[BALUG-Announce] BALUG: Meeting! (VIRTUAL) 2021-03-16: Michael Paoli: sed - Streaming EDitor+, & other BALUG News

Wed Feb 17 10:31:00 UTC 2021

BALUG: Meeting! (VIRTUAL) 2021-03-16: Michael Paoli: sed - Streaming  
EDitor+, & other BALUG News

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items, details further below:
Meeting! (VIRTUAL) 2021-03-16: Michael Paoli: sed - Streaming EDitor+
Meetings (online/virtual/...)
COVID-19 - what you can do
giveaways (& wanted), hardware, CDs/DVDs, books/publications, ...
help BALUG! :-) - volunteering, venue, ...
Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/BALUG_org

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Meeting! (VIRTUAL) 2021-03-16: Michael Paoli: sed - Streaming EDitor+

Yes, we're having a BALUG meeting!!! And it's an online VIRTUAL
meeting, "of course".
6:30pm Tuesday, March 16th, 2021 2021-03-16T18:30:00-07:00
2021-03-17T01:30:00+00:00
https://meet.jit.si/BALUG.org (please see also meeting
venue information further below)
For this meeting, we have talk/presentation:
Michael Paoli on: sed - Streaming EDitor+:

sed[1] - it's a Streaming EDitor! Give it edit specification as
script(s)/program(s), and it reads from standard input (stdin) or
specified file(s), and writes to standard output (stdout).  The GNU
version of sed even has extension to allow edit-in-place.
+? But sed is more than "just" that.  It can well save/manipulate
things in its pattern and hold spaces, including embedded newlines
within and manipulation thereof.  It also has logical grouping,
conditional and unconditional branching - so some basic flow
control.  Sound like a programming language? Well, it is that too!
... at least a little bit, and yes, enough to even be possible to
program some things in sed! (See, e.g. a Tic-Tac-Toe demonstration
written in sed!).  And sed is often an excellent tool for doing
those streaming edit tasks and the like, and avoiding the entire
overhead of a more general purpose language such as awk or perl or
python or the such.  And sed is also very standard - per POSIX, and
history, etc.  Well learn those basics and works on most any version
of sed anywhere, and being standard that it is, can quite expect it
to pretty much always be there, even on quite minimal
installations.

So, no hassles with driving, parking, public transportation, rain
... everyone gets a front row seat, don't need a PA system to hear
the speaker from further back, clearly see what's projected on the
(your) screen.  And attend from any city, state, country - anywhere
on the planet! Alas, won't have the delicious cuisine of Henry's
Hunan Restaurant, but you're free to arrange whatever dining (or
not) you may prefer (including to go or delivery from many
restaurants that could very much use your business).

(currently no RSVP required for VIRTUAL meetings)
Meeting kicks off at 6:30 P.M. - we start with meet and greet and chat
and such, then proceed with more formal part of the meeting starting at
7:00 P.M.
Strongly recommended to please join us before 7:00 P.M. for the main
part of the meeting (get yourself connected and squared away by 7:00
P.M., see also: venue information further below).

meeting venue (at least until further notice or otherwise noted):
https://meet.jit.si/BALUG.org Dial-in numbers also available at the
URL.
Please use earbud(s)/headphone(s) or mute yourself to avoid audio
feedback issues, also please if you have background sound/noise issues
mute yourself when not talking.
Generally works quite fine with reasonably modern Chrome, Chromium,
Microsoft Edge, possibly others (requires WebRTC[2] (Wikipedia:
WebRTC[3]) (can also do some testing here: https://test.webrtc.org/
Probably don't worry about minor items like "Reflexive connectivity"
)), from desktop, laptop, tablet, smart phone, etc.

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sed
2. https://webrtc.org/
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WebRTC

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Meetings (online/virtual/...)

BALUG meetings?  Thus far due to COVID-19, no in-person meetings,
however, now VIRTUAL!  :-) (How regularly?  Well, we'll see how
attendance and interest is.)

Many regional [L]UGs have started having / moved to online meetings.
I wasn't able to earlier spot a list of such regional / Bay Area
listing for Linux User Groups (LUGs) & related, so, created one on
BALUG's wiki:
https://www.wiki.balug.org/wiki/doku.php?id=balug:covid-19#virtual_meetings
(or if that's bit much to remember, how 'bout: balug.org/covid)
If you know of others that ought be listed there, if you're set up
to edit the wiki, you can add them - or email me to get set up with
such access (or you can email the meeting online details, and I
can attempt to maintain it there).  Thanks also to Rick Moen who's
also added much time and timezone information to that wiki page too!
Also, online meetings have many advantages too.  Have a peek at:
https://berkeleylug.com/2020/06/21/meetings-virtual/
for a listing of some of those many unique advantages.

BALUG virtual meetings?  Yes! ... at least started.  How regularly?
Shall see how it goes (do still have our regularly scheduled slots
to potentially meet, in any case).  Watch our Announce list and/or
check our web site for updates.

Oooh, and with virtual - speakers/presenters - can be
FROM ANYWHERE ON THE PLANET!

In all cases, continue to watch the BALUG-Announce list:
https://lists.balug.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/balug-announce
and/or have a look at the BALUG web site:
https://www.balug.org/
for relevant updates.
And there's also the wiki page also mentioned further above regarding
other regional / Bay Area [L]UGs (and beyond) - with known online meetings:
https://www.wiki.balug.org/wiki/doku.php?id=balug:covid-19#virtual_meetings
(or shortcut: balug.org/covid)

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COVID-19 - what you can do

There's much more information out there now.  Please do keep in
mind, there are many that can use resources/assistance, and
particularly many and more so due to COVID-19 direct and indirect
effects.

Everything from donations of funds, certain items/materials,
skills (e.g. programming assistance on project), volunteering time,
computing resources, etc.  Restaurants (and many other businesses) that
have thus far survived, can also generally quite use the business, so
if one can and is inclined to do so, and safely, etc., delivery or
to go can often quite help them out (and provide a delicious change
of taste and break from the hassles of cooking and such).

And yes, E.g.:
Some compute projects are working on COVID-19:
BOINC Rosetta@home[1]
Folding@home[2]
1. https://boinc.bakerlab.org/rosetta/forum_thread.php?id=13533#91772
2. https://foldingathome.org/
But hey, we've got vaccines now!  (well, quantity and distribution
notwithstanding).  Anyway, do check, many projects and such can
use assistance on getting relief/resources to where it's needed
or can be best used.

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giveaways (& wanted), hardware, CDs/DVDs, books/publications, ...

Okay, so the physical may be on hold or require special arrangements due
to COVID-19 - but notwithstanding that - and some of these quite still
apply ...

We typically have various giveaway items at BALUG meetings.  We'll
likely have at least the below plus additional items.

(could probably be arranged via snail mail or such, if needed)
CDs/DVDs/ISOs, etc. - have a look here:
https://www.wiki.balug.org/wiki/doku.php?id=balug:cds_and_images_etc
Donations of blank or +-RW media, USB flash, or funding thereof,
also appreciated.  See the above URL for details (and the inventory
(qty.) of what we specifically have "burned" and available on-hand does
also tend to change).

Hardware, etc. wanted/offered!
Got some (computer, etc.) hardware, etc. you're looking to give
away or acquire (or if not free, well below current fair market value),
and locally?  We have a wiki page to list that - so ... see what's
offered, wanted, etc.!  (Yes, don't forget to check once in a while,
seems to be updated semi-regularly and used by a few [L]UGs around the
Bay Area):
https://www.wiki.balug.org/wiki/doku.php?id=balug:offered_wanted_hardware_etc

Books and other titles!  (includes some online digital resources)
have a peek here:
https://www.wiki.balug.org/wiki/doku.php?id=balug:books_and_publications

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Volunteering and helping BALUG

We could also always use more volunteers to make BALUG even better! You
can do useful and cool stuff volunteering to help BALUG! Quite a
variety of opportunities to help BALUG, e.g.:
o assist or lead on speaker coordination/procurement, etc. (help
   arrange, refer to us, coordinate schedules, etc.)
o venue arrangement (e.g. followup on potential leads, on-site
   coordination/preparations) and the like, for now and/or in future
o publicity (e.g. helping us get information out in as timely a
   manner as feasible, and in as many places as appropriate)
o website: webmaster and/or assistance with routine updates/additions
   designer, graphic artist
o Linux Systems Administration (e.g. do/assist/learn, with/under some
   quite experienced and skilled Linux systems administrator(s)).
o archivist/history/retrieval/etc.
o writing up meeting "minutes" (brief summaries of meeting highlights
   - e.g. information on presentations, interesting/noteworthy
   discussions/topics, etc.; suitable for web use, or even just rough
   notes on the relevant items)
o mailing list maintenance
o chief/assistant cat herder
o and other various/miscellaneous tasks BALUG would like to be doing
   (also feel free to suggest ideas!)

If you're at all interested in helping with any and/or all of the
above, or more, or looking for more information, please drop us a note
at:
BALUG contact <mailto:balug-contact@balug.org>
and/or talk to us at a meeting.

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Twitter - you can also follow BALUG on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/#!/BALUG_org

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Feedback on our publicity/announcements (e.g. contacts or lists where we
should get our information out that we're not presently reaching, or
things we should do differently): publicity-feedback@balug.org