Welcome to the

Atlanta Linux Enthusiasts

Promoting Linux and Open Source Software Freedom in Atlanta Since 1994
Atlanta Linux Enthusiasts (ALE) is a diverse group of friendly people who enjoy the freedoms and benefits of GNU Linux Computing and Free Liberating Open Source Software technologies. From novices to network administrators, from smart phones to data centers, we strive to empower every information technology user with freely distributable software and to improve every computing environment with the superior security, functionality and flexibility of Open Source Operating System solutions. -- more about ALE --
For information about upcoming weekly and monthly meetings, please check the ALE Meetup Group Calendar. We do not, and never will, require anyone to sign up with Meetup (or any other service) to attend any of our meetings; we only use it as an additional platform to connect with others in the local Atlanta area who are also interested in Linux.

ALE Central Mtg. for Thursday, Oct. 12, 2006

Filed at 1:31 am October 11, 2006 under by Ruscetta


Our presentation for October 12th will be

“K12LTSP: The Enterprise”
–or–
“The Search for Docs”

presented by
James P. Kinney

Synopsis:
The Atlanta Public Schools organization has seen the light at the
end of the tunnel. Normally, this would just mean the train is closer
than they thought. But this time it just our friend Tux whistling a
happy tune and walking down the tracks to show them a way out of
the dark cave with many twisty passages that all smell of grue.

James Kinney, CEO and Director of Engineering at Local Net Solutions,
will present a “Where Things Stand” synopsis of preparing for and
installing Linux thin clients at 7 Atlanta Public Schools elementary and
middle schools. Topics such as technical hurdles, scaling the process
and government contracting for newbies are bound to come up.

Bio:
Mr. Kinney has been an unusually verbose member of ALE since
sometime around 1997 when he embarked on a process of converting
as much of Emory Universities Physics department to Linux as possible.
This led to the formation of L.U.G.E. (Linux Users Group of Emory)
with Michael Hirsch and Sara Chodrow (with whom he worked in Linux
development at a now defunct media tech startup – ZapMedia). Somewhere
along the way, James formed Local Net Solutions in an attempt to take
over the world. So far the business aspect is doing OK but the Total World
Domination is taking a bit longer than planned.

Note that James has promised to try and keep this presentation under
6 hours (unlike his most recent presentation for ALE which just let out
an hour ago).

==========
Meeting time is 7:30pm to ~9:30pm
Directions to ALE Central meetings at Emory
Law School are linked on ALE.org side bar.

ALE-NE – Thursday Oct 5, 2006 – VIDEO of Lawrence Lessig Talk given during Linuxworld – 7:30PM EST

Filed at 10:51 pm October 4, 2006 under by Michael Still

In this months meeting we will feature a video from Lawrence Lessig
Professor of Law, Stanford Law School.

In this keynote from Linuxworld San Francisco, Professor Lessig
describes what he calls the new era of “Read/Write Culture” we live in. He talks
about the technical (Opensource), Political (copyright laws), and
social changes we are trying to catch up with.

Professor Lessig shows that the struggles and the threats of this new
world are largely parallel. The solutions need to be parallel as well.

=======================

Lawrence Lessig is one of the most engaging speakers you will ever see.
His examples and explanations of the complicated issues of Copyright,
Economics and Technology are something you can take with you to any
suit, boss, or politician you will meet.
–Marc Torres

Lawrence Lessig’s bio
========================
Lawrence Lessig is a Professor of Law at Stanford Law School and
founder of the school’s Center for Internet and Society. Prior to joining the
Stanford faculty, he was the Berkman Professor of Law at Harvard Law
School, and a Professor at the University of Chicago. He clerked for
Judge Richard Posner on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals and Justice
Antonin Scalia on the United States Supreme Court.

Professor Lessig represented web site operator Eric Eldred in the
ground-breaking case Eldred v. Ashcroft, a challenge to the 1998 Sonny
Bono Copyright Term Extension Act. He has won numerous awards,
including the Free Software Foundation’s Freedom Award, and was named one of
Scientific American’s Top 50 Visionaries, for arguing “against
interpretations of copyright that could stifle innovation and discourse
online.”

Professor Lessig is the author of Free Culture (2004), The Future of
Ideas (2001) and Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace (1999). He chairs
the Creative Commons project, and serves on the board of the Free Software
Foundation, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Public Library of
Science, and Public Knowledge. He is also a columnist for Wired.