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Announce: WLUG Meeting 4/13 7PM: Scratch

by Chuck Anderson

Hi folks, Our next WLUG meeting is Wednesday, April 13 at 7:00 PM at the WPI campus in Worcester, MA USA. The meeting room is in WPI's Morgan Hall (building 'H' on the campus map [1]), down the hallway to the right of the dining hall entrance. [1] http://www.wpi.edu/Images/CMS/WPI/walkingmap.pdf I'm pleased to announce that we have a guest speaker this month, Andy Stewart's son Geoffrey: Geoffrey Stewart (age 13) will give a talk about his experiences using the Scratch software to create simple video games, characters, and animation. Geoffrey has been using this software as part of the video game design club which meets after school. The talk will include a live demo of the Scratch software. See you all there, Chuck President, Worcester Linux Users' Group

April 2, 2011

Re: [Wlug] April Topic?

by Chuck Anderson

Great! Anyone who is willing to prepare a talk on these or any other topics please email me directly and we'll work out which month(s) to fit them in. Thanks, Chuck On Thu, Mar 31, 2011 at 07:45:39AM -0400, David Glaser wrote: > Hmmm, lots of stuff to talk about. I woudl attend talks on open RC, > init, and open source robotics. > > -David > > On 3/30/2011 12:13 PM, Kevin Harrington wrote: >> Another idea is open source robotics. I have a lot of experience with this at this point and would love to share. >> >> One more idea would be talking about making and using custom Java JNI. have a library that's awesome but hate writing applications in C? JNI is a way of exposing these libs to Java. As an example I wrapped a v4l2 frame grabber and was able to get framerates 2-4 TIMES faster then OpenCV's frame grabber. Getting started with JNI is full of "gotchas" that keeps most developers away, which I think is a shame. >> >> ~Kevin Harrington

April 1, 2011

Re: [Wlug] April Topic?

by Tim Keller

I saw something not to long ago about using scratch to implement logic for lego's NXT modules! On Thu, Mar 31, 2011 at 7:51 AM, Andy Stewart <andystewart(a)comcast.net>wrote: > On 03/31/2011 07:35 AM, Tim Keller wrote: > > Speaking of "cool" programming languages, at some point I'd love to give > > a presentation on "Scratch" > > > > I know, I know, it's not really a programming language... but it is a > > pretty good way to get kids interested in programming. > > > > Tim. > > My 13 year old son is using Scratch in school to write video game > programs. He is using it on Windoze in school and on Linux at home. He > has a thumb drive with a FATxx format so he can use his program in both > places. He really likes Scratch! > > Later, > > Andy > > -- > Andy Stewart (KB1OIQ) > Founder: Worcester Linux Users' Group > Founder: Chelmsford Linux Meetup Group > President: PART of Westford, MA (WB1GOF) > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug > -- I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers".

March 31, 2011

Re: [Wlug] April Topic?

by Andy Stewart

On 03/31/2011 07:35 AM, Tim Keller wrote: > Speaking of "cool" programming languages, at some point I'd love to give > a presentation on "Scratch" > > I know, I know, it's not really a programming language... but it is a > pretty good way to get kids interested in programming. > > Tim. My 13 year old son is using Scratch in school to write video game programs. He is using it on Windoze in school and on Linux at home. He has a thumb drive with a FATxx format so he can use his program in both places. He really likes Scratch! Later, Andy -- Andy Stewart (KB1OIQ) Founder: Worcester Linux Users' Group Founder: Chelmsford Linux Meetup Group President: PART of Westford, MA (WB1GOF)

March 31, 2011

Re: [Wlug] April Topic?

by David Glaser

Hmmm, lots of stuff to talk about. I woudl attend talks on open RC, init, and open source robotics. -David On 3/30/2011 12:13 PM, Kevin Harrington wrote: > Another idea is open source robotics. I have a lot of experience with this at this point and would love to share. > > One more idea would be talking about making and using custom Java JNI. have a library that's awesome but hate writing applications in C? JNI is a way of exposing these libs to Java. As an example I wrapped a v4l2 frame grabber and was able to get framerates 2-4 TIMES faster then OpenCV's frame grabber. Getting started with JNI is full of "gotchas" that keeps most developers away, which I think is a shame. > > ~Kevin Harrington > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug >

March 31, 2011

Re: [Wlug] April Topic?

by Tim Keller

Speaking of "cool" programming languages, at some point I'd love to give a presentation on "Scratch" I know, I know, it's not really a programming language... but it is a pretty good way to get kids interested in programming. Tim. On Wed, Mar 30, 2011 at 10:28 PM, Keith Wright <kwright(a)keithdiane.us>wrote: > > From: James Gray <jamespgray(a)gmail.com> > > > > +1 for Haskell. > > > > On Wed, Mar 30, 2011 at 12:46 PM, Jorden M <jrm8005(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > > > > There's a lot to learn from Haskell, especially as > > > the world moves toward massively parallel > > > computing. ghci and http://tryhaskell.org/ would > > > make for a fun & interactive presentation of a very > > > well-designed programming language. > > Haskell is good, but a web site is not a presentation. > > Who is volunteering to make a presentation, or > at least lead a discussion? > > -- Keith > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug > -- I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers".

March 31, 2011

Re: [Wlug] April Topic?

by Keith Wright

> From: James Gray <jamespgray(a)gmail.com> > > +1 for Haskell. > > On Wed, Mar 30, 2011 at 12:46 PM, Jorden M <jrm8005(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > > There's a lot to learn from Haskell, especially as > > the world moves toward massively parallel > > computing. ghci and http://tryhaskell.org/ would > > make for a fun & interactive presentation of a very > > well-designed programming language. Haskell is good, but a web site is not a presentation. Who is volunteering to make a presentation, or at least lead a discussion? -- Keith

March 31, 2011

Job posting: WPI is hiring a Network Engineer

by Chuck Anderson

If anyone is interested in applying for the open Network Engineer position at WPI, please email me at cra(a)wpi.edu Thanks, Chuck Position Title: Network Engineer Department: Computing and Communications Center Location: Morgan Hall - Network Operations Grade: Exempt - 820 Position Status: Administrative Exempt Positions Position Description: BASIC FUNCTION: Provide support to the satisfactory operation of the WPI network and facilitate its use by members of the WPI community. PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: - Maintain and support the data network system including switches, routers, wireless access points and battery backup systems - Maintain data wiring and fiber infrastructure. - Evaluate and beta test emergent technologies and code maintenance releases. - Coordinate with Helpdesk and other departments in the troubleshooting and resolution of data network error conditions and provide end-user support for communications and connectivity issues. - Document the data network including topology, connections, and appropriate billing information. - Support physical plant renovations as they relate to the voice, data, and video CATV infrastructure. - Administer and backup of all Network Operations servers. - Program and maintain network databases, documentation, inventory, and monitoring applications. - Provide 24/7connectivity for users of the data network including adds/moves/changes and wireless connectivity. - Supervise and support the student network assistants. - Other related duties as assigned. Requirements: - Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or Computer Science in order to provide the necessary understanding of communication technology and computer architecture with 4-5 years professional experience in similar or related work. - Experience with network hardware, cabling, and network management software including experience in network troubleshooting. - A thorough knowledge of Ethernet, wireless Ethernet, and TCP/IP networking. - Experience with Juniper Networks equipment preferable. - Experience with computer programming and scripting languages. - Experience with Linux systems administration. - Ability to communicate clearly with all network users.

March 30, 2011

Re: [Wlug] April Topic?

by James Gray

+1 for Haskell. On Wed, Mar 30, 2011 at 12:46 PM, Jorden M <jrm8005(a)gmail.com> wrote: > I know I'm way over here in NY, but I have another suggestion if there > are any Haskellers in WLUG. > > There's a lot to learn from Haskell, especially as the world moves > toward massively parallel computing. ghci and http://tryhaskell.org/ > would make for a fun & interactive presentation of a very > well-designed programming language. > > On Wed, Mar 30, 2011 at 12:13 PM, Kevin Harrington > <mad.hephaestus(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > Another idea is open source robotics. I have a lot of experience with > this at this point and would love to share. > > > > One more idea would be talking about making and using custom Java JNI. > have a library that's awesome but hate writing applications in C? JNI is a > way of exposing these libs to Java. As an example I wrapped a v4l2 frame > grabber and was able to get framerates 2-4 TIMES faster then OpenCV's frame > grabber. Getting started with JNI is full of "gotchas" that keeps most > developers away, which I think is a shame. > > > > ~Kevin Harrington > > _______________________________________________ > > Wlug mailing list > > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug > > > > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug >

March 30, 2011

Re: [Wlug] Topic for April?

by Jason Couture

I would like to, by I do not have intimate knowledge of it. I know its an improved version of gentoos baselayout 1 RC system. Its written in c instead of scriptss, can do some parallel startups, but nowhere near anything like systemd. And I can write simple init scripts for it. I, for one, would love to hear more about systemd. On Mar 30, 2011 8:38 AM, "Chuck Anderson" <cra(a)wpi.edu> wrote: > > I can talk about SysVInit, Upstart, and Systemd. Do you want to talk > about OpenRC? We could try to fit it into one meeting. > > On Wed, Mar 30, 2011 at 08:22:57AM -0400, Jason Couture wrote: > > How about a discussion of init systems in general, pros and cons of each? > > (I'm an OpenRC fanboy myself.) > > On Mar 30, 2011 12:07 AM, "Gregory Avedissian" <avedis.g(a)verizon.net> wrote: > > > Yes. > > > > > > > > > On 03/29/2011 10:57 PM, Chuck Anderson wrote: > > > > > >> Would people be interested in a talk on Systemd, the replacement for > > >> SysVinit and Upstart? > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/ma

March 30, 2011