Posting to libreplanet-discuss to show the type of meetings Manchester Free Software have. ____ Note the new location of PLANT NOMA on Dantzic Street, not normal location of original Madlab. Please feel free to forward this to those that would welcome it. You can subscribe to the Manchester Free Software mailing list at: https://lists.nongnu.org/mailman/listinfo/fsuk-manchester * Event: Manchester Free Software's May Meeting * Talk: GNU Guix package manager * Speaker: Michael Dorrington * Date: Tuesday, 15th May 2018 (3rd Tuesday of the month) * Start time: 19:00 * Finish time: 20:30 (social in PLANT NOMA until 21:00) * Location: PLANT NOMA - https://madlab.org.uk/2018/04/madlab-and-plant-noma-announce-new-collaboration/ - https://www.plantnoma.com/ * Address: Redfern, Dantzic Street, NOMA, M60 0AE. - Near Shudehill Interchange and not far from original Madlab. - https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=19/53.48668/-2.23934 == Details == The purpose of Manchester Free Software is to promote the Free Software philosophy. Every meeting we start with an opportunity for informal key signing. For an explanation of what this is about see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_signing_party === Talk === The main part of the meeting will be a talk with free discussion on the topic. The talk will be on GNU Guix (pronounced "geeks"). This is a package manager like apt or rpm but with features those tools don't have. Guix allows normal user accounts (after a bit of system setup) to easily have their own versions of software, have atomic upgrades and roll-backs, and more. Packages installed using Guix can be built from source on the local machine or downloaded pre-built. The Guix package manager can be installed on a GNU/Linux(-libre) system that already has a package manager without issue because Guix doesn't install packages in the system package manager locations. We will install and use the Guix package manager on the GNU/Linux-libre from scratch system we built. The features of Guix should mean upgrading, removing and experimenting with packages on this system will be a lot easier and safer. The Guix features will be demonstrated in the talk and the system investigated. The aim of the talk is to give users the knowledge and confidence to try Guix on any GNU/Linux(-libre) system. Depending on interest, we may, in a future talk, investigate the Guix System Distribution (GuixSD). This is where the Operating System (OS) configuration 'declared' and then Guix builds the system. More information: * https://www.gnu.org/software/guix/manual/html_node/Introduction.html * https://www.gnu.org/software/guix/packages/ If you have experience of GNU Guix or GuixSD then please consider giving a lightning talk at the meeting. == Event Planning == Software Freedom Day in Manchester 2018 is on Saturday, 15th September. * https://www.softwarefreedomday.org/ == After-meeting == The formal meeting will be followed by informal discussion and socialising in PLANT NOMA. == Location == The meeting will take place at PLANT NOMA, details above. == Transport == === Parking === Around the venue there are parking meter bays that become zero cost after 8pm on Tuesday so you will have to pay up until then and the maximum stay is 2 hours BUT MAKE SURE YOU VERIFY ALL THIS on parking. There are paid parking lots around the venue, they are marked by a blue P in this OpenStreetMap centred on PLANT NOMA . Most of those parking lots are owned by NCP . If you can't decide otherwise then park in Manchester Arndale . === Public Transport === Manchester Victoria (MCV) train station, Shudehill tram and bus station, and Manchester Piccadilly bus station are all fairly close to PLANT NOMA, see OpenStreetMap centred on PLANT NOMA . Manchester Piccadilly (MAN) train station and Manchester Central Coach Station are not too far away either. == More Information == Information about Manchester Free Software can be found on the Manchester Free Software pages on LibrePlanet . Regards, Mike. MFS Chair. -- FSF member #9429 http://www.fsf.org/register_form?referrer=9429 http://www.fsf.org/about "The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is a nonprofit with a worldwide mission to promote computer user freedom and to defend the rights of all free software users."