software Community" and could scare great people away from "The Cause". A great document to read that touches on this is the Linux Advocacy mini-HOWTO.

Why isn't the Reply-To: header set to reply to the mailing list?

Please read "Reply-To" Munging Considered Harmful by Chip Rosenthal.

How do I reply to list posts?

If your mail client has a "Reply to List" feature, use that. Evolution has this in the Actions menu. Mutt has some features for handling mailing lists, including handling replies neatly.

All other mail clients should have a Reply to All feature. Reply to All will make sure that both the author of the mail you're replying to and the list will get a copy of your mail. Double-check your To: and CC: fields before you send to make sure that slug@slug.org.au is in there somewhere, otherwise it won't make it to the list.

Why does the mailing list allow posting by anybody, instead of just mailing list subscribers?

The FAQ that caused the most vehement flamewars in SLUG history was answered with a formal vote by financial SLUG members.

We believe that an open posting policy allows greatest access to interested bystanders and casual users.

Is anything being done to prevent spam email from being sent to the mailing lists?

Yes. The SLUG server runs a variety of explicit filters as well as a highly tuned spamassasin install. Despite this there is still some spam that makes it through occasionally.

Wouldn't a closed list be the best defence against spam?

Maybe. However it also makes it difficult for the occasional poster to contact the SLUG mailing list. A vote of the SLUG financial membership in October 2003 voted to keep the list open.

SLUG's monthly meeting features several talks of varying length. We're always looking for new talk offers, and talk offers should be sent to activities@slug.org.au, committee@slug.org.au and/or posted on the Wiki.

SLUG talks can be on any topics that would loosely come under the heading of "Open Source Software" or "Free Software". We're open to talks about software, about projects, about features, about tools, and about the Open Source and Free Software movements, and issues surrounding them.

Our membership are primarily hobbyists and professionals, however our meetings are open to the public.

Giving a talk at SLUG would be an excellent way to prepare for more formal speaking situations — conferences for example. Our selection process is very informal — just e-mail the committee, and we'll discuss the type of talk you want to give and where it would fit best in our meeting.

If you're new to public speaking or want some tips, see our guide for speakers.

There are three main types of talks given at meetings:

General talks

General talks are about 30 minutes in length, plus question time. They should be of interest to the majority of attendees, whether they be new or experienced Linux users. Ideal general talks include: cool applications or kernel features that people could go home and play with; insights into the Open Source and Free Software movements including advocacy and participation; major new revisions of important projects with lots of new features to show off. The aim of a general talk should be to get the audience excited about playing with something or doing something with Free Software.

In-depth talks

Attendees will have the choice between the In-depth talk and the SLUGlets, so a more focussed, detailed or technical talk would suit this slot. In-depth talks are also 30 minutes in length. Examples include: talks intended mainly for programmers; talks intended mainly for systems adminstrators; and talks intended mainly for people with a particular interest — audio, video, kernel programming, mission critical systems, etc.

SLUGlets

SLUGlets is a variety show of quick talks and demonstrations. A SLUGlet should suit a general audience, and possibly focus on new Linux users. A SLUGlet would typically be 5 or 10 minutes in length.

We take efforts to film our General and In-Depth talks. We ask that speakers agree to sign a release form enabling us to release the video under a Creative Commons licence. This allows us to aid the wider FOSS community, not just those who attended that particular meeting.

With speaker permission, SLUG records video footage of the talks given at meetings, and other events. The slides and video footage are available under the Creative Commons ShareAlike License unless otherwise noted.

• Talks from 2005
• Talks from 2004
• Talks from 2003
• Talks from 2002

If you're interested in speaking to SLUG, please see our Call for Participation.

If a talk that you'd like to see isn't online yet, or if you gave a talk but we don't have the slides, please contact the committee.

This guide is © Mary Gardiner 2003-2004. This guide is available for redistribution and modification under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licence

 

Introduction

This document is a short guide to preparing and presenting a talk at the Sydney Linux Users Group, and should be useful for other groups too. It is intended for speakers who are comfortable with their topic area but do not have much public speaking experience.

This guide covers the type of talks given at SLUG; preparing your SLUG talk; and giving your SLUG talk.

Linux Australia runs a jobs database for advertising and searching for jobs. As well as the jobs listing on the web site, you can subscribe to the mailing list that the jobs ads are sent to as they are posted.

SLUG also runs its own jobs mailing list. It's a moderated mailing list for people looking for Linux related work, and employers offering jobs that require experience with Linux or related software. If you wish to advertise a position, send an e-mail to jobs@slug.org.au and we'll approve it.

If you're an employer with a Linux- or FOSS-related job to offer, these are great places to find people with the skills you're after. They run as free services to the Linux community and allow you to post any jobs that specifically require Linux or FOSS skills. To ensure that your message is accepted, be sure to follow the directions on the sign-up page for each list.

If you apply for a job through any of these lists, please let the recipient know where you found the advertisement. Hopefully this will encourage employers and recruiters to use our jobs lists even more!

Various charity organisations in Sydney use Linux for specific purposes,
and many Sluggers volunteer their time for these causes.
If you know of any other groups that could do with some Linux expertise,
please notify the SLUG Committee

• Community Activist Techknowlogy - Cat@lyst provide web hosting and other internet infrastructure for community projects as well as sharing skills and the freedom of Free Software. Cat@lyst run regular skill sharing sessions that are open to all interested people.
• CommunityCode is a group of Australian open source / free software people who want to give Newstart recipients a way to count any Free Software work they do towards their mutual obligation requirement, and to involve people who might not otherwise have a 'way in' to Free Software.
• Computerbank NSW "refurbishes computers to give to charities, schools and disadvantaged individuals".
• Oxfam Community Aid Abroad use Linux in their operations (IT Support), and their Appropriate Information Technology group "advocates IT systems that give people control over their own lives, are sustainable, can be shared with others, and are equitable".
• Parramatta Computer Access Network "is a collaborative effort between community organisations, volunteers, and local government in the Parramatta area. It exists to provide access to computer technology; supply services, support, and skill sharing; promote and facilitate computer hardware re-use; and encourage the growth of employment opportunities within the community."

SLUG hosts a number of mailing lists related to Linux and free software open to both members and non-members of SLUG. Information on subscribing and unsubscribing to lists are available at the Mailman listinfo page. More information on can be found in the Mailing Lists section of our Frequently Asked Questions.

If you are interested in updates on what is going on in the SLUG world, but you don't want to become bogged down in discussions, we maintain a low-volume (usually less than one message per week) list solely for announcements.

If you know of a locally-held event that's related to SLUG's mission, let us know and we can post an announcement for you. There's also the Activities list to discuss and plan events.