OTHER
MEETINGS

The Meeting for Thursday, May 15, 2008, will be given by: Chris Schanter

On: The Use of Linux Shell Scripting

You may have become familiar with writing your own computer programs in the past using symbolic languages such as FORTRAN or ALGOL or PL-1 when using mainframe computers to produce machine language program that you could execute for particular purposes. Or, more recently, you may have used a symbolic language like C+, which is also available on personal computers for this same purpose.

Another way to perform tasks on your PC, particularly those involving manipulation of bits of information in an information stream, is to work with Linux (or some version of Unix) by writing scripts (or lists of commands) to act as a shell with the Linux kernel. This approach greatly enhances your ability to work with your computer.

For those of you who have shown an interest in Linux in any of its versions for use on your PC, this will give you an opportunity get some experience with Linux. You can have the Linux kernel available on your PC at the same time that you have Windows. Shell commands can be issued in the same manner as making DOS commands to CMD while using Windows.

For members who are interested, Linspire has made a special offer to members of PC User Groups who wish to obtain their version of Linux. Come to the meeting to learn about these details.

As usual, there will be a period of time prior to the presentation for members to ask about problems that they may have encountered during the last month.