Welcome to the Pennsylvania LoCo Team!

[bfledderjohn]

Welcome to the Pennsylvania Loco Team Forum!

All are welcome here to talk about setting up the team, spreading the word about Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Edubuntu, and Xubuntu, and getting to know each other better.

As of right now we have our irc channel set up --> #ubuntu-pennsylvania
Our wiki is there --> wiki.ubuntu.com/PennsylvaniaTeam
Our Launchpad home is here ---> launchpad.net/~pennsylvania

Please feel free to contribute to any or all of the above.

Currently there are three members of the team, so there is plenty of time to get in on the ground floor!

Team Members are:

Bret Fledderjohn (me), my email address is freelancer317 AT gmail DOT com (freelancer317@gmail.com)
Kevin Valentine
Chad Waters


Thanks and I look forward to talking to everyone!

Bret

[SunnyRabbiera]

I am in lower PA, actually I am practically in Delaware so I can technically qualify for the Delaware team as well as the PA team :D

[bfledderjohn]

You can be our official ambassador to the Delaware LoCo! ;-)

[mrreality13]

How do I join ?
Ive only been using linux for round 3 months but have fallen in love with ubuntu (is that wrong?)--lol
:guitar:

[bfledderjohn]

mrreality,

If that is wrong, then I don't want to be right! ;-)

I've added you to the team on Launchpad

Thanks for your interest!

[andrewski]

Nice to see this happening! A few friends and I have wondered about stuff like this. I'm interested to see this develop. I'm joining on Launchpad, subscribing to the forum and wikipage... woo!

[mrreality13]

Im glad too its a good way to learn and help to grow the Linux UBUNTU community in the philly area plus meet people with similar intrests..:guitar:

[snoop]

Hello! I live in Delaware, but I go to school in Philadelphia. Cannot wait for Feisty to come out.:)

[midia]

Good on you!
Sign me up!
Looks like you've go this party started. Who needs beer? We'll get drunk on Ubuntu. :)

Regards,
midia

[bfledderjohn]

Midia,

You've been added to the team on Launchpad, welcome aboard!

-Bret

[midia]

Muchos Gracias! :)

[snoop]

Forgot to mention, How do I sign up? I wont be around for a while (final exams :( )but I might be able to join a meeting or two sometime.

[bfledderjohn]

Snoop, I've added you to the team on Launchpad!

[ichilegend]

I was hoping there was a PA Ubuntu users' group. Great to know you are out there. I have used Linux for years, mostly Red Hat / Fedora and as much as I love those distros, Ubuntu "just works" on my newer hardware without any grief. I'm sold on it and I recommend it to anyone who will listen.

[bfledderjohn]

It's good to have you here ichilegend!

[Blaster95]

Hey all i'm from right above delaware outside of philly. :D

[bfledderjohn]

Blaster, It's good to have you here!

[vincedia]

I'm new to the LoCo thing as I am a new user. I'm from Swarthmore (just south of the city) and am looking forward to helping other users and learning more myself. Hoping to someday use Ubuntu as a solution for my office.

Vince

[lamalex]

if your office is looking to set up linux and such I can probably help you with that. PM me or something with what you're trying to set up

[vincedia]

if your office is looking to set up linux and such I can probably help you with that. PM me or something with what you're trying to set up

We're nowhere near that yet. My office is just me, my secratary, and a few attorneys that show up when needed. She's not computer literate, and it will be tough to teach her anything new. As a novice Ubuntu (and Linux) user and the only tech support my office has, I'm not ready to support us with Linux.

My goal for now is to learn enough to switch us when our current systems need upgrading. (approx 2-2.5 years)

In the meantime I'm going to be learning everything I can to hot that goal.

Thanks for the offer though!

Vince

[lamalex]

still will help anytime you need it!

[dbbolton]

hello

i'm interested in getting involved with the team. i'll be moving to philadelphia this summer.

[bfledderjohn]

dbbolton,
I've added you to the team on Launchpad. Welcome aboard!

[raspark]

Hi,

Just jumping in here. Long-time Ubuntu user (Warty). Located in Washington, PA.

Hi all.

Randy

[lamalex]

welcome to the team! Stop by our irc sometime, #ubuntu-pennsylvania on irc.freenode.net

[naknak987]

Hello everyone, I'm new to ubuntu, been using it for about a week now. So far its been real learning experience and I would like to join the team. I live in Kersey P.A. Its a very small town about 45 min away from DuBoes P.A. I would like to know what all the team does. But I'm joining for shure.

[lamalex]

We're mostly community advocacy for Ubuntu and support for people in PA!

[naknak987]

Were do I sign up?

[bfledderjohn]

Naknak987,

I've approved your request on Launchpad. You can also join the mailing list at https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-us-pa

Welcome to the community, and if you have any questions, let us know!

[naknak987]

Thanks for the link.

[hklak]

Hi Everyone,

Name's Henry - live up in the Pocono's. Looking to learn anything & everything about Ubuntu. Although I spend 75% of my time up in Northern NJ... would rather support the Keystone State!

[bfledderjohn]

We like you supporting the Keystone State too! Seriously, the NJ LoCo has very good people too (and you can belong to both).

Welcome aboard and check out the wiki for more ways to participate! wiki.ubuntu.com/PennsylvaniaTeam
(http://wiki.ubuntu.com/PennsylvaniaTeam)

[hklak]

Thank you. If I had the time, I would. Just an fyi - I just tried to sign up for the team through launchpad...

[bfledderjohn]

I just looked to approve you, and I didn't see anything. If you want, let me know your Launchpad account here or as a pm and I will add you.

Btw, the wiki has other information besides giving you things to do.. :)
There are events, support, and links to most of the team's assets.

Thanks!

[hklak]

done - thanks!

[Sentinel83]

Hi all,

I'm in western PA in Pittsburgh, and am a member of the Pittsburgh LoCo on LaunchPad. Not sure if we are completely integrated with the Penn LoCo or not...

Anyways, if I need to add myself to anything or whatnot, let me know. Otherwise, I'm in to help where I can.

[elizabeth]

Welcome!

The Pittsburg Team on launchpad is a "member" of the PA team. You're welcome to join the PA team directly as well as it's the PA team as a whole that goes up for approval rather than subteams like Pittsburg: https://launchpad.net/~pennsylvania/

You might consider pitching in (and encouraging others from Pittsburg) on getting the Wiki out there going, I'm afraid Philadelphia and Central PA have a head start on events, but there is plenty of time to catch up: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/PennsylvaniaTeam/Pitt/

[jedijf]

.

[jedijf]

Attention all WESTERN PA'ers:

I just found this link on the Software Freedom Day Team List

http://www.wplug.org/

and they say the have a sister lug in Erie.

http://www.erielug.org/

Maybe this will help.

[unisol]

my name is tom rinehart,im from philly and am thrilled to find a pa. loco team. been using ubuntu since warty, and am interested in joining the group.

[bfledderjohn]

Tom,
You're set up and approved in Launchpad! Thanks for joining the team!

[cwood06]

Im from Northern PA Go canton woot !

[bfledderjohn]

Canton! Cool! My wife is from Towanda and has a close friend that hails from Canton! Small state isn't it?

Welcome aboard! Any chance there might be a chance for you to get something going for Software Freedom Day? It would be nice to have you're part of the state representing Ubuntu! How about a bbq at Mt. Pisca? :-)

Again Welcome!

[cwood06]

lmao i just went there yesterday with my gf, probbly could not sure how many people are fro maround here

[Rog-Mahal]

Hello. It seems that I am one of the few, the proud, the South Central PA Ubuntu users. I've used Ubuntu for about 4 years now, and I love it. Looking forward to supporting where I can and spreading the word about this awesome OS.

[elizabeth]

Welcome Rog! I just approved your membership request on launchpad.

[geist27]

Hello hello!

Jim from the Philly Burbs here. (Bensalem, Bucks County) Hope you are all well and that I can to be of use here and there. Been using Linux in one form or another for 4 years (Red Hat - Suse - Mandrake) and Ubuntu for about a year.

Tho I won't be writing code for a lot of stuff, I dabble in scripting, but mostly I am trying to get every game I can to run on Wine/Cedega! I don't want to load up winblows for ANY reason!

[bfledderjohn]

Welcome geist27! What games have you gotten to work in Linux? That's a HUGE weak point in the appeal of Linux. So the more that you get running, the better :-)

[geist27]

Too true, lack of gaming is a big prob for many.

With the help of Wine (http://www.winehq.com) I can get working
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
World of Warcraft
Warcraft III
Eve: Online
Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy

With the help of Cedega (http://www.cedega.com)
Civilization 4: Warlords
Guild Wars - Factions - Nightfall

Not to discount true Linux native gaming here (http://www.happypenguin.org/news/)
Warsow
Lbreakout2
T.E.G client (Risk clone)
Armagetron
Neverball
Pingus
Fish Filet

Games I have yet to give up trying to get running:
Company of Heroes
Warhammer: Mark of Chaos
Warhammer: Dawn of War (+expansions)
RollerCoaster Tycoon 3
Lord of the Rings Online

[bfledderjohn]

Wow, that's quite a list! Great job!

Are they stable, or a bit buggy? Is there a wiki for how to get these various games running? If not, that would be a great project!

[geist27]

To answer the buggy question:

WOW is flawless, and better than winblows in some cases, there is a large population of ppl to keep this game perfect in Linux

EVE is 97%, there are some graphics glitches on the starmap, but it runs beautifully for me and is totally engrossing

GTA:SA is about 90%, some texture problems with the characters, but gameplay and fun are all there.

Jedi Knight is flawless except for a save-game crash bug that I have not delved into too much

Warcraft 3 is flawless as well, runs perfectly and totally immersive, even in a window!

Guild Wars is flawless and a ton of fun, though I think to run in a window you need an insane system, tho mine is good, running in window through the extra Cedega API i lose some FPS, fullscreen is perfect

As for the Wiki question:
The links I included for Cedega have a games searchable database so you can see if your specific game is playable and if so there is usually a wiki node to help you along. Wine also has a db of apps that is searchable and each listing usually has a walkthrough to install/play.

Wine is free (universe repo I think), and Cedega which is built upon Wine is a fee per month, but adds more function and requestable focusing on a particular game. For example Command and Conquer 3 came out and depending on the response to the game they will decide if they need to put more manpower to make it work.

[clickwir]

Scranton here. Never knew there were so many Ubuntu people in PA.

[elizabeth]

Welcome to the team, clickwir! Just approved your membership in launchpad.

[stormchas3r]

Hello all!!!

Burbs of Philly here. I am so happy to be part of a wonderful thing "ubuntu" I have been using ubuntu for about 2 years now, and haven't looked back on that win thing.

Anyways, one of my goals is to get linux or OSS into the education field, ie.. colleges, k-12, and even technical schools. So hopefully we can get this dream going.

I look forward to working with everyone.

Knix

[ccw]

Hello all!!!

Burbs of Philly here. I am so happy to be part of a wonderful thing "ubuntu" I have been using ubuntu for about 2 years now, and haven't looked back on that win thing.

Anyways, one of my goals is to get linux or OSS into the education field, ie.. colleges, k-12, and even technical schools. So hopefully we can get this dream going.

I look forward to working with everyone.

Knix

Welcome. Do you have much experience with edubuntu?

[stormchas3r]

Why yes I do. I have been playing with that for about 2 years also. Gotta love the thin clients.

Soooo Montco eh?? Not too far from Delco.

[ccw]

Why yes I do. I have been playing with that for about 2 years also. Gotta love the thin clients.

Soooo Montco eh?? Not too far from Delco.

I was just about to point out the MALT project...

and yes the Philly area is very well represented here.

[stormchas3r]

I hear ya, I will help out as much as I can with MALT. Aug 18th is a bad day for it, other than that game on.

:popcorn::guitar::lolflag:

[rrinker]

Just saw a link to this group on the main Ubuntu forums and thought I'd stop by to check it out. Randy from Pottstown here. Been using Ubuntu for a few years now, after trying a few other flavors of Linux and not having much luck. Ubuntu just worked, first time, and has on each system I've installed it on. Spread the word a bit by giving one of my old systems to my kids. I even offered to reload Window son it but they stuck with the Ubuntu install and are liking it (they do have another computer with Windows to play with). I do computer network design and support from the Reading area, and so just can't get away from Windows but my primary system right now at home is pure Ubuntu.

And yes, I'm lazy, no sig and no avatar. Comes from years of having nothing but slow internet connections and having to wait while complex signatures and animated avatars loaded. :-D

[jpr13]

I line in the Mt. Pocono area and I go to NCC.
Very psyched about installing Feisty Fawn and getting into linux, and getting others into it ar well.

Jason

[rlm-nix]

I chose South Central (Harrisburg, York, Lancaster) but I'm actually in Gettysburg.

[lamalex]

well welcome to the team!

[mjezell]

Hi everyone,
I just wanted to say hello the the Pennsylvania LoCo Team. Joined a short time ago and am looking forward to a long and prosperous relationship. Been with Ubuntu since 4.10 and have loved every minute of it.

See you around,
Mike

[Rupertronco]

I'm an avid Linux user and a student @ the University of Pittsburgh, I hope I can make some contribution to the PA team.

[torind_2000]

Howdy all. Names Heath and im from Milton. I've been a linux addict for 2 years, switched to ubuntu about 6 months ago and love it.

[randytuggle]

I live in deep south central PA , about 1 mile north of Maryland. I've been using Ubuntu for over a year. Count me in! Cheers!

[jtaji]

I live in Pittsburgh and have also lived in Lancaster and State College. I have been using Linux for 10 years and Ubuntu since 2005. I would like to join the team. My launchpad id is james-taji.

James

[dougsnell]

I live in Lancaster (a mile from the airport), and have been experimenting more and more with Ubuntu.

As a day job, I'm a Sys Admin in the Windows world (in Harrisburg). I've gone from dabbling in Red Hat 8 years ago to actively encouraging others to use Ubuntu, to actually handing my father-in-law an Ubuntu laptop (which he absolutely loves).

Outside of work, I'd say I use my Ubuntu laptop more than Windows ... though my desktop hasn't made the switch at all. I'm also a fairly avid gamer, and just can't let go :roll:

[TimBosse]

Hello all. I am from Pittsburgh, PA. Been silently lurking about until recently. I am spending more of my recent time getting involved with Ubuntu in a few different ways. I have been an on-off again Linux user since 1994.

Embarrassingly, I just noticed the loco teams while looking for a release party around my area. I just happened to notice PA only has a release party in Philadelphia. So I figured the more folks we have in Pittsburgh, the better chance for a release party. I am really interested in meeting folks locally who use and work on Ubuntu from this area.

After floating around on the PA team site, I was really impressed with the current work done by members. I guess I think it's important to help out locally to affect things globally. So I am definitely interested in joining the PA loco team.

Thanks,

[elizabeth]

Welcome Tim, glad to have you!

There are a bunch of people in the team out toward Pittsburgh, but unfortunately no events even in the works as of yet. I think we just need a leader or a couple dedicated folks to take up the reins and push forward. I'll put you in touch with a couple of folks who have shown interest, and feel free to hop on the mailing list.

[johnny_bubonic]

raised in hatfield! moved to devon for a short while (while i was at eastern u) and just recently moved to perkasie!

i normally use gentoo, but i figure i better start learning *buntu if i hope to provide to the community. :)

[MrChonks]

As I stated in another thread, I live in Royersford. I just moved here from San Jose back in June and looking to hook up with like-minded Ubuntu fanatics. My join for the launchpad group is awaiting approval. Glad this forum was created.

[andrewski]

moved to devon for a short while (while i was at eastern u)

No kidding... I was at Eastern from '01 to '04. Did we know each other?

[andrewski]

As I stated in another thread, I live in Royersford. I just moved here from San Jose back in June and looking to hook up with like-minded Ubuntu fanatics. My join for the launchpad group is awaiting approval. Glad this forum was created.
Fun times... my parents live in Royersford (I in Phoenixville). Small world, hopefully we'll get to meet at one of the upcoming events!

[bfledderjohn]

MrChonks, welcome aboard! I just approved you in Launchpad.

[elizabeth]

I live in Royersford.

*waves from down the street in Schwenksville*

Nice to have you! In the other thread you expressed interest in our upcoming events, they are all listed on our events page:

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/PennsylvaniaTeam/EventsTeam

The big social event for the Philly team is coming up on the 28th, we're having a Halloween party over at Drake's Tavern in Jenkintown to celebrate the release of Gutsy - you should drop by! Carpooling would be cool too. Info here:

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/PennsylvaniaTeam/EventsTeam/PhillyGutsyRelease

[johnny_bubonic]

No kidding... I was at Eastern from '01 to '04. Did we know each other?

no : ( i was there last year.

i was in YACHT though!

[raublekick]

I live in Lancaster (a mile from the airport), and have been experimenting more and more with Ubuntu.

As a day job, I'm a Sys Admin in the Windows world (in Harrisburg). I've gone from dabbling in Red Hat 8 years ago to actively encouraging others to use Ubuntu, to actually handing my father-in-law an Ubuntu laptop (which he absolutely loves).

Outside of work, I'd say I use my Ubuntu laptop more than Windows ... though my desktop hasn't made the switch at all. I'm also a fairly avid gamer, and just can't let go :roll:

Awesome. I live in Strasburg and work in Lancaster. It's good to see more Lancaster representation.

I've been using Linux since Fedora Core 2 and started using Ubuntu with Hoary.

[cdean]

Greets, all. I'm Colin Dean, and I'm from western PA. I live in Volant, a little tourist trap east of New Wilmington (home of Westminster College (http://www.westminster.edu), mia alma mater). I'm a commuting Masters student at RMU (http://www.rmu.edu) and an instructor at ITT Tech in Youngstown, Ohio.

I've been using Linux since 2001. I started as a console jockey on Trustix 2.0, then messed around with Mandrake 9 and Red Hat 9. I took a break for a while before getting back into it with Fedora Core 2. Eventually, I caught wind of Ubuntu shortly after the release of Warty and have been using it lightly since. As of Gutsy, I'm using it 90% of the time, with the other 10% being Windows XP or Vista for gaming. I run some Linux distro on 13 of 14 computers/routers I administer (mostly Ubuntu, with one Trustix and three DD-WRT).

I'm training to be a computer science teacher. A primary cause for my interest in Linux is its openness and availability to all, regardless of income level (with the obvious barrier of hardware costs, but even that's becoming negligible). I see a massive potential for Linux in schools because of the low cost of Linux to districts and the efficiency of projects such as Edubuntu and LTSP. In my opinion, many parents buy computers running the OS which the school uses, so if schools adopt Linux, so will homes.

I've got a lot of time on my hands, as I don't have a 9-5 job, so I'm trying to put a little time into Ubuntu. I'm an intermediate-level Esperantist, so I've been translating here and there. I avoid C/C++ programs, but am comfortable in Java, PHP, Smalltalk, andScheme, and have a working knowledge of C# and Python.

I've added #ubuntu-pennsylvania to my autojoin list, so I'll be hanging out there.

[johnny_bubonic]

welcome, colin! what games do you play?

[hollaburoo]

Hi I'm from lower bucks, lived in levittown and yardley. Currently a student at Temple University.

[lamalex]

Do you go to main campus? Another temple student here.

[TGArcher]

Hello! Nice to meet you all! My bean count might say I'm a noob, but I actually have almost 4 years expirience in GNU/Linux, starting with Gentoo. I just finished my first Linux From Scratch install this past weekend. Prolly do another one, in about 6 months+. I moved back to PA after 9 years in CT where I was exposed to Linux and still recieve a lot of mentoring from so awesome friends (there is ALWAYS more to learn). I'm glad I could join so I can get aquanted with the local Ubuntu scene. I hope one time I can come to a meeting, if one is held close by the Pottstown/Limerick area (and maybe if I get a new job, cause right now I work 2nd shift). Thanks again and hope to see you guys around!

[andrewski]

I hope one time I can come to a meeting, if one is held close by the Pottstown/Limerick area (and maybe if I get a new job, cause right now I work 2nd shift).

There seem to be a number of us suburban Philadelphians; maybe we could have a meeting out our way sometime?

[lamalex]

Our meetings are generally over IRC, if there's an event you'd like to have in your area, come to an IRC meeting and present it! We're always looking for more events in new areas. You're not too far from Philly, we've got an installfest in the works for late January, and if our last one is any indication of numbers, we'll need more installers for this one.

[andrewski]

Our meetings are generally over IRC, if there's an event you'd like to have in your area, come to an IRC meeting and present it! We're always looking for more events in new areas. You're not too far from Philly, we've got an installfest in the works for late January, and if our last one is any indication of numbers, we'll need more installers for this one.
I'll be able to say better the closer it gets, but I'm guessing you can count on a few more installers (read: some friends and I) at the next one. :)

[jedijf]

For the Philly area and meetings there are PLUG, PLUG West, and PLUG North. Hopefully one of these (or all) could be attended.

http://www.phillylinux.org/

And our cousins in New Jersey:

CHLUG - Cherry Hill LUG

http://chlug.org/home.php

RUSLUG - Rutgers U Student LUG ** Installfest SUNDAY 11/4

http://ruslug.rutgers.edu/w/

LUGIP - LUG in Princeton

http://www.lugip.org/

Social calendar now full. And if you can, make room for the PA LoCo ongoing classrooms at NTR (https://wiki.ubuntu.com/PennsylvaniaTeam/CommunityOutreachTeam/NtrTraining) and MALT (https://wiki.ubuntu.com/PennsylvaniaTeam/CommunityOutreachTeam/LTSPMALT).

[elizabeth]

I hope one time I can come to a meeting, if one is held close by the Pottstown/Limerick area (and maybe if I get a new job, cause right now I work 2nd shift).

There is a business I have a contact with right on Ridge Pike in Limerick that has been used as a meeting place for PLUG in the past. So if enough of us Limerick/Pottstown/Royersford/Schwenksville/Collegeville people are interested we could probably have some sort of meeting there - or at Sly Fox Brewery in Royersford. IRC meetings are great, but I'd like to hook up with more of the locals we haven't managed to snag at previous events.

2nd shift does cause a problem, a Sunday afternoon/evening get-together might work though - Sly Fox is pretty empty on Sundays.

[fakeplasticpete]

Howdy, all!

Newly-registered user from the Northeast here.

I'm a long-time hobbyist Ubuntu user, but M$ has recently managed to finally push me over the edge and go all-ubuntu, 24x7.

:)

-pete

[elizabeth]

Welcome to the team Pete! Just approved your launchpad membership.

Seems like there are more and more folks like yourself being pushed "over the edge" by M$ these days...

[LaRoza]

HI everyone, NEPA resident here.

This is my first time posting in the LoCo section :-)

[Rockin Rob]

Hi everyone, first time poster from State College, PA.

I've used HP-UX and Solaris at work, and I decided to run Ubuntu at home to help maintain and develop my UNIX proficiency. It's nice to have a UNIX box to poke around with at home.

[lamalex]

Do you go to Penn State or just live in the area? My best friend goes to Penn State, next time I'm up we should grab a cup of coffee.

[Rockin Rob]

Do you go to Penn State or just live in the area? My best friend goes to Penn State, next time I'm up we should grab a cup of coffee.

I went to Penn State, graduated in 1990. I moved back up here in 2004 to take a job. It's great living at Penn State and not having to worry about tests and grades.

[Almumin]

What up Ubuntu family! I live in Philly, college grad and struggling to finish the Master's Degree from Duquesne University (online military program)! I will be glad when it is over! I want to go about the process of setting up a computer lab, job training lab for a non-profit, so if anyone has some input on setting up thin clients or workstations to connect to a Ubuntu/Edubuntu server (you know...screencasts, etc), please let me know.

Oh, I LOVE UBUNTU! Freedom of choice...finally!:KS

-Almumin

[Almumin]

Rob...UNIX is not Linux, although you will love this...http://bhami.com/rosetta.html:popcorn:

[Almumin]

Oops...dag on popcorn icon was too close...http://bhami.com/rosetta.html
Now...there you go!

[Rockin Rob]

Rob...UNIX is not Linux

True, UNIX is not Linux, but it's close enough for government work, as the old saying goes. Great link, thanks.

[immolat3]

Hey, my name is Josh, I live in Philly (University City Area) and attend Drexel University. My major is Digital Media and I love Ubuntu! Sign me up!

[lamalex]

Hey, welcome! I knew a Josh who went/goes to Drexel. Any chance you briefly dated a girl name Megan from Downingtown a few years ago? Fat chance, but you never know... If you haven't already, you should officially join the team (http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=3077663&postcount=1). Drop by and see us on IRC sometime in #ubuntu-pennsylvania.

[cipher_nemo]

Hello fellow LoCo Ubuntu ambassadors and users!

I've been using a promoting Ubuntu for some time now, but I just recently discovered this PA LoCo team. Go figure. It must have been in my blind spot for a while. :)

I live in State College and I work for Penn State University. To be specific, I am a software engineer for a Penn State entity by the name of "Penn State Facilities Engineering Institute" (non-profit), that has roots in the Penn State College of Engineering here at "University Park". We design, implement, and maintain databases and their front-ends for state agencies, including PennDOT, Dept. of Corrections, Dept. of Public Welfare (DPW), Dept. of General Services (DGS), and the State System of Higher Education (SSHE).

I use Ubuntu (Gutsy 7.10) on two PCs that are dedicated to MythTV. They are certainly HTPCs, as their primary purpose is to schedule, record, and playback TV shows and movies.

As a native Microsoft DOS/Windows users (ever since MS-DOS 3.3 and Windows 3.0), it has been a struggle for me to adapt to Linux. I worked in the IT world for quite some time as a network and PC tech for companies and organizations who were all using PCs with Windows. I didn't even know about the free, open source operating systems until I became friends with a System Administrator at a school district where I worked. He introduced me to FreeBSD and the Debian distro of Linux. I was blown away that it had a community so in tune with each other, all developing software for the greater good.

At that time, Debian was still very much at a tinker's maturity level, because Xwindows wasn't even included unless you specifically told it to install Xwindows and some desktop manager. So it never really grew on me.

I then discovered Ubuntu many years later when a co-worker introduced me to it after he received an official Ubuntu LiveCD in the mail. Up until this time, I had the old-school stereotypes of Linux as such another confusing *nix O/S with an elitist community that wasn't interested in helping Windows converts. I visited the community both on the forums and irc, and was simply amazed by the supportive and caring environment. So, I tried to set up Ubuntu Dapper (6.06) with MythTV, but ran into all sorts of issues since MythTV 0.2 wasn't an officially supported package at that time. I gave up, but kept my faith in Linux and installed Fedora Core 5 instead. I got that working just fine.

A year or so later, and I just recently rediscovered Ubuntu with Feisty and Gutsy (7.04 and 7.10). The change seemed to be immense for me since 6.x. Specifically, I see an easy way for NVIDIA restricted drivers to be installed, supported MythTV 0.2, a more streamlined software updater, and Compiz, specifically my favorite, Compiz Fusion.

However, I am still stuck using XP one two systems. I'm a gamer at home, but only because I'm really a hardware enthusiast, building my own modded PCs with the latests gaming mobo and video cards. I'm still really a casual gamer, but I do enjoy many of the latest RPG titles. I've been lazy to transition to Ubuntu on my gaming rig, but I have researched and found that all of my current games are supported in Linux under either Wine or Cedega.

At work, I'm still stuck with XP because we are a *groan* Microsoft-based business with MS-SQL, Visual Studio and .NET, as well as the entire College of Engineering which has a Windows domain we need to log into. They are probably ways around this using Samba, etc., but it's an uphill battle with all of the red-tape surrounding Penn State policies. Still, I push for open source software where I can. We are currently entertaining the idea of Subversion instead of our outdated and limiting MS Source Safe.

This is one of the reason, along with my hatred of Microsoft Vista, that I created something I call a "Vista Board of Shame (http://2geek.org/pt/blog/default.aspx?id=145&t=Vista-Board-of-Shame)". Check it out on my 2geek.org blog. I showed it to as many co-workers as possible, complete with a "solutions" fold-out with an article on Ubuntu, and copies of free Ubuntu 7.10 LiveCDs. Since I'm on this topic, would anyone like to have this display for their next LoCo install-fest?

Long intro, I know... sorry about that. :)

[lamalex]

Welcome to the team! I'm up at Penn State right now visiting my friend! He's still asleep. It's freaking after 11! Does the computer science department at PSU have a Linux lab or anything? Pushing for F/OSS in schools is definitely the way to do it, the philosophies line up so well it boggles my mind that more schools aren't F/OSS centric (I know, $$$). Welcome to the team in any case, keep up the good fight up here at PSU, maybe it's time you hold an install fest for them.

[cipher_nemo]

Ah, I don't know too much about what labs we have where. I attended Penn State in '92 before leaving for California. Now that I'm back in my home town, I'm working for them, but only off-site, downtown. We have an office in Marion Place building on E. Nittany Ave. and Pugh St.

As for the installfest, I'd be happy to help organize one, but it would be my first time as I'm not sure what we traditionally do for such an event, or even what requirements and advertisement is involved. I'll have to Google this a little more. :) Do you happen to know when the last one was that we had here?

[pavel989]

Hi, my name is Pavel. im from Bucks county, ive been in Ubuntu for a bout half a year i guess. ive acquired a lot of knowledge about Linux and specifically Ubuntu.

[cipher_nemo]

Hello and welcome Pavel. You're not too far away from Penn State, so you're not too far from me. I do remember "Bucks County Coffee", which is quite good. Is that a coffee company/retailer in Bucks county?

[pavel989]

Hello and welcome Pavel. You're not too far away from Penn State, so you're not too far from me. I do remember "Bucks County Coffee", which is quite good. Is that a coffee company/retailer in Bucks county?

hm, yea? i think so. i got a couple of friends in penn state abbington.

[zakaroo]

Hi Everyone - I'm in Center City Philly. During the day, I work as a windows programmer (forgive me please) but over the past couple year have been playing with ubuntu, red hat and suse. At the release of Vista, I was so sick of performance limitations and corporate advertising that I riped vista off my new laptop, installed Ubuntu 7.10 and left it at that. I now use Linux almost exclusively (although I do have to keep a computer with XP for work).

I just started a linux general users group on meetup.com, if anyone is interested in joining that it would be great. I look forward to participating in the spreading of Ubuntu to the masses.

Zack

[cipher_nemo]

At the release of Vista, I was so sick of performance limitations and corporate advertising that I riped vista off my new laptop, installed Ubuntu 7.10 and left it at that. I now use Linux almost exclusively...

Whoot! This is the same reason I starting using and promoting Ubuntu. Before I tried Ubuntu, but let it go to run Fedora Core on my MythTV system and XP on my desktops. Now I run Ubuntu on three of the 6 PCs I own (two run XP, a third is a vintage/collector's PC running DOS).

[pavel989]

hey guys, randomly had the idea:

assuming my very basic guess of what an install fest iz; towards spreading ubuntu, there can be like maybe 2 or 3 laptops, side by side. 1 running xp (updated) and another running gutsy (updated), nd maybe a vista(updated) and simply compare them for ppl. like common apps and stuff. plus it would be good to advertize the whole, "virus free" part about linux

[artAlexion]

Hi. Art here. *Ubuntu user since the Warty release and PLUG participant/Linux user since 2000.

Professionally, working to replace WinXP desktops with Linux rather than Vista. Currently using SLED for active directory integration, but trying to get an Ubuntu solution which I'd prefer. I work for a non-profit in the East Falls section of Philadelphia.

Looking forward to involvement with the LoCo.

[cipher_nemo]

Welcome new neighbors! :)

I know we're a distance away from each other, but we're not impossibly far away. If anyone is interested in helping me put together an install fest at Penn State University (University Park or any branch campus), please let me know.

I have some supplies for an install fest, and some knowledge installing and troubleshooting Ubuntu and its Linux kernel, but I'm not a guru with it. Pooling resources (both physical and intellectual) would certainly provide both an enjoyable and productive event.

[elizabeth]

If anyone is interested in helping me put together an install fest at Penn State University (University Park or any branch campus), please let me know.

I want to encourage you to start a new thread about this in the forum (not everyone reads the Intro thread - but a new "Installfest at Penn State" thread would probably attract attention). Also drop a note to the mailing list with this, not everyone reads the forums so you'll reach more people.

[cipher_nemo]

Thanks Elizabeth! I will follow your advice soon. :)

[Speedoo]

Hi all!
Count me in too. I'm representing Ubuntu in York, and trying to spread the word in Baltimore as well (where I work.) Thanks, and keep up the good work!

[dark_harmonics]

Hi all!

Im a techie from Pittsburgh who (like a poster in the first page of the thread) just fell in love with ubuntu. I was always interested to learn more about linux but was chased away by the steep learning curve. I'm using ubuntu as my "transition" OS because it is so easy to use. I have grown so much over the last 6 or 7 months with ubuntu that I no longer need any windows crutch. I overwrote my 2003 server with a superfast (and secure) free BSD install and all my home computers now run ubuntu. My spouse was kind of upset when she came home one day to find all her computers changed over, but i think she secretly likes the new look and functionality.

Look forward to posting and reading posts in this forum!

-Joshua

[pavel989]

if not for visual studio and a few games, id switch over completly. my other computer is ubuntu only, but my newer one has a radeon 2600, and the drivers for it even with envy will get me compiz but not games. otherwise, good god i hate xp

[dark_harmonics]

if not for visual studio and a few games, id switch over completly. my other computer is ubuntu only, but my newer one has a radeon 2600, and the drivers for it even with envy will get me compiz but not games. otherwise, good god i hate xp

Wow i totally hate ATI. I actually exchanged out my macbook gen 2 to get this gen 3 because it has nvidia instead of ATI. The support is getting better but they still suck.

[DG19075]

I've been partying hearty with Ubuntu since a little over a year ago. When the other OS started poking around in my computer to make sure their installed OS was legit, I finally tossed in the towel. Tried some of the other Linux flavors, but the Big U seems the most intuitive for those migrating from the other guys. Finally yanked the other OS out tonight; system was dual-boot, with each one living in its own hard drive. Now I've got an anvil-solid system, with many applications easily the equal or better than their M$ equivalents. I've been trying to spread the word here in Montgomery County. Question for those in the know: Where can I get a .deb of the Aurora-GTK2 engine?

Dave Gardiner

Oreland, PA

Repackaged Emachines box running 7.10!

[cipher_nemo]

Awesome, Dave! Isn't it a great feeling to give Micro$oft the shaft by using and promoting Linux? ;)

Ever since Micro$oft's Vista, Steve Ballmer's henchmen trying to sue Linux developers, and purposefully making sure their hardware won't work in any other O/S, I've dropped them like the dead weight they are.

I prefer to use 2GB of RAM for applications, instead of just running the Aero interface, lol.

[DG19075]

Even better is the howl of dissatisfaction coming from my fellow broadcast engineers. Most broadcast automation mfr's(ENCO, Scott, etc.)have yet to have audio drivers written for Vista. Some plants are having to roll back to XP Pro(still the best M$ version made)and wait till Vista gets sorted out. There IS a FREE automation system out there that will run on Ubuntu and other Linux flavors, called Rivendell. Nice stuff! And quite a few people I talk to about Ubuntu aren't even aware that it exists...


Dave Gardiner

Oreland, PA
Repackaged Emachines box running 7.10 happily!

[NightwishFan]

Hi all, my name is Virgil and I joined the Pennsylvania Team. I am from a town called Vandergrift near Pittsburgh. I have been using Ubuntu solely for 5 months now. Currently I am using the Xubuntu edition. Glad to meet you all. :)

[christophdanger]

Hello everyone!

I live in Meadville, PA and I'm going to school in Erie. I'm extremely interested in Ubuntu, Linux, and Open Source as a whole. Really, I just love FREEDOM!

I've been a Linux USER and tinkerer for about 6 tears on and off, I have never really just made the full jump to Ubuntu or any form of Linux (I dual boot XP and Ubuntu). If I could play all my games and not have to use certain things like my Zune (I know, Microsoft crap! Got a good deal on it though). So, with all of that I stay in my little dual boot world. I would like to start developing or maybe doing some promotion for Ubuntu. I pretty good at doing website work and if you give me some time, I can learn almost anything.

Well I'm glad this LOCO team exists!

Anyone else from the Meadville/Erie Area?

[NightwishFan]

Welcome to the team. :)
You should join the irc at irc.freenode.net channel: #ubuntu-us-pa

[OneIdle]

Hey Folks! I just join the team a couple days ago. Glad I stumbled upon this great bunch of people. I hang around in #ubuntu and #ubuntu+1 (when it is open) and also #ubuntu-us-pa with the nick IdleOne. need help with something just ask I will be more then happy and if I can't help you I probably know who can :)

[Yellow Pasque]

Hi, my name's Dan. I guess it's time I got more involved with Ubuntu on a social level. As you can see, I've been fairly active on the general forums.

I'll join the Launchpad team as soon as I get a spark of motivation and register an account.

[NightwishFan]

Indeed, good luck. :]

[Yellow Pasque]

Ok. I had a Launchpad account all along (of course). I have finally applied for membership. My account is dtl131.

[NightwishFan]

Welcome good sir.

[ssd7]

Hello All,

My name is Steven. I grew up all over the place and currently live in Georgia, but I go to school and spend most of my time in Pittsburgh.

[INsaneJuly]

Hello everyone! I just stumbled upon this group today. I also recently got into the whole Linux scene, and Ubuntu. Just wanted to drop everyone a line and say hello! I am from Bloomsburg, so basically like an hour South of Scranton for those who don't know where I am, lol.

[airplanesrule]

hi, im andy from East Stroudsburg and i want to know why the heck ubuntu works better than operating systems that you have to pay for :)

[perlluver]

Brandon from New Castle, PA. Started with Ubuntu, and it led me to Slackware. Both great systems.

[digdug18]

Andrew from Doylestown, Pa, but have been known to travle from harleysville, to oxford valley depending on what i'm doing on a given day, or also depending on how badly i feel like driving around, lol...
Where do you guys meet at for the club usually? I checked the calendar, but didnt really see a club meet...

Andrew

[OratorG]

Hello there fellow enthusiasts!

I'm located in Harrisburg and do most of my work in the York/Lancaster/Lebanon/Harrisburg area and am looking to hook up with any user groups which might be in this area.

If you know how I can get in touch with the, please write me back.

Many thanks!
:KS

[EDH1981]

I Live in York county (Manchester) SEPA. I would love to join the team asap!

Eric

[CalvinMorrison]

hey,

I'm Calvin and I've been a Ubuntu user for a while so i figured I'd finally join my local team.


Cya 'Round.


Calvin Morrison

[pthenning]

Hi, I'm Pat from Bethlehem, Pa. Those on #ubuntu-us-pa have been really friendly. Sign me up.

[fizzatbeyond]

Hi, I'm Matt, I've been a linux user for a long time (since 1996), and Ubuntu for the past few years. I'm happily located in Harrisburg, PA.

[linux_lover69]

Hello in Brandon I live around the Erie area, Iv been using Ubuntu for about a year now and I'd like to join. :)

[rzrgenesys187]

Glad I noticed this thread on the main page. I'm located in Pittsburgh, if my avatar didn't give it away

[avaralom]

Hi guys. (: I will bring this thread back from the dead it seems..

I'm Mel (or Marli, but I figure my nickname is easier to spell) and I'm a total noob, I admit. I just installed Ubuntu about a week ago on my laptop and my biggest accomplishment is getting the wireless to work. XD

I'm a senior at Shippensburg University, studying graphic design, though I'm more of a web designer. I live in York, so I'm all around a south-central PA person.

[pavel989]

Welcome! and good job on getting the wireless to work (often a massive problem)!

[dog-soldier]

hey everyone from outside mount union pa. im dog and im a linux junkie.
is there anyone close to me?

[mattman85]

Hello! I just found out about this group, and had to jump on joining..

I have been an Ubuntu user for the last 2 years, on and off (dual-booting XP) and have been steadily killing off my dependence of XP.

I have been using these forums for a while now, but rarely post anything, as I normally play around in ubuntu on my own to fix things. The advantage being that if I find an efficient fix, I try to let people know. Hence, how I found this LoCo, and why I felt like I should join :)

Hopefully I can be of some help to someone, somewhere :D

I'm a Bloomsburg University grad, with a BS in Computer Forensics and a BS in Computer Science. I'm constantly learning more and more about computer forensics, and trying to break into the field. Until then, I'm working as a Technology Specialist for a school district not quite in my area yet..

[pavel989]

mattman85, waht district, and what is computer forensics?

And to the group, we doing something for the global bug jam thing?

[mattman85]

mattman85, waht district, and what is computer forensics?

Shikellamy.

And asking what computer forensics is, is like asking what is physics. It's a science, and an art.

**begin CF rant**
Computer forensics are such things as:
-retrieving data off of electronic media, without tampering with ANY data
-recovering deleted files
-finding files that have been hidden in free space on the hdd (called data carving)
-finding evidence in relation to many types of computer-related crimes, including embezzlement, and child pornography (which is, unfortunately, a very high 90%ish of federal computer forensics)

It goes on and on. Do a google search, and you'll get many hits. If you are into computers, learning about computer forensics is a snap. I learned a lot about how Windows 9x and NT saves files, and where it stores things. so much info out there, and many users don't even know it! I got into the field to help people, and thats really what I want to be doing as a career.

I bet I sound a bit enthusiastic about CF, and I should. I was one of the first 5 students to graduate from BU with the bachelors degree in Computer Forensics.

It's relatively easy to learn, if you know a bit about computers, and anyone who is serious about linux could have it a bit easier, as if you really play with *NIX, you know where system files, etc may reside, and that helps...

it's an amazing field that is constantly growing. Unfortunately, as fast as technology changes, if you are out of the field for too long, when you get back in, you've become outdated, and you'd have to relearn a lot. so, hopefully I find something before what I know means nothing anymore..

**end of CF rant :p **

[linuxisevolution]

Shikellamy.

And asking what computer forensics is, is like asking what is physics. It's a science, and an art.

**begin CF rant**
Computer forensics are such things as:
-retrieving data off of electronic media, without tampering with ANY data
-recovering deleted files
-finding files that have been hidden in free space on the hdd (called data carving)
-finding evidence in relation to many types of computer-related crimes, including embezzlement, and child pornography (which is, unfortunately, a very high 90%ish of federal computer forensics)

It goes on and on. Do a google search, and you'll get many hits. If you are into computers, learning about computer forensics is a snap. I learned a lot about how Windows 9x and NT saves files, and where it stores things. so much info out there, and many users don't even know it! I got into the field to help people, and thats really what I want to be doing as a career.

I bet I sound a bit enthusiastic about CF, and I should. I was one of the first 5 students to graduate from BU with the bachelors degree in Computer Forensics.

It's relatively easy to learn, if you know a bit about computers, and anyone who is serious about linux could have it a bit easier, as if you really play with *NIX, you know where system files, etc may reside, and that helps...

it's an amazing field that is constantly growing. Unfortunately, as fast as technology changes, if you are out of the field for too long, when you get back in, you've become outdated, and you'd have to relearn a lot. so, hopefully I find something before what I know means nothing anymore..

**end of CF rant :p **

Could someone please add me to the team? I'm running all the sites in my sig on a Linux server, and I have switched about 5 people to Ubuntu, 1 to Damn small Linux , and one to Debian. Thanks! :p

[linuxisevolution]

Oh, and I switched my parents ( partially ) to Linux Mint, and my eight year old sister to Xubuntu, with Fluxbox. She runs like thirty games lol, and she has 1ghz 375mb ram... :lolflag:

[pavel989]

mattman85, really sounds interesting.
linuxisevolution, by joining the forum, ya kinda are a member. Other than that, there should be a launchpad or something here: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/PennsylvaniaTeam/

[elizabeth]

Could someone please add me to the team?

Instructions on how to join are here:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=3077663&postcount=1

Just sign up over at launchpad and join the team, we'll approve you :)

Welcome!

[elizabeth]

And to the group, we doing something for the global bug jam thing?

There has been some discussion at IRC meetings and on the mailing list about the Philly area doing a couple things:

https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-us-pa/2008-December/000715.html

Not much discussion beyond that, but if more people are interested that would be just the thing to get things rolling!

Cheers,

[linuxisevolution]

Instructions on how to join are here:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=3077663&postcount=1

Just sign up over at launchpad and join the team, we'll approve you :)

Welcome!

Thanks! I am from Greensburg Pa.

[Silent183]

Hi everyone, I'm new to the forums and linux itself actually. I'm from Reading and I'm starting to get used to ubuntu a bit and currently tweaking some things to get it to run a bit faster and smoother. Hope to help out with some stuff as well as receive some help ;) I've applied on the launchpad site as well and I'll stop in the irc when I can.

[llamaSniper]

Hello everyone. I've been running Ubuntu for about 8 months now, and I have abandoned windows completely. I have almost 2 years programming experience (in C#, next year we're learning Java, and I've been teaching myself C for the past month), and I look forward to helping with what I can, but I will most likely not be of much use other than testing programs.
__________________________________________________ ___________________________
System Specs
Intel Pentium II @ 530Mhz
3x128MB RAM (384MB)
30GB Hard-drive
32MB Nvidia graphics card
Dvd-rom drive

I've had this computer as long as I can remember, my parents bought it back in 98 and I'm surprised that it still works.

[jts0803odon]

Hi - just introducing myself, Ubuntu user in Meadville (between Pittsburgh and Erie). Use Intrepid on all the Intel boxes here but not yet on a laptop.

[treepolitik]

Hi everyone, I'm looking to increase my computer skills and create an Internet environment that eliminates clicking altogether! I have access to a few different computers that I'd like to experiment with and develop a system for non-profit organizations. I'm an incredible techo-political-ecological idealogue.

[treepolitik]

I forgot to say I'm from Lancaster County and I've moved to Reading. Given that Reading received a lot of bad ratings, I see great potential for service here, and battles with the corrupt establishments.

[jedijf]

check out the free geek in ephrata.

http://www.freegeekpenn.org/

[Nathanias]

Hello guys, I'm a high-school student from the Moscow Area. My friend who is not part of this group introduced me to ubuntu, and ever since then I have been hooked. Although a lot of hicks up here are terribly ignorant and tech-stupid, I get a fair amount of ooohs and ahhs with the amount of things I can do with my ubuntu setup.

If it is worth anything, I use an ASUS EEE PC 900 model, and am running Ubuntu Intrepid 8.10

I must say, though, the initiation into a linux-based OS was a ginormous headache, but the ubuntuforums got me through most of my problems :D

And my windows friends are very jealous of my compiz as well. I hope to help spread the message of Ubuntu to all around :D

[bfledderjohn]

Welcome aboard Nathanias!
I'm not familiar with Moscow in Pennsylvania, where is that?

[Nathanias]

It's a little bit north of Scranton, very much within driving distance, I go to Scranton on a regular basis

[Nano_ext3]

Hi , I am from danville PA, but go to college in williamsport PA :)

Nice to meet all of you

_Nano

[Rocket2DMn]

Hi Nano :)
I'm originally from Danville, CA. It's a long way from Danville, PA!

[john.soper]

Hello Pennsylvania LoCo Team! I just signed up on Launchpad. I live in Holland, PA (Lower Bucks County).

I've been an on and off Linux user since 1998. Started out in RedHat then to Mandrake for a bit. I dropped away from Linux for a while because I saw it sucking too much time from my family. Then last year I installed Ubuntu and have been excieted all over again with Linux on my desktop.

I've only poked around a bit on the forums and thought I'd see about getting involved with a local group for collaboration and learning.

Looking forward to getting to know all of you.

John

[Cado42]

I am in Ambler, PA (north of Philly in Montgomery County), and work in Center City Philadelphia. After years of frustration with M$ I recently started branching out into the Linux world. Ubuntu has been the most impressive distro I have seen thus far, and I am greatly interested in contributing to its further promotion into the mainstream.

Currently running Ubuntu 8.10 on my personal and work laptops; experimenting with other desktops and servers as we speak.

-Lee (Cado42)

[evanrmurphy]

Hi all! I just signed up for the team on Launchpad. I think Ubuntu is fantastic, and I'm excited to get to know some people around Pennsylvania who are interested in it.

[Ben Chapman]

I go back and forth from SC to PA. My Hometown is Williamsport, PA, but I actually ive in a house in Charleston, SC. I stay at my Aunts when I am in PA.

[jtm62]

Hey all,

I hail from Glassport, PA. I have been using Ubuntu for almost 2 years now and it has become my OS of choice. I have converted most of my family's systems to Ubuntu and they are impressed that it is free, powerful, and fast. :)

I hold a BSBA in accounting, but in the fall I am attended the Information Sciences Program at U of Pitt. I am looking to get more active in the IS field and meet some people with similar interests, and maybe so some networking. I look forward to talking with you all more.

Josh

[brotherlen]

I'm currently located in Philadelphia, I bounce back and fourth between here and Florida. I'm interested in becoming proactive in the Linux community.

[virgoboy]

:p Hi Folks! I am pretty new to all of this and am glad to see there is a pretty active community of Ubuntu users here in Southeast PA! I have had my Ubuntu 8.04 desktop for about two weeks now so, i am still finding my way, so to speak. It has been both Fun and Challenging so far and that is what i was hoping for.

So, Hi to everyone and Happy 4th!

[jeffersonbenson]

Hi, I'm Jeff. From a small town called Matamoras, whose only claim to fame is the welcome center. that borders the rest of the northeast.

[AlexanderAzimov]

Suppose you can count me in any way i can help just ask I'm not to good with linux yet but I'm hoping to get better with it,learning experience for all i guess! Well any who,i look forward to the help and helping to!!!
-Ciao-
-AA-

(PS im pottstown born and raised still live nearby if its any intrest to anyone?!?!)

[JukkaFan]

Hi Im Brandon i live in pittsburgh:guitar:

[NightwishFan]

Welcome, to Ubuntuforums. If you need any help on Ubuntu try:

http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/
https://help.ubuntu.com/community

[elizabeth]

(PS im pottstown born and raised still live nearby if its any intrest to anyone?!?!)

Hi Alexander! I live in Pottstown now :)

[thesb]

Hi All,

Just stumbled upon LoCo. Wish I would have heard about CPOSC 2009 a little sooner. Best wishes to all who speak and attend tomorrow. Hope to get involved in the future.

Cheers,
Jared

[elizabeth]

Hi Jared! If you're interested we're having a Karmic release party in Manayunk on the afternoon of Saturday the 31st (yep, halloween).

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/PennsylvaniaTeam/EventsTeam/PhillyKarmicRelease

[mailkarthi]

hi, I am relocating from Los Angeles to Wilmington, DE. This is going to be my first LoCo team, hope to see you all soon.

Been a happy kubuntu user for 2 years and KDE keeps surprising me with every release :KS

[csdiem]

Hello everyone......
I have been using ubuntu for about a year now and love it...
I am now using it in a project that a none profit Mental Health Administration of NWPA is doing Here in Erie PA to help give computers to people under going mental health recovery..\\:D/\\:D/



__________________

ubuntu live free
Windows die Fast

[Flyers2391]

Hey all, I've been using ubuntu about 3 years now, just wanted to say hello. Is this group tied in with the "social group" here:
http://ubuntuforums.org/group.php?do=discuss&group=&discussionid=212 ? I was just wondering in case I have some free time and am able to help with anything I can

[pawebmason]

I have used many OS's in my time. As of very recently (less than 1 week) I have found ubuntu to be one of the best going. I teach a Network design course at our local college and took this in to use for class. OUTSTANDING! The students took to it with no problems and can really see how networks work. :p

[FiveSidedPoly]

Hello everyone!

Thank you for just accepting me Bret.

My name is Josh, I'm originally from Lancaster, lived in York the last two years, and am currently in Iraq. I will be moving to Pittsburgh shortly after I return home.

Between the Army and the National Guard, I have just over 10yrs service. I am a Senior LAN Manager / Information Assurance Security Officer for the 28th Combat Aviation Brigade out of Ft. Indiantown Gap. I am DELL certified. I have a degree in 3D Animation and working on one for Game Art & Design. I have been an avid member of the International Game Developer's Association since 2003. I do freelance/indie game art in my free time, working with a Indie Game Dev team right now.

I am not really new to Linux, I'm new to Ubuntu, but I don't really consider much of my Linux experience as vast. All of it has really been on closed Linux based military systems.

I enjoy volunteering my time with many things when I can, which lead me to Ubuntu after I read about a volunteer group in Ephrata that sends computers with Ubuntu to schools and families in Africa. I plan on giving up some of my time doing that when I come home and am more then willing to do what I can to help promote Ubuntu through the PA LoCo Team! ):P

[NightwishFan]

Hi Josh! I look forward to seeing you around. Good luck, and I am glad you like Ubuntu so far.

[xsunxspotsx]

Hello! My name is Caitlin and I'm a Computer Science & Information Systems double major at the CUP. Being from PA, you probably know what that means.

I started using Linux in high school (a little bit), rejuvenating some older computers. I haven't gone back to Windows (unless I'm forced to code some VB or C# or something) since the first time I installed Ubuntu.

I would really like to get into developing some Linux and Gnome based projects. Not to mention it will look good on future resumes.

[OldGoat58]

Just thought I would post a "Hello" from Fairless Hills. I am as new as new can be to Ubuntu-Linux. 11 years ago I got my first computer with Windows 95 as an operating system. I am a self taught wannabe tech geek.

Refusing to pay for a 7th edition of the same old stuff I did a little research, talked to some ACTUAL tech professionals, and 4 days ago jumped head long into Ubuntu/Linux deciding not to dual boot my HP laptop but instead go full on Ubuntu install.

I am using a HP dv9810us laptop running an AMD Turion 64x2 processor, 3 gig of ram (for now), nVidia GeForce 7150M graphics. A generic HP laptop for the most part. I installed Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala 64 bit off a live CD that I burned using Infra Recorder as suggested on the Ubuntu website. After experiencing the difference for about 1/2 hour I clicked on the "Install Ubuntu" option and the rest is history.

I'm trying to figure out repositories, installation package management, making Mozilla FF work like I'm used to, and just generally "reading and learning" just what I did when I decided not to dual boot. Any direction will be greatly appreciated. I have learned one big difference between Windows and Ubuntu.........everything I thought I knew is no longer relevant.

Mike
51 Year Old Tech Geek wannabe

[argosreality]

Well, figured I might as well finally register and announce myself even though I've lurked for quite a long time. Names Chris, been using Ubuntu (off and on) since Warty though I've played with Linux since redhat 6. Still very much a noob with it all (use and support windows in my day job). Also done Solaris support for Sun.

[NightwishFan]

Welcome aboard, nice to meet you. :popcorn:

[teward]

I'm from Pittsburgh, PA, so I'm in Western PA according to your poll.
**EDIT: Was approved.**

I've been using Ubuntu for under 6 months, and its quite a good OS, and I'm interested in spreading Ubuntu through Pennsylvania. :-D

Been working with Jaunty since I got my most recent computer here, although while I use 9.10 on my desktop, I'm not a fan of it (a bit buggy), so I stick with Jaunty on my laptop. Constantly exposed to Linux though, all the computers where I work with got Red Hat on them, makes it fun learning CLI across the two platforms.

Nevertheless, I was approved 20 minutes ago on the launchpad site with the team, and I'm looking forward to helping spread Ubuntu and Linux throughout PA.

[pavel989]

ey everyone. Ima be turning 18 really soon. i was just wondering if anyone had any suggestions as to getting a better job. i really wanna get started in the tech industry. im really versatile, but idk how to convince ppl that, or how to even get them to talk to me being that i have no diplomas or degrees.

any suggestions?

[argosreality]

ey everyone. Ima be turning 18 really soon. i was just wondering if anyone had any suggestions as to getting a better job. i really wanna get started in the tech industry. im really versatile, but idk how to convince ppl that, or how to even get them to talk to me being that i have no diplomas or degrees.

any suggestions?Well, the best way to start is to put together a decent resume with any job experience you might have especially any relevant jobs or clubs or sports as well (most employers will realize you're out of high school and look at a resume differently) and start sending it to places.

Having said that you're not going to land an IT admin job or the like out of the gate. You can probably get some decent part time work building pcs for various places in the area (in the central PA area companies are always hiring for pc builds for the navy depot and state) or possibly call center/IT support.

Are you planning on going to college to get a degree or a two year cert? If not, I'd honestly recommend it. We're in a down market and while you might have a lot of skills and knowledge unless you can pass through the HR firewall at the beginning you cannot show that to the actual IT people who might hire you.

I'm finally going back to finish my degree because I have a decent amount of entry level experience (Sun system support, EDS support, etc.) but I'm having a hell of a time making it through the first level of HR goons because I don't have the finished degree and since I'm competing with people who do have that degree PLUS a lot more experience I generally lose before I win

Finally, if you have the free time start contributing to an OSS project whether its as a coder, a documentation person, a general forum support lackey. Anything you can put down that shows a growth and tenacity will help you in the long run

[pavel989]

well actually, i wanna go for something more like electrical engineering or maybe electronics. possibly minor in software design or whatnot. guess ima have to start some project or get on working for one.

[elizabeth]

Finally, if you have the free time start contributing to an OSS project whether its as a coder, a documentation person, a general forum support lackey. Anything you can put down that shows a growth and tenacity will help you in the long run

Big agreement from me here. I landed my first junior sysadmin job based on f/oss work and local involvement in Linux events. No formal education or certs here.

[ubunterooster]

Greetings. I am most known for my sense of humor and utilitarian principles. Beyond that I am a LEGO™ loving, duck raising, generally reserved, nerd.

I think that quite well describes myself in brief, as the lengthy version is not likely to do other than make others annoyed by the monotonous rambling.

[NightwishFan]

Hi rooster, I have seen you around. ):P

[ubunterooster]

Hi Nightwish!

Hey, you like Psumi also. Cool!

[NightwishFan]

Psumi is very polite. Well met.

[r0000t]

Good morning all, or whatever time of the day you happen to be reading this. I came across this group through CPLUG (Central Pennsylvania Linux User Group) and figured I would stop by the post and see if there's anywhere I can fit in.

I currently work in the Linux SysAdmin field (non-ubuntu), but have recently decided to make to switch to Ubuntu for home/freelance use.

I'm off to do some reading on the group!

[NightwishFan]

Welcome and glad to meet you.

[d.justins]

Hey Everyone!

I just moved to Pittsburgh (Garfield), was outside the city for a while but decided to buy a house.
I've been dabbling with Ubuntu for a while now but i've decided to get serious about it, now that i'm administering a few different organizations and mostly in the non-profit world.
My experience with Ubuntu and Linux in general has been "everything works fine today, i sure hope it doesn't get overwhelmingly difficult tomorrow."
I think i just need more experience.

So yeah, good to be a part of this.

[NightwishFan]

Welcome friend! I live in the Vandergrift/Apollo area. I am glad to meet you.

[lou002]

Hi guys!

College student from Greensburg, PA here.

I've been using ubuntu since 9.04 on my desktop, though I haven't used it as much as I would like because of school.

I bought a netbook (an Acer Aspire One 532H) and put 10.04 on it as soon as it was stable and have had problems with it since then. (http://bit.ly/dpOLFc that's the thread). Haven't had issues with 9.10 or any of the Derivatives of Ubuntu (jolicloud, mint,etc), but seems 10.04 doesn't like me.

Ah, well, I like 10.04 otherwise.

Hope to learn alot from ya and with ya. Maybe I can do something to help get a local-local chapter for me going or something.

[SydneyGB]

Hello folks! I've been considering introducing myself to you all and getting involved in the PA LoCo, but I never quite did it until now. Just received my "Powered by Ubuntu" stickers from system76 and I was inspired to finally come and post a hello.

I live in northern Montgomery county, nearly halfway between Allentown and Philadelphia. I'm a bit closer to Allentown. I've been using Ubuntu for about a year now and I'm installing it on everything I can. :) I've recently inherited a few cast-off Dell machines from the local library, and one of them is happily running Karmic as my Linux print server. I'm also experimenting with other distros like Mandriva, PCLinuxOS (KDE 4.4 ... *drool*), and SimplyMepis. One day I'd like to be able to refit old machines with Linux/Ubuntu and give them to people who have no computers.

I'm a relative beginner with Ubuntu, but I'm a geek who loves to learn how stuff works.

Back to lurking in the 'burbs! *lurklurklurk* :)

[briggs_1978]

Hello all, I'm a Pittsburgh native who loves Ubuntu. I've been tinkering since Warty, and using steadily since Jaunty. I've repeatedly tried all of the other major distros, including ubuntu based derivatives, and in the end, i always come back home to Ubuntu. I recently decided i want to start really contributing, so i picked up the LPIC Lv1 book, and i'm starting to study for my Ubuntu certification. I've never enjoyed using an operating system as much as i do Ubuntu, and i hope i can help to make it better in the future.

I look forward to getting to know all of you, and maybe even finding a way to contribute to the community.

~Briggs~

[NightwishFan]

Welcome! I am glad you like Ubuntu as much as I do.

[pavel989]

Hello all, I'm a Pittsburgh native who loves Ubuntu. I've been tinkering since Warty, and using steadily since Jaunty. I've repeatedly tried all of the other major distros, including ubuntu based derivatives, and in the end, i always come back home to Ubuntu. I recently decided i want to start really contributing, so i picked up the LPIC Lv1 book, and i'm starting to study for my Ubuntu certification. I've never enjoyed using an operating system as much as i do Ubuntu, and i hope i can help to make it better in the future.

I look forward to getting to know all of you, and maybe even finding a way to contribute to the community.

~Briggs~

how can u get certified in ubuntu? this is new to me, and i am absolutely interested

[briggs_1978]

Ubuntu Training Home (http://www.ubuntu.com/support/training)

Before you can test for the Ubuntu Cert, you have to already have passed the "Linux Professional Institute Level 1" exam, although I believe that is changing in the very near future. I figure, since I am mostly doing it for fun, I might as well go through the LPIC too, and learn as much as I can.

~Briggs~

[beko]

Hello, just requested to join the LoCo Team on Launchpad . I live in south Philadelphia area.
Proud to be here :)

[NightwishFan]

Welcome! :D

[jboyette]

Hello everyone, been using Ubuntu for 3 years, and have not used any microsoft OS's for the last 2 years. Am a self taught linux geek, having been bored with just 'accepting' the norm for microsoft.

I bought a laptop, wiped the hard drive and started with 9.04 as my very first distro, and haven't looked back since. Since that time i have gone through 2 laptops, and am on my 3rd keyboard on the current one!

Love using Ubuntu, and have recruited many people to use it as an alternative, not a replacement for windows. My parents couldn't send an email without help, and now have their computer dual booting, windows for their business, and ubuntu as primarily for personal email and web browsing due to the hours spent with viruses etc from the windows system.

Would love to join the team and look forward to offering support for new users, and any training i can do for the team.

James

[bfledderjohn]

Hi James! Welcome to the team! I'm in Harrisburg, and there are quiet a few Philadelphia based team members who I am sure would be interested in having you participate in events!

Thanks for dropping a line and I look forward to working with you.

Btw what did you do in the Army? I was a 13p (MLRS Fire Direction Control Specialist) for a three year hitch 1987 - 1990.

[DARKST4R]

Hey guys (and girls),

I'm from Montgomery County in southeastern PA. I love Ubuntu, before, I would switch between Windows 7 and Ubuntu, but I'm here to stay. I'm just about always on my computer. I'm still learning about Terminal codes I've yet to learn, but probably being one of the youngest here (13 years old), I'd say that's pretty good.

[NightwishFan]

Welcome. I wish I was into GNU/Linux at that age, I probably would have went to school for computers. :)

[PsyclonJohn]

Hello, I'm from South Philadelphia and I'm an Ubuntu ADDICT. I live and breathe Ubuntu 24/7. It's been about a year and half now that I've been a full time Ubuntu user, but enough about me.. I'm interested in joining the Ubuntu PA LoCo Team. :P

[FuzzShifter]

Forum Noob from just north of Reading.

Tried Ubuntu Dapper a few years ago (as well as other distros), went back to XP for a while, and now have a house full of Ubuntu (excepting the laptop that has majicjack on it).

I'm into music production, gaming, and multimedia...

So maybe my ability to find things and grasp the obvious could be of service.:twisted:

[NightwishFan]

Welcome guys! If you need any help/info. Just ask. :)

[KnightZero77]

Ubuntu has been slowly taking over my life since 2007. I had experimented with RedHat back before Fedora split off as the free version, but I really wasn't serious about Linux. When I started working for a company that used Linux on both the server and the desktop side, I began to see the real power within the OS.

I've finally accepted my fate and made Ubuntu my primary operating system. (Windows 7 gets to stick around until I figure out how to make my school's e-reader application work in Wine.) I'm looking forward to what I can learn, and I hope to bring a little something to the table through my extensive hardware experience.

[RiverHorse64]

Hello from Newtown, Bucks County. This is my second attempt at breaking free from the big "W", and possessive M.S. The first attempt was mid-90's, I failed miserably, and ran and hid under the covers for a few days.

Anyway, I'm back, and here to stay! I have a lot to learn but it's coming along nicely...so far. Though I have two dead hard drives I'm still trying to figure out how to rescue.

Thanks,

Drew

[pavel989]

Hello from Newtown, Bucks County. This is my second attempt at breaking free from the big "W", and possessive M.S. The first attempt was mid-90's, I failed miserably, and ran and hid under the covers for a few days.

Anyway, I'm back, and here to stay! I have a lot to learn but it's coming along nicely...so far. Though I have two dead hard drives I'm still trying to figure out how to rescue.

Thanks,

Drew

Drew, i go to BCCC and live in holland. feel free to PM so i can get into more personal contact with you should you need help. Im a huge linux geek and am always tinkering with electronics and linux

[GraeW]

I'm also a Lower Bucks native, and recently returned citizen to the area. I've also been dabbling with Linux for a little more than a decade, and with Ubuntu for the last 3 years or so. I've been more of a hardware tech than software, but am getting to old to be crawling under false floors to run cabling. Part-time road-scholar at BCCC as well (although mostly online schooling).

[jedijf]

Welcome.

See http://ubuntupennsylvania.org/ for all of the team's resources.

Join the team on launchpad:

https://launchpad.net/~pennsylvania

Join the mailing list, hang out in irc.

We promise not to make you pull cable.....yet.

[aportier]

Hello everyone!
I just recently relocated to Philadelphia from the DC area for a new job. I am finally getting around to updating my Launchpad and other Linux community sites to find out what is going on nearby. I would like to join the loco so I can participate in events in my area.

https://launchpad.net/~aportier

[jedijf]

Welcome. Great timing. Hope to see you at the Bug Jam.

http://ubuntupennsylvania.org/?p=109

[kschumake83]

hello everyone,
i have been using ubuntu for a little while now and i am starting to get the hang of things because of these forums. for a while i was switching distros quite often but now i think im here to stay on ubuntu. so i figured that i would join my loco. I am from the allentown area, orefield actually so if you are looking for more members i have already signed up at launchpad.

[GethroC]

Hi...thanks to JediJF I have joined the UBUNTU world. It is fantastic and I look forward to learning as much as I can about the world of ubuntu!!!

[jedijf]

Great to have you 2 new joinees. Welcome. Great timing, as all the early reports are saying the 12.04 is gonna ROCK!

Don't forget, join the mailing list, and many people are on IRC too!

All of our communication channels are listed at:

http://ubuntupennsylvania.org/

Vote for the new logo.

[abimael08]

Ok, my name is Emanuel and Im a fairly new Ubuntu user ( few months ). Im also learning Python ( self- study, Learn Python the Hard way & Some other textbook resources ) and would like to get involved more and was directed to this forum, especially since there isnt a team for Delaware, So hopefully this is my welcome to all, Thanks.

[creisinger]

Hello fellow PA Ubuntu fans-

I'm new here, but not new to Ubuntu. As the IT Director for a public school district in Lancaster, I'm interested in open source in education.

Charlie

[sticksabuser]

Hey I'm Ous (think moose, without the "m"). Not a new ubuntu user (been using for about 5 years), and I work at M*Modal in Pittsburgh.

Hoping to meet some fellow ubuntu users, maybe even get to a release party maybe?

[JPR65]

Hi, I'm Justin. I'm located right outside Philadelphia. I've been interested in Ubuntu for 2.5-3 years, but it was this summer that I finally built up the nerve to actually dualboot it on both my laptop and desktop. Now that I've done so, I'm never going back--the Ubuntu experience is mindblowing :)...

[Wandering_Turtle]

Hi all, I've been in the Philly area for a while but have only recently started using Lubuntu to speed up some older hardware. I love it and am looking forward to getting involved in the community.

[tj_jakubowski]

Hello All! My name is TJ. Originally from Pittsburgh but now live up north in the Franklin/Rocky Grove area. I'm new to Ubuntu, but excited to learn more about it.

[centinel2]

Hello, everyone! I'm the new system administrator at Pittsburgh Filmmakers. We hold media production classes, often in conjunction with local universities, and we offer a variety of resources to local artists and non-profit organizations. If any of you are familiar with local celebrities, I took over for Klaatu, who is now overseas working for a film studio that exclusively uses Linux for everything. Us, we're using Macs.

That may change, though. Certain individuals here, including our executive director, have expressed interest in exploring Linux and open source software as an alternative (or an addition) to OS X and proprietary software. I originally wanted to pitch openSUSE, my personal preference, but I found that the community support simply wasn't there, particularly when it comes to Mac-specific problems. I ended up deciding in favor of Ubuntu, not only because of the resources available but because, to my surprise, PowerPC builds are available. This will help us re-use PowerPC Macs that Apple has abandoned.

I'm looking forward to working together with others in the area who are interested in spreading the word about open source through Ubuntu. I also happen to be the chairman of the Western PA Linux Users Group (WPLUG), so whether you'd like to help me bring open source to the local art community or you just want to hang out with a bunch of fellow enthusiasts, feel free to drop me a line! :)