Minutes 2024-09-12

1. What is Linux?

    a. UNIX and AT&T Bell Labs

    b. the BSDs

    c. Stallman creating GNU

    d. footnote on Minux

    e. Infamous Linus "linux will be nothing big like minux"

    f. Linux in the current day (servers, embedded, nerds use it on laptops)

2. Why Switch to Linux?

    a. Windows getting worse every day

        i. ads in native applications

        ii. Windows Recall (slow creep, you know it's gonna eventually be cloud-based)

        iii. BLOAT

    b. more control than MacOS

        i. itoddlers btfo

    c. take computing into your own hands

        i. linux gigachad image "delete bootloader"

        ii. also a bit risky, leads into "Beginner distro" section

    d. xdotool (and ydotool) (like a more powerful AHK)

    e. bash scripting (VERY BRIEF)

    f. muuuch better dev tooling

3. How do I use Linux?

    a. Different distros

    b. "Beginner" vs "Advanced" Distros

        i. Mint (people don't like apparently?)

        ii. PopOS

        iii. Ubuntu

        iv. Endeavor

        v. Debian

        vi. Arch

        vii. gentoo

        viii. void

        ix. anti-systemd (Artix / Deuvan)

    c. liveboots

    d. install-a-thons

        i. if there's interest, we can do one over the weekend (or after next meeting)

    e. VERY BASIC intro to terminal

        i. the real terminal introduction is an entire other talk (next week)

    f. my recommendation for getting started

        i. dual-booting

    ii. distro (idk, mint?)

        i. don't start with "advanced" distro hoping to learn, it'll only make you hate the system when nothing works and everything requires 2+ hours of reading documentation to get started

4. Cool Linux tricks

    a. gimmicky tty tools

5. Shell!

    a. FREE hands-on sandbox to learn!

6. Do people want install-a-thon? (Question 1/3)

7. Vote on next presentation Question 2/3)

  a) we voted to do intro to the linux commandline, then intro to ssh, then pentesting on linux

8. Trip to GLRC? (Question 3/3)

(Note by Noah: Josh took notes on 2024-09-05 in Discord, I editorialized them when I put them in the wiki on 2024-09-08)