Sydney Linux Users' GroupThis is an archived copy of the SLUG website. It is no longer updated and is kept for historical purposes only. For the real SLUG website please click here
Sydney Linux Users' GroupEstablished: September, 1993.
Incorporated: April, 1999.
SLUG is primarily a meeting for the minds, a place to learn about and discuss Linux. The 'meetings' take place in real venues, once a month on the last Friday, or in 'virtual space', via our mailing list and Web pages.
SLUG members are made up of professionals, semi-professionals, hobbyists, and just those who like to play and gain knowledge of Linux and the vast number of freely available application packages.
SLUG is about sharing experiences, knowledge and fun.
SLUG caters for all levels, those who are new to Linux, wanting to know how to install or setup Linux, to experienced kernel hackers.
Jamie Honan, January 1998.
Interested in joining SLUG? You can find the current SLUG constitution here.
Although SLUG is a Linux Users Group, most of what we talk about is the Open Source and Free Software available for Linux, not the kernel itself. Indeed, much of this software runs on other platforms, such as proprietary UNIX systems (Solaris, HP-UX, etc.), the BSDs, Mac OS X and Windows. There are lots of questions about integration on our mailing list - it's a one of the great benefits of Open Source and Free Software.
Linux is a UNIX-like operating system originally created by Linus Torvalds as a student in 1991, and now developed by a team of programmers around the world.
It has gained a huge amount of interest because it is a secure, reliable, high-quality and low-cost alternative to other systems, and is freely available to research, modify and redistribute under the terms of the GNU General Public License (see the GPL FAQ for easier to digest information).
However, Linux is not a complete operating environment by itself - it is just the 'kernel', a crucial piece of software that allows applications and hardware to communicate and work together. Much of the value of Linux comes from "Open Source" and "Free Software" programs...
The ideals behind the Free Software movement were conceived by Richard Stallman in the early 80s, as a response to the increasingly proprietary nature of the software industry. According to the Free Software philosophy, it is a matter of liberty, not price: "Free" as in "free speech", not as in "free beer".
Free Software provides users with the following freedoms:
Open Source is essentially a softer term for Free Software, without the moral or political "baggage", as explained by the Open Source Initiative:
"The Open Source Initiative is a marketing program for free software. It's a pitch for "free software" on solid pragmatic grounds rather than ideological tub-thumping. The [...] substance has not changed, the [...] attitude and symbolism have."
The annotated Open Source Definition is similar to the Free Software philosophy, but describes its goals in terms of the efficiency, quality and practicalities of Open Source, rather than the freedoms of Free Software.
People who are attracted to Open Source on pragmatic terms often find that the ideals and freedoms of Free Software are its greatest advantage. In this light, Open Source and Free Software are two sides of the same coin.
See SLUG's events listing for upcoming events.
Many SLUG activities are organised by the seven person SLUG committee. Committee minutes are publicly available and include ways you can get help out with SLUG each month.
Special Interest Groups meet occasionally (usually monthly). If you would like to start a SLUG special interest group about a particular topic or for a particular group of people, the SLUG Committee can help you get started.
The SLUG Audio / Music SIG meets once a month at Macquarie University.
All interested in music/ audio and Linux are invited. All levels of interest are welcomed. For more details see the SLUGAMuSIG website
The SLUG Debian SIG is for users, developers and wannabe developers of the Debian GNU/Linux distribution. It meets on the second Wednesday of the month, at Woolloomooloo Bay Hotel. For details, check the slug-announce archives, the DebSIG website or contact the organisers.
#slug on Freenode. This network can be accessed via the server available at irc.slug.org.au.
Various local technical groups focus on topics related to Linux.