---------- Forwarded message --------- அனுப்புநர்: Shrinivasan T tshrinivasan@gmail.com Date: ஞாயி., 26 ஜூன், 2022, பிற்பகல் 9:22 Subject: Long Live Linux Users Groups To: ILUG-Chennai ilugc@freelists.org

Today, we had our weekly Kanchi Linux Users Group, online via https://meet.jit.si Platform.

All the meeting was on Tamil Language.

Dhanasekar introduced Docker. He explored the basic usage, writing Docker files and demonstrated how to build and run Docker images.

Mohan explained how chroot is mother of all virtualization solutions like Docker, Podman, LXC, snap, flatpak etc.

Then, We started to discuss on many things on the FOSS world.

Many students studying at https://Payilagam.com joined. For many of them, it is a new experience to hear the open source discussions in Tamil itself. The very good thing Payilagam does is, they ask all the students to install LinuxMint on their machines. It is a mandatory thing. After showing linux on their machine only, their classes starts.

As the students have the linux already, now they are enabled to learn millions of new things on their computer. They attend various tech meetups. They attend Kanchi Linux Users Group, Indian Linux Users Group Chennai ( ILUGC ), ChennnaiPy meetups. Few of them are already giving talks.

A switch to Linux OS will open millions of gates in Life.

In todays meeting, we asked all the participants to give one talk on the upcoming meetups. The LUGs are the best place to start learning. Not only tech. It will give all the life skills. For me, ILUGC, KanchiLUG, Villupuram LUG gave me life long friends, tons of learnings, and the ability to do anything on the world.

Today, wondered to know about Badri from Villupuram. Villupuram LUG is celebrating Software Freedom Day every year. 8 years ago, when he was at 9th standard, he attended one Software Freedom Day celebration there. He got to know about Linux OS, Free Software philosophies, Free Hardware and all major free software. He installed Linux and started using it. He explored all the distros. He learnt mobile development, flutter on his collge days. He started to talk about linux to all his friends, and moving them all to Linux. He is still at his final year of collge. He got job already as a flutter development. He is using Manjora Linux. Good to know it is used in remote deep villages too.

Another one is from Gopinath. He started to attend ChennaiPy meetups. Then he joined ILUGC meetings. He still remember that we were celebrating Debian Buster Release with a cake cutting on ILUGC meet. Since then he is attending all possible open source related meetups. He grows on knowledge and career along with all these meetings.

Annamalai from Trichy NIT. Told that ChennaiPy Vijay and Creator of Ezhil Language Muthu are from NIT Trichy. They are part of NIT LUG on those days. That LUG spirit is still driving them even after many years,. Asked him to restart LUG activities there.

Kavitha told that she is a security expert. She told that she is looking for a tamil tech community for long time and happy to find us. She agreed to give talks on upcoming meetings.

Dhanasekaran is a Civil engineer. Still using Linux for past 18 years. He is interested in Free Hardware. He will give talks on that soon.

Happy to know that many people are following https://Kaniyam.com as it is the only online magazine for Free/Open Source Software. Thanks for all the contributors for Kaniyam.com for keeping it alive for 10+ years.

Missed to write about many participants. Will take better notes next time.

It is really a social revolution that all the Linux Users Groups are doing, silently. Even a small meetup, a Linux Demo day, a software freedom day can open up someone mind and it will lead to great life change for them.

Even my life started to shift it gears after ILUGC meetings only. The pains I took to travel to attend ILUGC meeting, from Kanchipuram to Chennai, are still paying back to me with good job, good skills and never ending learnings.

I request all of you join a nearby Linux User Group. If not start one. It is so easy to start a LUG. Just find one or two supporting people and start spreading the software freedom. Even the small regular activities can lit light on many people’s life. You dont need to be an expert to give a talk. Just share what ever you are learning.

Another tip here. If you want to learn any topic deeply, announce a talk on that. It will make to read a lot, practice a lot. On giving a talk, you will learn tons of things. Thats what I follow for many years.

I wish there is a Linux Users Group, in every village, every town, every city, every college. They will build a great human society, because Linux is not just a Operating system. It is a life style.

Long Live all the existing Linux User Groups, all around the world.

Thanks for all who are contributing to all LUG activities.