Presentation by:	Ted Shafran
Representing:	CONNECTIVITY INC.

Written by Anne Keefer It's HOT, it's stable, it runs on several platforms, it exceeds anything available on the commercial market yet it is a free download. Ted Shafran, our speaker, explains it as a "pride of authorship" not unlike that of a sculptor crafting the perfect creation. It is Linux. At last someone else thinks like we do and is fighting in our camp. Paying for things wouldn't be so bad if we had the option as we do with everything else to return it when it doesn't perform Software's different. When software fails we must continually apply the latest patches or pay for an upgraded version to do what it was supposed to do in the first place. Remember the single vendor days when one supplier cornered the computer market? e.g. every computer component you bought had to be IBM compatible? Things change. Now major companies do business electronically connecting networks polymorphously (talking to each other): the computer parts come from a multitude of companies to get the most "bang for the buck". In 1995 Connectivity Inc. was founded by a group of leading technology specialists. It specializes in addressing complex connectivity and open computing requirements for a wide range of commercial clients. It has extensive experience in multi platform environments integrating Windows, Mac, Windows NT, NetWare, Unix, and Linux. When Linux operates from multi platforms, it runs on the Intel processors of personal computers. History: Linux, more properly called "GNU/Linux" (meaning GNU's not UNIX), is a project of the Free Software Foundation (FSF). The premise of the Free Software Foundations is that "software should be free" as stated by Richard Stailman, Researcher at MIT, 1984. FSF created a library of GNU tools including the GNU C Compiler, written with no particular computer in mind, and utilities etc. Other Open Source Products include Apache (web server), Perl (scripting language) and SAMBA. Linux has its roots in the word of academia. In 1991, Linus Torvalds (graduate student at Helsinki, Finland) worked with UNIX using the Open Source tools developed by the GNU project of the Free Software Foundation. Torvalds was financially impoverished and could not afford to upgrade his home computer, a 386. In those days, only the business world had the resources to buy UNIX. So, Torvald developed an alternative student software package called MINIX based on UNIX (but more limited in capability), added to it, then published it on the Internet. The impact of this action was unbelievable. People globally gobbled it up with interest and they responded back with operating system code, bug fixes, testing environments, documentation and technical support. Components came from owing operating many sources e.g. today with more Linux kernel, GNU worldwide. tools, device drivers etc. and it kept getting better. These academics have since gone into the public sector and become teachers, professionals, web masters, moving into departmental areas and especially into the realm of internet info structures. Eventually, Linux found its niche in server applications web servers, file and print servers, ISP servers, FAX servers, firewalls and Internet gateways. It is stable and reliable, performs better - no "blue screen of death" crashes. YES A fraction of the cost of other major commercial operating systems such as Microsoft Windows NT Server and Novell NetWare Will replace older NT servers. It is not Y2K susceptible. YES! Option to log in under many platforms: Windows 95/98/NT, Apple MAC, Linux, Novell NetWare, SCO UnixWare, Sun Solaris, IBM etc. Full true 32-bit operating system. Includes lots of games, drawing tools, image viewers, CD players. Does all the basic things: letters, emails, balancing cheque books Many applications available: WordPerfect 8, StarOffice, Netscape Communicator, Adobe Acrobat. Many freeware applications, some excellent. Several excellent Windows managers available including the K Desktop Environment (KDE) & GNOME Forecasted to be the second most popular server by 2001. Linux is the fastest growing operating system environment today with more than 17 million users worldwide. Disadvantages: Configuration is more challenging (must create two partitions for Linux alone: one for Linux itself; the other for its virtual memory swap space) Needs two ethernet cards Windows emulator file is very basic. No Microsoft Office, Quicken, Adobe Illustrator, Front Page Has "oddball" graphics. Distribution: Three companies carry Linux and each focuses on different needs: Caldera (pioneers in commercial bundling with others things plus tech support); Red Hat (Pacific high-tech area); and SUSE (German & Asian market). Linux has two types of distribution streams: "Stable" releases for which no more changes apart from eliminating bugs are forthcoming; and "development" considered to be an ongoing work in progress and is modified and enhanced frequently (sometimes daily). Development occurs on many levels: kernel, device drivers, networking, file system etc. OpenLinux 2.2 is available for $75.00, plus taxes and handling. For more information, check out their web site: http://www.connectability.com or contact Ted Shafran Article first published in PC Monitor. PC Monitor is the official publication of the Durham Personal Computer Users' Club and is published monthly at Oshawa, Ontario. The DPCUC mailing address is P.0. Box 2463, Oshawa ON L1H 7V7. The PC Monitor cannot be responsible for errors or inaccuracies in the content, although efforts will be make to publish information accurately. The deadline for articles and information is one week following the monthly meeting. 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