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177 lines
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<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN">
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<HEAD>
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<title>Linux Installation Project Article Issue 17</title>
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<BODY BGCOLOR="#EEE1CC" TEXT="#000000" LINK="#0000FF" VLINK="#0020F0"
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<H4>
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"Linux Gazette...<I>making Linux just a little more fun!</I>"
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</H4>
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<P> <HR> <P>
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<center>
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<H2>Linux Installation Project</H2>
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<H4>By Kendall G. Clark,
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<a href="mailto:kclark@dal284.computek.net">kclark@dal284.computek.net</a></H4>
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</center>
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<P> <HR> <P>
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<h1>Linux Installation Project</h1>
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<p>
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It all started with a simple question: `Why don't we install
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Linux at all our meetings instead of at only some of them?'
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The <a href="http://www.ntlug.org/">North Texas Linux Users
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Group</a> had been in existence for only about five months,
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and we wanted to make sure to spread the word in North Texas
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about Linux. We wanted to educate the computing public in our
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area about Linux, but we also wanted to let experienced
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computer users know that Linux could handle anything they
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threw at it.
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<p>
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After meeting at Texas Christian University for our first few
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meetings, we signed a contract with the <a
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href="http://www.dfwxchange.com/dfwx.nsf/?Open">DFWXchange</a> that enabled NTLUG
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to meet at the <a href="http://www.infomartusa.com">Dallas
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Infomart</a>. The DFWXchange is an umbrella organization that
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allows Dallas-Fort Worth users groups to meet at the Infomart
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for free, with all costs being absorbed by the many commercial
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vendors who also meet at the Infomart during the Super Satuday
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Sale. So every month between 3,000 and 5,000 computer users
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from the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex converge on the
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Infomart---the premier meeting facility in the Southwest
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devoted exclusively to computer and technology events and
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organziations---to participate in users groups meetings and to
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take advantage of some really good prices on computer-related
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hardware. It's a big party.
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<p>
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It didn't take long for the NTLUG leadership to realize that
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we had stumbled upon a great opportunity: we wanted to let
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computer users in our area know about Linux, and we were now
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meeting every month in a facility filled with thousands of
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potential Linux converts. Our solution was to start the
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<b>Linux Installation Project</b>, which we call the
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<b>LIP</b>.
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<p>
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The goal of <b>LIP</b> is simply to install Linux on as many
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computers as possible. Those of us who participate in this
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project month-to-month have discovered that the very best way
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to advocate the use of Linux is to make it easy and painless
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for the unconverted to do just that: namely, run Linux on
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their computer of choice. In other words, Linux is its own
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best advocate. After a few weeks without a crash, most people
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say goodbye to Windows 95 with zealous enthusiasm. We like to
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think of <b>LIP</b> as an ongoing Linux Installation Festival
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that allows us to convert computer users to Linux one at a
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time.
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<p>
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The first step in establishing <b>LIP</b> as a well-run,
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consistent endeavor was to find someone to lead the
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effort. NTLUG is fortunate to have a technologically advanced
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membership, and it was fairly easy to find someone to lead the
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<b>LIP</b>; in fact, we found two such people: Mike Dunn and
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Bill Petersen, both of whom are experienced Unix and Linux
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Sysadmins. Under their guidance, and due to the generosity of
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NTLUG members, NTLUG's <b>LIP</b> has solicited and organized
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enough computer hardware to perform up to many simultaneous
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installations of Linux by all the usual methods, although
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we've found that cdrom installations are usually the most
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trouble free.
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<p>
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The word has now spread in and around the Dallas-Fort Worth
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Metroplex---from schools and universities to computer vendors
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and other users groups---that NTLUG's <b>LIP</b> is the place
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to go for a painless installation of Linux onto PCs, laptops,
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servers, and even Alpha platforms. We have expanded our
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efforts at the <b>LIP</b> booth to include Linux advocacy,
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advertisement for Linux vendors who supply us with materials,
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the sale of Linux CDs (thanks to Bradley Glonka at <a
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href="http://www.lsl.com/">Linux Systems Labs</a>), and even
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basic Linux system administration and maintenance. We also
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spend a lot of time explaining to the uninitiated masses what
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makes Linux <b><i>free</i></b> and what makes it so much fun.
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<p>
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While we have been happy with the results so far, the
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<b>LIP</b> has more work to do. We want to expand our sales
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efforts to include other kinds of Linux merchandise (the sales
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of which go to support NTLUG and <b>LIP</b>), and we'd also
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like to expand our hardware assets to enable more simultaneous
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installations. Finally, we also want to develop our users
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group assets to such an extent that we can go to other
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DFW-area computer events and setup Linux installation and
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advocacy booths. NTLUG's approach to the Linux Installation
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Project can be summed up in the phrase: "Linux is free. Life
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is good."
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<p>
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If you want to learn more about the North Texas Linux Users
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Group or our Linux Installation Project, or if you're a Linux
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Users Group and would like to talk about setting up your own
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local version of <b>LIP</b>, please visit the <a
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href="http://www.ntlug.org/">NTLUG</a> website or contact me
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at <i><a
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href="mailto:kclark@computek.net">kclark@computek.net</a></i>.
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<p>
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Finally, I would be guilty of ingratitude if I did not thank
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the following people and organizations that have made the
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<b>LIP</b> possible. Please forgive me if I've forgotten
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anyone. It's just about impossible not to meet great people
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when you work with Linux.
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<ul>
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<ul>
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<b>NTLUG Members</b>
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<li>Mike Dunn</li>
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<li>Bill Petersen</li>
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<li>Thomas Griffing</li>
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<li>Bill Richards</li>
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<li>Steve Brennan</li>
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<li>Allen Prince</li>
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<li>Pete Koren</li>
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<li>Eric Chang</li>
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<li>everyone else who made financial and hardware donations</li>
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</ul>
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<ul>
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<b>Organizations</b>
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<li><a href="http://www.lsl.com/">Linux Systems Labs</a>, especially Bradley Glonka</li>
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<li><a href="http://www.redhat.com/">Red Hat Software</a></li>
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<li><a href="http://www.swt.com/">SouthWest Technology</a></li>
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<li><a href="http://www.dfwxchange.com/">DFWXchange</a>, especially Stuart Yarus, President.</li>
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</ul>
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</ul>
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<!--===================================================================-->
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<P> <hr> <P>
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<center><H5>Copyright © 1997, Kendall G. Clark <BR>
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Published in Issue 17 of the Linux Gazette, May 1997</H5></center>
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