Orange County Linux Users Group (OCLUG) is a non-profit, vendor-independent organization of Linux/UNIX users and enthusiasts based in Fullerton, California. We meet each month to share information, troubleshoot and plan activities.

Meetings are open to anyone.

To become a member, join the OCLUG mailing list and attend meetings when you can.

The mailing list is our primary means of communication. For the latest news in OCLUG, subscribe to our mailing list:

• http://mailman.oclug.org/mailman/listinfo/

Once subscribed, you may send messages to our mailing list by sending a message to oclug at oclug dot org.

(You may not post to this address unless your email address is subscribed to the mailing list. So, be sure to subscribe using the form above.)

Rules for the mailing list (see RFC 2119 for definitions of SHOULD, SHOULD NOT, MUST, MUST NOT, and MAY):

• You MUST act like an adult.
• You SHOULD NOT send messages in HTML.
• You MUST remember that you were still learning at some point.
• You SHOULD help others.
• You SHOULD adhere to the netiquette guidelines in RFC 1855.

Many modern web-based email providers tend to dislike old-school email lists like ours. You SHOULD create a server-side email filter to prevent email from automatically being marked as spam. Optionally, you may also use rules to automatically organize your email.

An example rule in Gmail:

Enjoy the LUG!

OCLUG is on Matrix:

• @oclug:matrix.org

Matrix is a web-based federated chat platform that aims to make messaging easy and ubiquitous. It is the open source world’s attempt to modernize IRC while at the same time providing an enticing alternative to Slack and Discord. You can do things that you can’t do on IRC, such as sharing pictures, files, and initiating video conferences. Also, there are mobile apps and end-to-end encryption.

The easiest way to connect to Matrix is with the Matrix client Element, which runs in your favorite web browser. So, create a Matrix account (if you don’t already have one), visit our room, and say hi!

Meetings are held once a month, usually on a Saturday, at California State University Fullerton on Jitsi. There is no set pattern as to which Saturday during the month, it depends on availability. Check the front page of this site. When a date is set it will be posted here. Usually a week or so after each meeting we will know when the next one is planned.

Subscribe to our mailing list or contact us at oclug-owner at oclug dot org for the Jitsi invitation.

Sometimes we will have a demonstration on current topics of interest. If you wish to lead a demonstration about a particular topic, please send a message to the mailing list. We are always ready for a demo/workshop on Linux installation.

Feel free to bring your hardware for installation or technical assistance anytime.

Point your web browser to https://meet.jit.si/ and enter the meeting code. For best results use Google Chrome, Chromium, or Mozilla Firefox. Your mileage may vary with other web browsers. So, please use one of the supported browsers if possible.

Alternatively, it is possible to install Jitsi as a standalone application. Download the pre-built release for your platform from the Jitsi releases page. In the case of Linux, the self-contained binary executable is called jitsi-meet-x86_64.AppImage.

If you are running Ubuntu, make sure libfuse2 is installed (See Bug 1965636). From a terminal:

$ sudo apt install libfuse2

Now set the executable bit and execute the AppImage.

$ cd <download_location>
$ chmod +x jitsi-meet-x86_64.AppImage
$ ./jitsi-meet-x86_64.AppImage

Jitsi should launch in its own window.

A few days before each meeting, we will send a Jitsi URL to the mailing list. (Please subscribe to the mailing list.) When the meeting starts, point your web browser of choice to the Jitsi URL.

Jitsi is best accessed with Google Chromium. Your mileage may vary in Mozilla Firefox and WebKit-based browsers. A headset is not required, but it does help eliminate feedback loops.

If you would like to test Jitsi beforehand, point your web browser to https://meet.jit.si/ and create new blank meeting room. (Jitsi is free for personal use, so this is a great way to test your setup.)

Install it!

The easiest way to learn and experiment is with virtual machines (computers emulated in software). There are plenty of virtualization software packages. Virtualization software allows you to run an emulated computer on a real computer.

If you are running Windows on the host, Oracle VirtualBox is a good choice. There are also Hyper-V and VMware Workstation.

If you are running MacOS on the host, Oracle VirtualBox is still a good choice. There are also Parallels and VMware Fusion.

After you setup the virtualization software of your choice, you now need an OS to run on your virtual computer.

If this is your first exposure to Linux:

• Ubuntu (easy to install and has a large user base)
• Linux Mint (based on Ubuntu, but comes with media codecs, more traditional desktop environments, and other goodies)
• Fedora (bleeding edge)
• MX Linux (Debian based system with a nice desktop)

If you are trying to learn enterprise IT:

• CentOS (Resembles Red Hat Enterprise Linux, which is common in enterprise environments. CentOS Stream is a different distro, which will be the upstream testing for Red Hat Enterprise Linux)
• Rocky Linux (the spiritual successor to CentOS, a bit-for-bit rebuild of Red Hat Enterprise Linux)
• OpenSUSE (resembles SUSE Linux Enterprise, which is common in enterprise environments in Europe but less so in the US)

If you want to go further:

• Slackware (the classic rock-solid system with a cult following)
• Debian (free as in freedom and very configurable)
• Arch Linux (bleeding edge, more so than Fedora)
• Manjaro (Arch Linux with a desktop preinstalled and a little more quality control)
• Gentoo, Funtoo, and Sabayon / MocaccinoOS (Source-based distributions, meaning that everything is compiled from source on the system. Building the whole system from source gives the user more control of compilation flags across the entire system.)

Also, see DistroWatch's list of major distributions.