[PLUG] Linux Clinic OSCON 2013 edition

Keith Lofstrom keithl at gate.kl-ic.com
Sat Jul 20 04:31:24 UTC 2013


In July 2012, we told the history of the Linux Clinic, from
its founding in a Palo Alto garage in 1938 (and renamed
Hewlett Packard) through the construction of the Oregon
Linux Clinic Center, renamed the Oregon Convention Center
when we moved to Free Geek at 1731 SE 10th Ave.

The saga continues;  over the past year, PLUG has put on a
dozen Linux Clinics, while Tim O'Reilly managed to put on
only one OSCON.  We help people with distros, installs, 
application debugging, while OSCON just has keynotes,
lectures, and closet-filling swag.  We will get a whole 
clinic done from 1 to 5 PM on Sunday July 21, while OSCON
needs a whole week.  Indeed, many people leave OSCON with
the same old Apple or Microsoft software on their laptop,
while we won't let you out of the building without some
kind of Linux or BSD on yours. 

Keyboards and screens for your desktop?  We've got 'em, you
probably can't bring your desktop into the convention center
without hassles from security.  The convention center has
the same free wifi that we've got, but they split it up
among thousands of people, instead of a dozen or so.  And
we've also got wired ethernet, just the thing when NSA
spooks are lurking outside with Tempest scanners.

Cookies?  Ice cream?  Frankly, OSCON has us beat there, but
they won't give you cheese and carrots and celery and other
healthy stuff.  And their coffee?  Ew!  Out of dispenser
boxes and urns, probably brewed a month ago.  You can watch
us brew ours fresh.

For their slow, inferior product, OSCON charges as much as
$2000, while the Linux Clinic is Free As In Beer.  We won't
have beer, I'm afraid, but you can sneak into parties for
free during OSCON week.  Tell them Randal Schwartz sent you.

Keith

-- 
Keith Lofstrom          keithl at keithl.com         Voice (503)-520-1993



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