[sf-lug] SF-LUG June 2025 Mtg and News of Linux Installfest

[aaronco36 at sdf.org]

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SF-LUG June 2025 Meeting notice - 2025-06-01
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San Francisco Linux Users' Group's next meeting is this upcoming Sunday,
June 1st, 2025, from 11:00 AM until 1:00 PM PDT.

Quoting the still current SF-LUG webpage www.sf-lug.org
(current as of this writing) :
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* virtual remains:
https://meet.jit.si/sf-lug.org
Browser: one will need sufficiently recent version of, e.g.
Chromium, Chrome, or possibly Firefox - in any case one that well
supports WebRTC.
Dial-in (audio alternative or audio only): +1.512.647.1431
PIN: 524 338 639#
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OTOH, Rick Moen <rick at linuxmafia.com> still has his highly relevant
comments available for review within his June 2024 posting[1] on the
actual Jitsi Meet "requirements".

If any of you reading this wish to start meeting in-person again
(and are physically able to do so) at SF's Cafe Enchante, please feel
free to respond on this mailing-list and inform others similarly
interested before next Sunday's meeting :-)

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News of an in-person Linux Installfest (finally! hooray \o/ )
Mostly quoting the [conspire] posting 'Save the Date: Alameda Linux
Installfest', from [2]:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Good news, everyone. The Alameda Free Library will be hosting a Linux
installfest on August 30.

Who: Anyone interested in Linux

What: Help with installation and getting started

Where: Alameda Free Library (Main Library) 1550 Oak Street, Alameda
California USA

When: Saturday, August 30, 2025 10am-5pm (Attend for all or part of the
event. We will start new installs until 4pm.)

Why: (1) Many computers wont be getting Microsoft Windows updates after
October 14, 2025. Linux will continue to work, so why not try it? More
info for current Windows users at endof10.org (2) Depending on your
personal or project needs, Linux might be a better choice for you than
other operating systems.

Got a spare computer or a non-working computer? Or has Microsoft told
you that your computer is going to stop getting updates after October
14? You might be able to keep using it just as well or better.

Linux is a free and open-source operating system that is widely used as
the basis for other products (such as Android phones and many smart
Internet devices). You can run Linux on a laptop or desktop computer for
normal tasks such as video conferencing, making office documents, and
anything you can do on the web.

We will help you install Linux and provide help on some useful free
applications.
...
...
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or maybe not so fast...
Several follow-up questions and points here re: the installfest

Are the organizers more apt to....
a) Have a set of recommended Linux distros+desktops they would rather
install for those bringing along their own MS Windows computing devices,
based upon their own (the organizers' and installers' that is)
familiarity with such distros+desktops?
b) Let those bringing their MS Windows devices freely decide (even from
beforehand) which Linux distros+desktops they wish to have installed on
[presumably] their very own computing devices?
c) Have a set of less-independently (and even sponsored) recommended
Linux distros+desktops to install on those bringing their MS Windows
computing devices?
Directly related to this last point, ISTR from at least a decade ago
that Canonical Ltd's Ubuntu CaliforniaTeam[3] -- as represented by
Elizabeth K. Joseph / Grant B. / Michael P. -- was quite
enthusiastically promoting Ubuntu in particular here in the SF Bay Area
at their regularly-held release parties/installfests.

Which of the below Linux distros would be under serious Installfest
consideration, given the above points (a) thru (c) ??
* Ubuntu-based Linux distros, e.g., Ubuntu Linux / Kubuntu / Lubuntu /
Xubuntu, Mint, Zorin, Pop!_OS, elementary OS, ...etc.
* User-friendly Arch-based Linux distros, e.g., Manjaro, EndeavourOS,
CachyOS, Garuda Linux, ...etc.
* Debian-based distros, e.g., Debian GNU/Linux, MX Linux / antiX, ...etc.
* User-friendly Red Hat-related distros, e.g., Fedora, Nobara, ...etc.
* Linux distros not already listed above -- among the most popular ones
listed at DistroWatch.com[4] -- e.g., through Rick M's fine
elaboration of 'Which Linux distribution should I get? Which
distribution is friendliest to new users? Should I get Ubuntu?'[5]

Would the Installfest organizers and/or those bringing along their MS
Windows computing devices for Linux installs rather prefer desktops
that can actually _mimic_ MS Windows as closely as possible??

How will those having Linux installed on their computing devices obtain
support for their installations, including for those "useful free"
installed applications, _following_ the Installfest??
E.g.,
- Is post-installation, _in-person_ handholding available as needed to
get them up to speed with administering, software-installing,
upgrading, and troubleshooting their Linux-installed computing devices?
- Are they instead rather directed from the get-go to "Just RTFM"[6]?
- As was aptly mentioned at the last BerkeleyLUG meetup, What do such
new Linux users do _when_ they require harder-to-find software drivers
and/or BIOS firmware upgrades to get [additionally added] hardware
effectively functioning on their Linux computing devices?

Other pertinent questions and discussion points re: the Alameda Linux
Installfest?

Don't shoot this messenger for asking! :-o

-Aaron


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REFERENCES
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[1]http://linuxmafia.com/pipermail/sf-lug/2024q2/016014.html
[2]http://linuxmafia.com/pipermail/conspire/2025-May/013003.html
[3]https://ubuntuforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=188
[4]https://distrowatch.com/
[5]http://linuxmafia.com/~rick/faq/kicking.html#distro
[6]https://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html#rtfm
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