The SLUUG Cronicle

February 2003

St. Louis UNIX Users Group


HTML version: http://www.sluug.org/cronicle/


NOTE: The SLUUG general meeting will be at Graybar again this month.

We're still looking for a permanant location.

Table of Contents



Calendar of Events

Feb 2 Sunday Groundhog Day
Feb 3 Monday St. Louis Advanced LUG 6:30pm - 9:00pm
  NOTE: New date - 1st Monday of month
Feb 4 Tuesday MOSLUG 7:00pm -11:00pm
Feb 4 Tuesday Gateway JUG 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Feb 6 Thursday SILUG - O'Fallon, IL POSTPONED 1 WEEK
Feb 6 Thursday SLACC 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Feb 11 Tuesday LUCI - Newbie Night 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Feb 11 Tuesday CCSL - Dinner Meeting ($ - RSVP) 5:30pm - ?
  TOPIC: Serving Clients without Windows
Feb 12 Wednesday SLUUG - General Meeting (LOCATION: Graybar) 6:30pm - 9:00pm
  TOPIC: Lightning Talks
Feb 13 Thursday SILUG - O'Fallon, IL 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Feb 13 Thursday St. Louis JUG 6:30pm - 8:00pm
  TOPIC: Testing
Feb 14 Friday Valentine's Day
Feb 16 Sunday CWE-LUG 1:00pm - 5:00pm
Feb 17 Monday Presidents Day
Feb 17 Monday SLUUG - Steering Committee 6:15pm - 8:30pm
Feb 17 Monday SILUG - Carbondale, IL 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Feb 18 Tuesday STLWEBDEV 6:30pm - 9:00pm
  TOPIC: Web Site Awards (at Planetarium)
Feb 20 Thursday St. Louis LUG 7:00pm - 9:00pm
  TOPIC: MySQL
Feb 25 Tuesday Hazelwood LUG 6:30pm - 9:00pm
Feb 25 Tuesday LUCI 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Feb 27 Monday St. Charles LUG 6:00pm - 9:00pm
 
Mar 9 Sunday InstallFest 11:00am-6:00pm
Mar 12 Wednesday SLUUG - General Meeting 6:30pm
Mar 16 Sunday CWE-LUG 1:00pm
Mar 17 Monday SLUUG - Steering Committee 6:15pm
Mar 20 Thursday St. Louis LUG 7:00pm
Mar 25 Tuesday Hazelwood LUG 6:30pm
Mar 27 Monday St. Charles LUG 6:00pm

NOTE: More information on these groups, including locations and web sites, can be found in the "Meeting Locations" section below.


Next General Meeting is Wednesday, February 12


6:30 pm Lightning Talks First Session
7:00 pm Announcements Standard Introductions & Procedures
7:10 pm Q & A An opportunity to ask technical questions
7:30 pm Break Social, off-line conversations, book sales
8:00 pm Election Campaigning and balloting
8:30 pm Lightning Talks Second Session



Presentation

Lightning Talks
by various, hosted by Scott Granneman

Abstract:

We are happy once again to have Lightning Talk presentations this year during our election meeting. Each Lightning Talk lasts 5 minutes, giving us a short introduction to a wide variety of topics. The scheduled line-up for this year is listed below.

First Session:

Second Session:

Alternates:

Ideas, questions and suggestions are welcome; please contact Scott Granneman (presentations@sluug.org).



Book Sales

The O'Reilly and Associates line of books is available at each monthly general meeting as a convenience to our members. Proceeds from the book sales go toward running the organization. Most months we feature special offers on titles related to that month's presentation or tutorial topic. Discounts off retail prices are offered to all attendees.

Books that are not available at the meetings may be ordered to be picked up at the next SLUUG general meeting. Contact Sue Hurst (booksales@sluug.org).

February Special:

Books with a red sticker
(discontinued titles and older editions)
- 70% off
All books on Perl - 30% off
All other books - 25% off


Next St. Louis LUG Meeting Is February 20

MySQL
by Josh Mark

Abstract:

MySQL is a major poster child of the Open Source movement. It provides a database back-end to many web sites, representing the 'M' in LAMP. (LAMP is the combination of Linux, Apache, MySQL, and Perl/PHP/Python to create a web development and deployment platform.) MySQL is very fast at simple queries, but has been criticized for not supporting more complex features.

In this presentation, Josh will discuss what SQL is and how MySQL implements the SQL query language. He'll show how to use MySQL to create and use a simple database. He'll also touch on some of the new features of MySQL 4.x, and how it addresses the criticisms of MySQL.

Comments, questions, and ideas for the St. Louis Linux Users Group are welcome; please send email to linux@sluug.org.



Meeting Locations

SLUUG - St. Louis UNIX Users Group (http://www.sluug.org)
General Meeting

Meets the 2nd Wednesday of the month, 6:30pm to 9:00pm. Free and open to the public.
NOTE: We are in the process of finding a NEW PERMANENT LOCATION. Please check the location every month for the next few months.
Graybar
11885 Lackland
St. Louis, MO 63146

Directions: Take I-270 to Page east. Take first exit (Concourse). Turn right at stop light (Lackland). Turn right at stop light into Graybar parking lot. Enter building at main entrance and sign in with security guard. Proceed down 1 level to lake level and cafateria training room.

Map:   http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?address=11885+Lackland&zipcode=63146

SLUUG - St. Louis UNIX Users Group (http://www.sluug.org)
Steering Committee

Meets the Monday following the 2nd Wednesday of the month, 6:15pm to 8:30pm. Open to the public. This is where we make decisions on what topics to cover and other administration of the group. If you want to get involved, this is a good place to start.
Daugherty Systems
One City Place, 2nd floor
Creve Coeur, MO 63141

St. Louis Linux Users Group (STLLUG) (http://www.stllinux.org)

Meets the 3rd Thursday of each month, 7:00pm to 9:00pm. The room is reserved starting at 6:00pm. (Ask a librarian to let you in if it is locked.) Members are encouraged to come early to mingle and/or give informal demos or presentations. Free and open to the public. (Formerly known as the Linux SIG.)
Indian Trails Library
8400 Delport Drive (at Midland)
St. Louis, MO
Directions:   Take I-170 to Page east. Turn left at North-South. Turn left at Midland. Drive 2 blocks and turn left on Delport. The library is on your left.

Map:   http://www.stllinux.org/directions/

St. Charles LUG (http://www.sluug.org/~stclug)

We expect that meetings will usually be held at 6:30pm to 9:00pm on the 4th Thursday of each month, except during December, which will probably not have a meeting.
This is a SIG of SLUUG, intended for all Linux users in the Western and Northern parts of the greater metro area.
Ponderosa
513 South Main St. (just north of I-70)
O'Fallon, MO

Hazelwood LUG (http://www.sluug.org/~hzlug)

Generally meets the 4th Tuesday of each month, 6:30pm to 9:00pm. (NOTE: Start time is now 6:30.) Free and open to the public. This is a SIG of SLUUG, intended for Linux newbies.
Prairie Commons Library
915 Utz Lane (between Howdershell and Dunn)
Hazelwood, MO

CWE-LUG - Central West End LUG (http://www.sluug.org/~cwelug/)

Generally meets on the third Sunday of the month from 1:00pm to 5:00pm. Meetings are now held at the ACLU building.
ACLU
4557 Laclede (just east of Euclid)
St Louis, MO 63108

Advanced LUG (http://stladvlug.zapto.org/)

Meetings are held on the first Monday of each month. This group is intended to be a venue for advanced topics as well as a time to work on Open Source projects as a group. Free and open to the public.
WDT Solutions
9450 Manchester, Suite 204
Rock Hill, MO

MOSLUG - MO Open Source LUG (http://www.moslug.org/)

Meets on the 1st Tuesday of the month, from 7:00pm to 11:00pm. Meetings are free and open to everyone. This is a Linux Users Group (LUG) for all levels, from new beginners to the more advanced users.
Culpeppers Restaurant (basement)
312 S. Kirkwood Road
Kirkwood, MO 63122

STLBSD - St. Louis BSD Users (http://www.stlbsd.org)

Just started holding official meetings, but no regular schedule yet. Also look for guys with little red daemons on their shirts at SLUUG and LUG meetings.
Rock Road Library
10267 St. Charles Rock Road (1 mile east of Lindbergh)
St. Ann, MO 63074

SLACC - St. Louis Area Computer Club (http://www.slacc.com)

Meets the 1st Thursday of every month, from 7:00pm to 9:00pm.
Thornhill Library
12863 Willowyk Drive (off Fee Fee)
Creve Coeur, MO

St. Louis Java Users Group (http://www.ociweb.com/javasig/)

Meets the 2nd Thursday of every month, 6:30pm to 8:00pm. Attendance is free, and you do not need to sign up -- just show up.
CityPlace One Auditorium
One City Place
Creve Coeur, MO 63141

Gateway JUG (Java Users Group) (http://www.gatewayjug.org/)

Meets 6:00pm to 8:00pm. Meets on the 1st Tuesday of the month. Please RSVP if you would like to attend.
Maryville Technologies
540 Maryville Centre Dr., Suite 300
St. Louis, MO 63141

STLWEBDEV - St. Louis Web Developers (http://www.stlwebdev.org)

Meets the 3rd Tuesday of the month from 6:30pm to 9:00pm. Meetings are free and open to everyone. This is an open group to facilitate communications between diverse professions involved in Internet/Intranet design and development. STLWEBDEV is also the St. Louis chapter of the International Webmasters Association and the HTML Writers Guild (IWA-HWG).
CityPlace One Auditorium
One City Place
Creve Coeur, MO 63141

Wireless SIG (http://www.stlwebdev.org/sigs/wireless)

Meets the 4th Tuesday of apparently every-other month, from 6:30pm to 9:00pm. Meetings are free and open to everyone. Refreshments at 6:30, program begins at 7:00. This group is a cooperative effort of both the St. Louis Web Developers and the St. Louis Java Users Group.
CityPlace One Auditorium
One City Place
Creve Coeur, MO 63141

CCSL - Computer Consultants of St. Louis (http://www.ccsl.org)
Monthly Dinner Meeting

Meetings are held the second Tuesday of each month at Cheshire Inn. RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED. Cost is $20 for members, $25 for non-members. Call 314-995-4652 (by the previous Friday) or email meeting@ccsl.org for reservations. Social hour starts at 5:30pm, meeting starts at 6:30pm.
Cheshire Inn
6306 Clayton Rd.
St. Louis, MO

SILUG - Southern Illinois LUG (http://www.silug.org)
O'Fallon meeting

The SILUG O'Fallon meeting is generally on the 1st Thursday of the month. It runs from 7:00pm to 9:00pm.
O'Fallon City Library
120 Civic Plaza
O'Fallon, IL 62269

SILUG - Southern Illinois LUG (http://www.silug.org)
Carbondale meeting

The SILUG Carbondale meeting is the 3rd Monday of the month, from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. The location can vary due to scheduling issues, so be sure to double-check their web site.
Morris Library, Room 325
SIU-Carbondale
Carbondale, IL

LUCI - Linux Users of Central Illinois (http://www.luci.org)

All LUCI meetings are held at the same location, from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. General meetings are on the 4th Tuesday of the month, and Newbie night is held on the 2nd Tuesday of the month.
Illinois State Museum Research & Collections Center
1011 East Ash St.
Springfield, IL 62703

CORCC - County Older Residents Computer Club (http://www.a-zuc.com/corcc/)

Meets (almost) every Friday from 1:00pm to 3:00pm. Provides free classes for seniors 55 or older. For info, contact Tom Kimber (t.kimber@worldnet.att.net) or Arthur Hollman (ajhollman@juno.com).
Prairie Commons Library
915 Utz Lane (between Howdershell and Dunn)
Hazelwood, MO

We publish meeting schedules of groups in the St. Louis region that may be of interest to our members. If you would like to have info added about your group, please mail the newsletter editor (editor@sluug.org) or call any of the SLUUG officers.


Articles:

WARNING: These articles may express personal opinions and SLUUG exerts no more editorial control over such content than does a public library, bookstore, or newsstand. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers, or other information or content expressed herein are those of the respective authors and not necessarily supported by SLUUG. SLUUG does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any content, nor its merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose.


SLUUG Elections

by Craig Buchek

The official annual membership meeting of record will be February 12, 2003. This is the last day that you will be able to vote for the SLUUG board members and officers. Elections were also held at the various SIG meetings. If you have not voted, this will be your last opportunity. If you wish to change your vote, you may do so by submitting a new (dated) ballot. The latest ballot with your name on it will be counted.

The voting procedures will be the same as last year. Anyone having attended 2 meetings in this previous calendar year is eligible to vote. Names have been collected from sign-in sheets. All official SLUUG meetings count.

Candidates may give speeches at the February 12 meeting. An outer envelope will have your name so that the judges know there is only one vote from you and you are an eligible voter. The ballots will then be removed and counted anonymously.

Two (2) of the 5 Board of Directors seats are up for renewal. They are 3-year terms. There will also be an advisory vote for corporate officers. The officers are actually elected by the board annually but it is our tradition to hold this advisory election as well. The candidates this year are:



InstallFest

by Stan Reichardt

The St. Louis Linux Users Group (LUG) will present their 5th Linux InstallFest providing free Linux installation assistance for the Spring of 2003 on Sunday, March 9th from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

Software, Installation, and Admission: Free

An InstallFest is an event where experienced Linux users will assist those who wish to install and learn about Linux. Anyone who wants to know more about Linux is welcome to attend. More than 70 people attended our previous InstallFest (March 2002).

Linux is an Operating System, which acts as a platform between the hardware and software of a computer system. Linux is an alternative to the Microsoft Windows line of products. It provides a wide range of software, while giving users more flexibility and freedom from proprietary lock-ins. Please see http://www.li.org for more information about Linux.

This Linux InstallFest is hosted at Bo Beuckman West Count Ford, 15675 Manchester Road, Ellisville (in St. Louis County), Missouri. They will be providing parking and floor space for this event. A phone line will be available for configuring dial-up connections. There is also a high-speed Internet connection that you will be able to connect to if you have an Ethernet card.

Several members of the St. Louis Linux Users Group and other local groups will be present to assist with installations and configuration.

To schedule installing Linux on your own PC, please pre-register to reserve your desired installation time slot. Our registration web page will be put up soon, at http://www.stllinux.org/.

We will have spare Super VGA monitors, PS/2 keyboards, and PS/2 mice. However, along with your computer, it is highly recommended that you bring your own monitor, keyboard, mouse, and power cables to allow for correct configurations. If you have other, older or non-standard hardware, you should bring it along. If you're not sure, bring everything to be safe.

Free copies of popular Linux distributions will be provided on CD. If you have a specific distribution that you want to install, you can bring it along as well, or request it when you register. Be sure to back up your system before you bring it in, as the installation process may overwrite existing data. Defragmenting your drive beforehand will greatly speed up the entire process.

For updated info and registration, please visit our web page at http://www.stllinux.org/.



Sponsors

For more information about sponsoring the St. Louis UNIX Users Group, contact Dave Mills (sponsorship@sluug.org).


Quotes

Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being 
governed by those who are dumber.
 -- Plato

This report just in: Kevin Bacon has been linked to al Qaeda.

You're like an old search engine. You provide the correct information, 
but it's completely useless.
 -- Dustin Anders

The innovators dilemma is destroying the west. We lost the heavy 
industry, we have to pay farmers to avoid losing farming, we are losing 
the support businesses, gradually the more efficient nations munch 
their way up the food chain. Soon all that will be left are the futile 
attempts to own ideas and lawyers.
 -- Alan Cox

Slapping .NET on so many Microsoft products has confused people as to 
what .NET actually means.
 -- metamatic on Slashdot

A senior Microsoft executive derided open source as a "collection of 
clones." The irony appeared to be lost on him.
 -- Paul Andrews, Seattle Times

VMS is a text-based adventure game. If you win, you get to use Unix.

It says "My Computer" because Bill thinks that putting
his software on it makes it his. This explains a lot.
 -- unitron on Slashdot

Verbing weirds language.

Regime change as a goal for military intervention challenges the 
international system established by the 1648 Treaty of Westphalia, 
which ... established the principle of nonintervention in the domestic 
affairs of other states. And the notion of justified pre-emption runs 
counter to modern international law, which sanctions the use of force 
in self-defense only against actual, not potential, threats.
 -- Henry Kissinger

Peace and friendship with all mankind is our wisest policy, and I wish 
we may be permitted to pursue it.
 -- Thomas Jefferson

There was applause after about every two sentences, whether they made 
sense or not. Is this some sort of weird US tradition, like sitcom 
laughtracks?
 -- foreign citizen, on watching the US State of the Union address

The liberty we prize is not America's gift to the world, it is God's 
gift to humanity.
 -- George W. Bush

Klingon function calls do not have 'parameters' - they have 
'arguments' -- and they ALWAYS WIN THEM.
 -- http://www-users.cs.york.ac.uk/~susan/joke/klingon.htm

It is the duty of a patriot to protect his country from its government.
 -- Thomas Paine


Special Interest Groups (SIGs)

As our membership grows, we have had some inquiries about the possibility of having Special Interest Groups in several areas. If you are interested in starting or participating in a SIG for System Administration, Networking, C, Object Oriented Programming, a specific vendor, etc., please contact any officer of the group.

Volunteering

SLUUG administration is volunteer based. We're always looking for volunteers to help with presentations, web page development, managing corporate sponsorships, and many other tasks. If you would like to help out contact Christine Wanta (volunteer@sluug.org).

Contacts

  President president@sluug.org Ed Wehner
  Vice-President vice-president@sluug.org Scott Granneman
  Secretary secretary@sluug.org Buck Pyland 
  Treasurer treasurer@sluug.org Mike Kriz 
  Linux Users Group Chair linux@sluug.org Craig Buchek
  Board of Directors board@sluug.org Rich Seibel
Ed Wehner
Craig Buchek
Robert Citek
Stan Reichardt
  Presentations presentations@sluug.org Christine Wanta
  Corporate Sponsors sponsorship@sluug.org Dave Mills
  O'Reilly Book Sales booksales@sluug.org Susan Hurst
  Newsletter Editor editor@sluug.org Craig Buchek
  PR reporter@sluug.org Stan Reichardt
  Steering Committee Info info@sluug.org Gary Meyer
  BBS Questions bbs@sluug.org Gary Meyer
  Official Correspondence SLUUG Mailing Address PO Box 411302
St. Louis, MO 63141


Submitting Articles to the SLUUG Cronicle

If you would like to submit an article to the Cronicle of general interest to the members of the St. Louis UNIX Users Group, send your info or complete article to editor@sluug.org. The deadline for article submissions is the second last day of the month. Plain HTML format is preferred.


UNIX® is a registered trademark of the Open Group
Linux® is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds