** This page has been merged with /NewUsers, and will be the one-stop-shop for new loco members/new ubuntu users. This page needs clean-up and reorganization **

Welcome to the New Member's Page!

This page is designed to be a short introduction to the ChicagoTeam so that new members can quickly become familiar with our structure, processes, and quirks. First, a short LoCo FAQ.

What is a LoCo Team?

A LoCo Team is a Local Community of (in our case) Ubuntu users. A LoCo can involve a lot of things such as local promoting, support in the local language, general support to local users and much more. Most importantly however, it lets people find other Ubuntu users near them!

Why should I join a LoCo team?

There are lots of benefits and fun to be had getting involved with a LoCo team, not only in terms of spreading awareness about Ubuntu, but also helping to develop free software in your community, improve Ubuntu and more. For more details see the LoCoTeamJoining page.

See the LoCoFAQ page for even more information.

The ChicagoTeam

The ChicagoTeam focuses on distributing, advertising, and demonstrating Ubuntu in the Chicagoland area. Through expansion of our projects, we focus on the areas of schools, not-for-profit organizations, businesses, and home users.

Here are the ChicagoTeam's many links and their respective explanations.

Wiki page: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ChicagoTeam

The wiki is where the ChicagoTeam keeps most of it's dynamic content: development ideas, current projects, logs, and other things. Here you will find subpages for each team as well as information about the team in general and our many activities.

Ubuntu-Illinois Wiki page: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/IllinoisTeam

The ChicagoTeam is a subset of the Ubuntu-Illinois team.

Website: http://chicago.ubuntu-us.org/

The website is currently undergoing some changes, but this is the place where we will be keeping some of the more generic content intended to be "publicized", like team news (in blog form!) and event information.

Mailing list: https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-us-chicago

The mailing list is used much like the forums, for quicker discussion and dissemination of team news, although it is more support-oriented than the forums.

LaunchPad: https://launchpad.net/people/ubuntu-chicago

Our LaunchPad site is used by some members for keeping track of projects in the development stage. As a new member though, don't worry about it too much, right now LP is mostly used for keeping track of how many members we have.

Welcome New Ubuntu Users!

There are plenty of places you can find help, from adding your printer to installing new applications.

The first place you can look is the help file on your copy of Ubuntu.

• From the menu at the top of the screen, click on System > Help.

• In the search field, type in a word in reference what you are looking for, such as printing, email, or installing programs.
• Click on a topic in the window with information that you need.

Looking For Help Online

The Ubuntu Chicago Loco team is committed in helping you find answers!

• The best way to reach members of the Ubuntu-Chicago team is through our mailing list. Please subscribe to our (low-email volume) list, and then send your question or problem details to the mailing address: [email protected]. Someone will usually be able to respond to your inquiry within a few hours.

• There is an online manual available at https://help.ubuntu.com/

Immediate Chicago-area Community Support

If you want instant chat support, please follow these instructions. You must already have Ubuntu installed.

1. Click on Applications > Internet > Pidgin Internet Messenger.

2. The first time that it is opened, you will be asked to add an account.
3. Click on the Add button, then in the Protocol menu select IRC.
4. Type in your desired screen name for the chat session. You may leave everything else as it is.
5. Click on save. If you see a check box that says "Enabled" above it, make sure that it is checked.
6. You will be connected to the Ubuntu chat servers, from which you can have two options:
   • You can join the generic Ubuntu channel, where hundreds of people are available willing to help you.

     • To do this, type /join #ubuntu once you are connected.

     • The #ubuntu channel is frequently very busy, so please be patient and give other users time to respond to your questions.
   • You may also join the Chicago Team channel if you want more local support.

     • For the Chicago chat channel, type /join #ubuntu-chicago once connected.

     • The #ubuntu-chicago channel usually has people in the channel, but we may be at work, eating a sandwich, or otherwise occupied with hacking tasks. Please do stop in and say hello, though.