YLUG (Yokohama Linux Users Group) and Kernel Code Reading Party

This memo is inspired by the blog written by Ted.
http://thunk.org/tytso/blog/2009/02/04/how-active-are-your-local-linux-users-groups/

Let me describe Yokohama Linux Users Group (YLUG).
http://ylug.jp (Many pages are written in Japanese)

More than 10 years ago, I was living in the Silicon Valley and worked for an RDBMS company as a RDBMS kernel engineer. My job was nothing related with Linux. It was 1998. Netscape opened the source code aka the Mozilla Project. Silicon Valley Linux Users Group had an offline meeting which hosted Marc Andreessen of Netscape who made this crazy idea on April, 1st of 1998. Marc said, "It is April, 1st, it is not April Fool but real." I know nothing about Open Source nor Bazaar model at that time.

I came back to Japan on the end of 1998. There were Linux bubble and many LUG (Linux Users Group) in Japan were established.

YLUG (Yokohama Linux Users Group) is one of LUG which was established in January of 1999. I joined YLUG. Mailing list was very active in those days. I asked an easy question to the mailing list. How does the linux kernel implement a system call? The answer was "int 0x80" and "read the source code." Hmm, I find/grep "int 0x80" and browse the code. I happened to think that it might be fun to read the code with YLUG members. It was a little bit bother to read the code by myself, but reading the code with colleagues may give us other insight. It might be fun.

So I set up an offline meeting to read and have a party. It was held April 28th, 1999 and more than 30 people joined it. It was *fun*. Many people said, let's have another one. Many who could not attend the meeting asked us to have another one. We have more than 90 times and almost once a month since then.

I named it "Kernel Code Reading Party."

Although, we have not read the code these days, Kernel Code Reading Party has two parts, 1) a speaker makes a informal technical seminar, 2) we have a beer party. We will have 10th anniversary and 100th Kernel Code Reading Party in this October or November time frame.

From Junior high school students to 50 something like me, from linux beginners to kernel hackers, audience are very wide.

YLUG's Kernel Code Reading Party is very active and we really enjoy it.

Someday Join Us.

Let's Get Startted

Hi,

okdt recommended me to write a blog in English. so here it is. Although, I have two blogs written in Japanese, I wish this page gave you something happened Open Source Communities in Japan.

My diary Someday in the Future (MIRAI NO ITSUKA　未来のいつか) http://d.hatena.ne.jp/hyoshiok/
My blog The Power of Dreams (YUME NO CHIKARA ユメのチカラ) http://blog.miraclelinux.com/yume/

Enjoy,