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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: bash git

tux, the linux mascot

Introduction to Free Software

Wed 26.02.2020 17:15 - 19:00 | University of Zurich, Rämistrasse 71, 8006 Zürich, Switzerland, tba | register

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!

Introduction to Linux

Tue 17.03.2020 17:15 - 19:00 | ETH Zürich, Rämistrasse 101, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland, tba | register

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.

Install Event 1

Tue 24.03.2020 17:00 - 21:30 | ETH Zürich, Rämistrasse 101, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland, tba | register

Did we wake your interest? Then get started with Linux by installing it on your computer.

Of course, we'll help you: Bring your laptop and charger to one of the two Install Events 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.

Install Event 2

Thu 26.03.2020 17:00 - 21:30 | University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland, Y01-F-49 and Y01-F-08 | register

Did we wake your interest? Then get started with Linux by installing it on your computer.

Of course, we'll help you: Bring your laptop and charger to one of the two Install Events 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.

Console Toolkit - Part 1

Fri 03.04.2020 17:15 - 19:00 | ETH Zürich, Rämistrasse 101, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland, tba | register

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!

Console Toolkit - Part 2

Mon 06.04.2020 17:15 - 19:00 | ETH Zürich, Rämistrasse 101, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland, tba | register

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!

Bash Scripting Workshop

Wed 08.04.2020 17:15 - 19:00 | ETH Zürich, Rämistrasse 101, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland, tba | register

Take your new abilities a step further: Learn how you can use Bash to program simple scripts that can save you a lot of work. Bash is a scripting language that is designed to interact with other programs and your system easily. Whether you want to backup your newest files to a hard drive or quickly download a lot of PDFs—with Bash, you can do it at a keystroke.

Note that we highly recommend visiting "The Console Toolkit" if you have no prior experience with the Linux terminal.

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alex

President
Alexander Schoch

nicolas

Vice-President
Nicolas König

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 license used, one 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.

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 and requires that all users of the derivatives are granted the same rights (called Copyleft).

Using Free Software, you are allowed to adapt it to your needs; like adding functionality critical to your workflows. Due to the Copyleft, your can additionally be sure your work will benefit all furture 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].