091 Labs

As part of 091 Labs’ series of workshops for Irish Hackerspace Week, one event for which we received a great deal of positive feedback was our “Introduction to Linux” class, tutored by Matthew Kolder, Barry Coughlan and Aaron Hastings. The class, which we are looking to hold more of in the future, covered the very basics of Linux and Ubuntu (our Operating System of choice) – installation, initial setup, cool applications and benefits of running Linux over Windows and Mac.

By putting an 091 Labs laptop and an Ubuntu disc in front of each attendee, we guaranteed that everyone could get hands-on with the system, while having comfort in the fact they weren’t messing up their own computer.

A summary of the topics covered can be found on our Wiki, at the following link:

Introduction to Linux – Summary

If you would be interested in attending a future “Introduction to Linux” event or have any suggestions for Linux or Ubuntu-themed workshops, we’d love to hear from you at aaron@091labs.com

Maybe one of the most consistently popular workshops that 091 Labs has been holding to date have been those for Linux beginners. Come in, meet the members, and learn to use Linux while under the supervision of one of our Linux gurus. Although if you wind up with me assisting you, you are expected to stoically endure a certain amount of baleful stares and dark imprecations as I bravely cd and ls my way through your folders.

The majority of 091 Labs members choose and use Ubuntu Linux for its ease of use and installation, its broad user base – and implied support base, and the depth of its software repositories. In addition to our own personal laptops and workstations, Ubuntu also powers all of the work machines here at the Labs.

091 Labs <3 Ubuntu, in short.

In the next few months, we are hopeful of extending our Linux offerings for both Labs members and the public alike. They include:

• A regular series of beginners Linux workshops with a focus on Ubuntu.
• Shell accounts for Labs members to learn remote administration on.
• Advanced Linux courses that will delve into security, advanced command line usage and kernel compilation using enterprise Linux distributions.
• A local repository of current distributions for members.