TCMUG March meeting proposal

[Dale Trexel]

Many thanks to David Bitner for organizing last month's meeting. His
demo on using XML in a MapServer application was quite useful for
those of us who made it. Before the meeting started, I'd been talking
about my recent experiences with getting MapServer up and running on
my own Linux server, and David suggested that we make this the theme
of the March TCMUG meeting. It was his idea, honest! But personally, I
like it.

The basic idea is to bring a box with a basic Linux and Apache install
on it, have all the files on hand for installing CGI MapServer and all
the necessary libraries, then go through the steps of a basic compile
and install at the meeting...assuming everything goes smoothly. I'd be
happy to write up notes on the process, which could then be added to
the online documentation as an example of a simple installation, from
start to finish. I think that folks new to OS, such as myself, could
benefit from a simplified how-to that focuses on the basics, without
the distraction of all the more complex options that can be added
later.

Who else would be interested in such a topic for this month? It would
be great if we had other folks present who were familiar with the
process to share their experiences and insights.

I could try to arrange a meeting space on the U of MN campus, which
would allow for internet access in case it turned out we needed to
download more files. Otherwise, David offered use of his offices
again, but which have less ready internet access.

As for date and time, how about 5 or 6 PM on a Thursday night, as
before? That would make the 17th and 24th the best bets for dates. You
can reply to me off-list and I'll compile responses and make another
announcement in a week or so.

-Dale Trexel