SB – Linux / Open Source

Easily Migrate from Windows to Linux.  Much of the software is the same.
John Kennedy, East Central Ohio Technology Users Club

Introduction to Linux.  A free operating system that looks, acts, and meets most people’s everyday computing needs. See what all the talk is about going to Linux and how well it works on both new and older computers AND remains free to all.
John Kennedy, East Central Ohio Technology Users Club

Linux is Like Cars (Why are there so many?).  One of the many “concerns” about Linux is that there are so many different versions / distributions (or distros as Linux users call them) that a new user doesn’t know which one to use. An equal questions is, Why are there so many cars? Because everybody doesn’t like the same car and that also pertains to the Linux desktop. John will take you through the ‘Linux showroom” so you can see for yourself what Linux is all about.
John Kennedy, East Central Ohio Technology Users Club

Linux Software Store.  John will share information about the wide choices of free software available to the Linux user. He will have examples of software that relates to all the common computer tasks we do on a day to day basis. Attendees will see that running a Linux operating system doesn’t hinder them doing anything. A lot of the software John uses is also available for Windows and even Mac’s.
John Kennedy, East Central Ohio Technology Users Club

Open-Source Hardware.  For many years we have heard about open source software, but you may be pleased to hear that there is a growing open-source hardware movement afoot. While not as massively visible as Linux and friends, it deserves to be known and shared with all. Lots of choices now are available: in single board computers, embedded systems, and full-blown microprocessors.
Sharan Kalwani, SEMCO

Linux Shell Roundup.  There are a huge variety of shells available in the Linux/Open Source world. Shells have been around since the earliest UNIX kernel and several UNIX-inspired creations since then. We will briefly shine a little light on bash, tcsh, zsh, and fish. While it is hard to do a comprehensive coverage in one session, we will try to answer the question – which Linux shell is the best, how many types of shells are there, etc.
Sharan Kalwani, SEMCO

Linux Driven Emergence of IoT.  IoT has infiltrated homes all around the country in the form of smart thermostats, smart speakers, and more. There are also several innovative IoT applications doing more than just making people’s lives easier or helping them play their favorite songs. In this session, the thrust is intended to serve as an introduction to IoT, and help open up this new field of applications to a wider audience. Of course, Linux is the driving factor behind the bulk of IoT devices.
Sharan Kalwani, SEMCO

Ubiquitous Linux in Your Daily Life.  In this talk, we will learn all about how Linux has now become a fundamental part of our everyday global life. Maybe a few years ago – if you queried the average Joe on the street (assuming they were not a geek) about Linux, you may have gotten the following response:  “Yeah, like you know, isn’t it some sort of operating system. I heard of it, but don’t know it personally myself – I hear it is very difficult to use.” Now you will be astonished to know just how often you use Linux in your daily life. This talk is aimed at sharing with the audience, numerous practical examples for each hour of the day, how Linux is perhaps a regular part of your life, maybe in the background, maybe in the foreground and yet you do not realize it. No prior knowledge of computing or Linux is assumed or necessary. The talk is fast-paced and full of details.
Sharan Kalwani, SEMCO

Introduction to TCP/IP,  The basic internet runs on TCP/IP, but do you really know how it works underneath the covers? This little tutorial will run thru the basics of routing and explain how packets/datagrams and segments actually move around. Useful info for doing practical first principles troubleshooting. After all the basics of TCP/IP were robustly developed on various Unix (and later Linux) platforms.
Sharan Kalwani, SEMCO

Learning Linux Online.  In this talk, we will do a panoramic sweep of the vast set of online Linux learning resources. After doing several months of cherry-picked SIG Linux topics, it is time to see what other resources are out there available to folks who are keen to explore this on their own. Some are free and some are worth the price, of course, we will point out the overrated ones as well.
Sharan Kalwani, SEMCO

Linux File systems.  This talk will be in two parts, the first will be a quick introduction to a typical Linux file structure setup/organization. The second part will touch on the various file system architectures that one can choose (not for the faint-hearted), ranging from simple to advanced Linux based applications (ranging from the home hobbyist to tech-heavy plus several real-world application scenarios).
Sharan Kalwani, SEMCO

Revolution OS (Movie).  ‘Revolution OS’ tells the inside story of the hackers who rebelled against the proprietary software model and Microsoft to create the GNU/Linux and the Open Source movement. These movements arguably represent the greatest threat to proprietary software business models. Shot in cinemascope on 35mm film in Silicon Valley, ‘Revolution OS’ tracks down the key movers and shakers behind Linux, and finds out how and why Linux became such a potent threat. The movie runs 85 minutes long.
Sharan Kalwani, SEMCO

Linux Runs the Cloud.  Linux has become the de facto major OS of all major cloud providers. In this edition, we will explore how Linux is playing this role.
Sharan Kalwani, SEMCO

Open Source Video Editing choices.  There are now a large number of various Linux based video editing tools. This talk will briefly give you a sweeping panorama of each tool, its origins, capabilities, as well as pros and cons.
Sharan Kalwani, SEMCO

Linux Distros.  A full review of various Linux distros. Linux is one of the most successful and popular open-source projects out there. Linux supporters passionately will convince you to give it a try and encourage you to embrace the Linux way. The number #1 hurdle for all new Linux users is the numerous “flavors” that this operating system has. These “flavors” are commonly known as distros (distribution). So, how to choose one? You can choose the most popular at the moment, or take heed of what your friend says, but your friends’ recommendation might work for him/her, but not for you! So one needs to choose the right distro for your needs. We will explore several distros so that you will not have to spend too much time web searching. We hope that after this talk, you can choose a narrow set of the best distros for your long-term needs.
Sharan Kalwani, SEMCO