Curious about Linux, the open-source operating system? Come learn why people use it, why it's important for privacy, longevity, and creativity, and how it can help breathe new life into old hardware.

In this session, participants will learn about the open source movement, various alternatives to popular software, desktop environments, and different Linux distributions, including:

• Pop!_OS
• Elementary OS
• Manjaro
• Ubuntu
• openSUSE
• Raspberry PI OS

There will be time to try each operating system out first hand with a scavenger hunt. The session will wrap up with the basics of the install process and setup.

This session is presented as part of the Sustainable Practices series, made possible through funding from the Microsoft Toronto Community Fund, supported by Microsoft.

About the Facilitators

Shaughn Martel (they/them) is a queer and non-binary experimental media artist currently practicing in Toronto, Canada. Based on meeting technology (the invisible) on its own terms and working from a "data first" material process of audio, and visual work. Inspired by Hauntology and Hyperobjects: the ephemerality of collections and concepts derived by the intangible. They harness data, media archeology, and technology by purposely misusing tools and equipment to make art that displays emergent qualities about environments, systems, and processes that expand our understanding of our world to inspire speculation, media literacy, and positive futures. In 2023 Shaughn was awarded the Nora E. Vaughn Award and graduated with honors from OCAD University with a BFA in Integrated Media. In 2022, they were the first recipient of the James Bailey Award through NAISA North.

Terry Anastasiadis (he/him) usually fills the role of Technical Lead by utilizing his technical expertise to provide consultation, assistance, elbow grease, and problem solving. His skills vary from: building and fixing computers; accessible graphic design; web and graphics programming; and 3D modeling/rendering (he’s a self admitted Blender fan-boy). When he’s not busy being a computer you can usually find him cleaning up the forest and removing invasive species.