dacs.doc electric

IF YOU KNOW or have heard about Unix, you may also know about Linux, the Unix-like operating system that continues to be developed by a cooperating worldwide team of unpaid developers.

Linux (pronounced Lee-nux) is the brainchild of a man named Linus Torvalds. Back in 1991, when he was a 21-year-old college student in Finland, Torvalds decided that he was not too happy with his operating system, DOS. So he started to write his own. Since then Linux has undergone continual development. It works on almost every kind of computer, provides a robust platform for a wide variety of applications, and may be used for a many purposes, including networking, software development, and as an end-user platform.

Unlike other operating systems, Linux is free in almost all respects. One can download it from the Internet at no charge, pass on copies to friends, and even modify its internals.Its cost-free availability, one of the most critical reasons for its success, has is fast turning heads in the industry and attracting the attention of mainstream media.

Even though Linux software is totally free to those with the inclination and time to download it, not everyone can afford the patience and effort it takes to get it from the Internet. Enter Red Hat, Inc. a company that makes it easier for people to use Linux. Red Hat distributes the program for a fee, but it gives you your money's worth by simplifying installation and the use of applications, and by including all the bits and pieces to make it a cohesive and comprehensible program. Red Hat offers technical and installation support, printed manuals, and Linux on CD-Rom. Red Hat Linux 6.0 contains all of the software you need as a desktop client-e-mail, browsers, publishing tools, calendars, Internet tools, and more.

At the DACS general meeting on August 3, Gene Callahan, whose company, St. George Technologies, is one of a growing number of firms specializing in Linux programming, will present Red Hat Linux. Don't miss the opportunity to learn about this revolutionary OS and see for yourself what all the hype is about.

DACS is a Greater Danbury area computer society. Its general meetings take place on the first Tuesday of the month at the Danbury Hospital auditorium, 24 Hospital Avenue, and are open to the public. The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. with casual networking. At 7 p.m. members can ask their most pressing computer questions during Random Access. The featured presentation starts at 8 p.m.