Normally a festival would not take place in a small, cramped
room in Boelter Hall, but that did not stop the UCLA Linux Users
Group from holding Install-fest, an event to help people install
Linux on Saturday.
The event began in 1999 and is held every quarter. It attracts
anywhere from 10 to 50 interested newcomers to the Linux operating
system, which is a free open source alternative to Microsoft and
Unix.
“I came here to install (Linux) for Computer Science 111,
an operating systems class,” said Eric Mueller, a fifth-year
computer science and engineering student.
“I’m glad I did. It goes hand-in-hand with what
we’re doing in class and I haven’t had an excuse to get
it installed and get use to it.”
Perhaps the biggest obstacle to installing Linux is the fear of
the unknown. While Linux has become progressively more
user-friendly, an unexpected problem can stop an installation dead
in its tracks. Without someone knowledgeable, a missing driver is
sometimes enough to send a user screaming back to Windows.
“The whole purpose of our organization is to be helpful to
people who want to use Linux and promote its use,” said Mark
Painter, LUG member and fourth-year computer science and
mathematics student. “Install-fest is a major way to do that
““ other people who might not be able to get their first
install can come here and get help. It’s our major community
service each quarter.”
The Linux operating system has developed a devoted following.
Linux was initially created as a hobby by Linus Torvalds, a student
at the University of Helsinki in Finland. He began his work in
1991, when he released version 0.02, and worked until 1994, when
version 1.0 of the Linux Kernel was released.
The source code of the kernel ““ essentially the engine of
all Linux systems ““ is freely available to everyone for peer
review and education.
Aside from being freely distributed, Linux’s
functionality, adaptability and robustness has made it the main
alternative to operating systems that cost money to use. IBM,
Hewlett-Packard and other establishments of the computing community
have embraced Linux and support its ongoing development.
Compared to Windows, Linux gives the user complete control over
the operating system and is much more stable.
“It’s free … but free not just in the sense that
it doesn’t cost anything.” Painter said. “Linux
is free speech because you can make changes to it to fit your needs
and then give it back to the community.”
Under Linux, a user can create a customizable file system and
has complete control of the desktop. A Windows computer allows only
very limited customization. Because of this, the Linux is becoming
an attractive option on campus.
“Last year a survey was sent to CS grad students asking
what kind of machines they would like in the CS Graduate
Workstation room. As a result, the number of Linux machines
increased dramatically.” said Steven VanDeBogart, a computer
science graduate student.
The School of Engineering and Applied Sciences has opened a
computer lab in Boelter 4405 that runs Linux exclusively.