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We are students of ETH who help you with linux
at our events and in our office. For free!

Because we love Open Source and Free Software
and want to help you to get started (here's why).

course materials | guides: installation bash git

tux, the linux mascot
tentative

Introduction to Free Software

Thu 08.10.2020 17:15 - 19:00 | University of Zurich, Rämistrasse 71, 8006 Zürich, Switzerland, KOH B 10

We are waiting for final confirmation of the room reservation.

Discover the differences between Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) and proprietary software, and find out why these differences matter.
This captivating lecture will provide you with information about the advantages of Free Software licenses, as well as show you the historical background of the Linux kernel.
Additionally, we show why Free Software and Open Data is important even beyond the world of Linux.

Learn how you can regain full control over your data!

tentative

Introduction to Linux

Tue 13.10.2020 17:15 - 19:00 | ETH Zürich, Rämistrasse 101, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland, HG F 7

We are waiting for final confirmation of the room reservation.

Now that you know the ethical advantages of Free Software, in this course you will learn about a wide family of free operating systems based on the Linux kernel, as well as some of the most useful software tools available for them.

Find out how easy to use and yet powerful Linux systems are, discover their advantages when compared to other operating systems, and get to understand their basic structure and most important concepts.
Furthermore, discover different flavours of Linux and get a feeling for which distribution and desktop environment would be the right match for you.

tentative

Install Event ETH

Tue 20.10.2020 17:00 - 21:30 | ETH Zürich, Rämistrasse 101, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland, HG F 7

We are waiting for final confirmation of the room reservation.

Get started with Linux by installing it on your computer.

Of course, we'll help you: Bring your laptop and charger and we will personally assist you with the installation of Linux as well as with your first steps and basic customization.
You can choose to keep your existing operating system and install Linux next to it.
Still, it's important to back up your data before you come, just to be on the safe side.

Note that you can sign up in one of 4 time slots each day.
You may of course stay longer than the indicated time should we encounter issues with installing Linux on your laptop.

ChromeBooks (all versions), Apple MacBook Pros (after Oct. 2016) and Apple MacBooks (12" model) are not well supported by Linux due to hardware restrictions, and we do not recommend installing Linux on those devices.
If you intend to buy a new laptop to install Linux on, stay away from these devices altogether.

confirmed

Install Event UZH

Thu 22.10.2020 17:00 - 21:30 | University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland, Y01-F-49 | register

All Corona safety measures can be implemented, and the room reservation is confirmed.

Get started with Linux by installing it on your computer.

Of course, we'll help you: Bring your laptop and charger and we will personally assist you with the installation of Linux as well as with your first steps and basic customization.
You can choose to keep your existing operating system and install Linux next to it.
Still, it's important to back up your data before you come, just to be on the safe side.

Note that you can sign up in one of 4 time slots each day.
You may of course stay longer than the indicated time should we encounter issues with installing Linux on your laptop.

ChromeBooks (all versions), Apple MacBook Pros (after Oct. 2016) and Apple MacBooks (12" model) are not well supported by Linux due to hardware restrictions, and we do not recommend installing Linux on those devices.
If you intend to buy a new laptop to install Linux on, stay away from these devices altogether.

tentative

Console Toolkit - Part 1

Mon 26.10.2020 17:15 - 19:00 | ETH Zürich, Rämistrasse 101, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland, HG F 7

We are waiting for final confirmation of the room reservation.

Now that you have your Linux system up and running, it's time to make the best out of it.
Learn how to utilize the console and work towards mastering it in this two-part course.

We will start with the basics, and present you some useful terminal applications designed to simplify your workflow.
Furthermore, you may directly solidify the abilities you learn by solving short exercises.

This way, you will feel comfortable with using the console in no time!

tentative

Console Toolkit - Part 2

Thu 29.10.2020 17:15 - 19:00 | ETH Zürich, Rämistrasse 101, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland, F 7

We are waiting for final confirmation of the room reservation.

Now that you have your Linux system up and running, it's time to make the best out of it.
Learn how to utilize the console and work towards mastering it in this two-part course.

We will start with the basics, and present you some useful terminal applications designed to simplify your workflow.
Furthermore, you may directly solidify the abilities you learn by solving short exercises.

This way, you will feel comfortable with using the console in no time!

tentative

Spotlight 1 - Vim

Wed 04.11.2020 17:15 - 19:00 | ETH Zürich, Rämistrasse 101, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland, HG E 5

We are waiting for final confirmation of the room reservation.

Learn some (more) tricks with Vim.

tentative

Spotlight 2 - Unix History

Tue 10.11.2020 17:15 - 19:00 | ETH Zürich, Rämistrasse 101, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland, HG E 5

We are waiting for final confirmation of the room reservation.

Learn about the origins of Unix, one of the predecessors of Linux which is still very much relevant and in use today.

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nicolas

President
Nicolas König

alex

Vice-President
Alexander Schoch

nils

Events
Nils Leuzinger

florian

Sponsoring
Florian Moser

The Alternative
CAB E14
Universitätsstrasse 6
8092 Zürich

github | gitlab

a part of SSC

Open Source

The term "open source" refers to something people can modify and share because its design is publicly accessible.

opensource.com

Open Source software encourages others to understand how something works exactly because the inner workings of the program are published. Depending on the exact license used, the user may also be allowed to run, modify and distribute the work.

Using Open Source, you can check that the program does not execute something on your device you do not want; like surveilling your activities or stealing your computational power for its own purposes. However, when software is advertised as Open Source, it does not necessarily guarantee the rights to modify and distribute the work.

Examples include Firefox and Python.

Free Software

Free software developers guarantee [...] [that] any user can study the source code, modify it, and share the program.

fsf.org

Free Software guarantees the rights to run, modify and distribute the work. Depending on the exact license used, it may be enforced that all derivative software must also grant the same rights (this is called Copyleft).

Using Free Software, you are allowed to adapt it to your needs; like adding functionality critical to your workflows. If you decide to use a Copyleft license, you can additionally be sure your work will benefit all future users of the software in the same way.

Examples include VLC Media Player and Linux.

Proprietary Software

Only the original authors of proprietary software can legally copy, inspect, and alter that software. To use proprietary software, computer users must agree (...) that they will not do anything with the software that the software's authors have not expressly permitted.

opensource.com

Proprietary Software severely restricts how users can interact with the software running on their device and does not allow them to read, modify or distribute its source code.

Using Proprietary Software, you are in danger to lose functionality critical to your workflow (because the owner chose not to provide it anymore), to no longer being able to open your files (because the filetype is no longer supported) or to pay excessive license fees (because there are no comparable alternatives).

Examples include Windows and Adobe Reader.

Privacy

No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honor and reputation.

Article 12 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)

Privacy is fundamental to protect yourself and those around you from manipulation.

Most webpages and programs track anything you do or click. Use Open Source Software and Adblockers to be reasonably sure that you are not a victim of surveillance. Make anonymity the default to avoid making those stand out, who must stay anonymous.

Facebook reveals more about your personality than your friends could [Paper]; imagine what your browser history tells about you.
A firm called Cambridge Analytica (and probably many others) use this technique to influence outcomes of elections [Tagesanzeiger]
Edward Snowden used an anonymity service that relies on many "normal" people using the system to avoid suspicion [Twitter].