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{\sf\sc\LARGE\bf The Student Information Processing Board (SIPB)}
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\begin{itemize}
\newcommand\question[1]{\item {\textbf{#1}}}

\question{Who are we?}

The Student Information Processing Board (SIPB, pronounced sip-bee) is
MIT's volunteer student group dedicated to computing.  We have an
office in the MIT Student Center, and you can come ask us for help if
you get stuck on anything computer-related.

\question{What do we do?}

We make it easier for you to use computers at MIT.  That may sound
kind of boring, but it's actually a lot of fun, as well as being
tremendously important.  SIPB picks up the slack when the official MIT
computing infrastructure is failing to do something we think is
important.

Most of the time, we just hang out in the office, doing our own thing
and helping people who stop by or call us with questions.  We also
develop and improve software (some of our members are integral to the
Linux, NetBSD and GNOME development communities,) make it easier for
students to access Athena from their dorms, and teach classes over IAP
about programming and maintaining computers.

We're always looking for more people to help with these things!

\question{Why should you join?}

The best reason to join SIPB is that you are interested in learning
about and helping people with computers.  If you've been using
computers for a long time and enjoy talking about them, you're going
to love SIPB.  But, all that's really necessary to join SIPB is an
interest in and curiosity about computers.  Amongst our members are
some of the most competent and influential programmers in the world,
and while we try to help any MIT student, we help each other with
technical issues even more.  You'd be amazed at how much you can learn
just sitting in the office and listening to the conversations around
you.

The SIPB office is also a great place to hack.  It's a lot more fun
than hacking alone in your dorm room.  And no one here will ever tell
you that your conversation is too geeky.

\question{How do you join?}

We have a two-tier membership system due to the fact that we have
privileged access to a huge array of hardware and some socially
important MIT network services.  Anyone can become a ``prospective
member'' meaning you have access to SIPB's resources.  After you have
been around a while, and there's a perception that what you're doing
is useful to SIPB, then you can become a ``member'', which means you
get your own key to the office and full administrative access to most
of our machines.

Official meetings are Monday at 7:30 p.m. in the office.  You must
attend four meetings before you can become a member.  Before and after
a meeting there are usually more members and prospectives around than
at other times, but you can hang around the office any time it's open,
and it's often more fun at other times.

\question{How can you reach us?}

The SIPB office is W20-557, on the fifth floor of the Student Center.
Feel free to drop by and ask about joining.  The office doesn't have
set hours, but it's almost always open between 1pm and 3am.  You can
also reach us by calling x3-7788 or sending mail to sipb@mit.edu.

\end{itemize}

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\section*{SIPB Project List}

A lot of what SIPB does which is not helping users with immediate
problems and answering questions falls under the heading of SIPB
projects. SIPB projects are usually things that a member or two have
decided are worth doing and are working on. The main qualification of
SIPB projects is that they help the MIT community (or maybe just the
SIPB community) in some way, generally involving computing.

If you have any ideas for projects that you'd like to do, or would
like help with, or just think would be a good idea for somebody to do,
we'd love to hear about it.  SIPB is a great resource for both tools
and knowledge.  If you don't have your own idea, below is a list of
ongoing and proposed projects, with their contact address that you are
welcome to join in on.

\begin{description}\addtolength{\itemsep}{-0.7\baselineskip}
\item[Webmaster - webmaster] In charge of running the web
server at \verb+www.mit.edu+ and the services that run on it.  People on
webmaster also answer questions that are sent in by people using
various websites.

\item[Locker Software - sipb] SIPB maintains a bunch of software stored in
software ``lockers''. New people interested in maintaining pet
software or in upgrading aging software are always welcome.

\item[Usenet - usenet] SIPB runs the primary MIT Usenet news
server (news.mit.edu).

%\item[AFS - sipb-afsreq@mit.edu] SIPB runs the second largest AFS cell
% at MIT. AFS is a network filesystem. The SIPB AFS cell is used for
% storage by many people, both in and out of SIPB.

% \item[RTFM - rtfm-maintainers@mit.edu]

% \item[Squid Cache - squid@mit.edu] Squid is a caching proxy
%server.

\item[Documents - aletta]

A lot of things around MIT and SIPB are just poorly documented, and
would be really useful to people if they were documented. SIPB
maintains some documents - they are kept in bins next to the door to
the office - and there are certainly others which could stand to be
written.  Some of the existing ones are online at
\verb+http://www.mit.edu/sipb/docs.html+.

\begin{itemize}\addtolength{\itemsep}{-0.5\baselineskip}

\item The Inessential Guide to Athena is currently being updated.  We
  need people to write all different sections.  This is a good way for
  you to learn about Athena, and something desperately needed by the
  MIT community.

\item SIPB Office Manual is another document that needs updating.  It
  contains information about SIPB's projects, how it operates, and how
  to become a member. It also includes a brief history of SIPB.
  Contact lgdean@mit.edu if you're interested.

\item Accessing AFS from Windows
\end{itemize}

\item[Classes - sipb-iap-sucker] Many SIPB members teach
classes during IAP and other times. A list of the most recent IAP
classes is available at \verb+http://websis.mit.edu/iap/nssipb.html+.

\item[Debian Installer - sipb-debian] The SIPB Debian
project is working to create an installer that combines the
flexibility of Debian GNU/Linux with access to Athena features
including MIT mail, sharing files via AFS and communication via
Zephyr. Currently we have working code with some known problems.

% \item[Webzephyr - jdaniel] A bidirectional web to zephyr
%gateway. Great for talking to your mom. webzephyr.mit.edu.

\item[Linux Installer - linux-dev] An installer for Linux-Athena that
works on non-cluster hardware. Based on the RedHat linux
installer. Good for personal and lab workstations.

%\item[NetBSD Athena - netbsd-dev] A release of Athena and or Athena
%software based on the NetBSD operating system.
\end{description}

\noindent Other projects that might be cool for someone to do.  Email
sipb@mit.edu if you want to work on one of them:

\begin{itemize}\addtolength{\itemsep}{-0.7\baselineskip}
\item Install some decent ICQ clients, make the im locker have clients
for other major IM systems.
\item NetBSD Sparc.
\item DUX Athena. Athena software running on Digital Unix,
specifically on Alpha workstations. There is one machine in the SIPB
office running this port of Athena, but it has not escaped yet. -
ducks@mit.edu
\item MacOS X. Is it Unix? What can we do with it? Currently we have a
machine running OS X in the office. It has AFS and Kerberos and
developer tools, but doesn't really have any direction in its life.
\item Give the Oracle server the love it needs. We have an Oracle
server and Oracle wizards who would be happy to help.
\item Allow user to build active pages (i.e. CGI or java servlets or
something) on www or some other server. The security problem is an
interesting one, as is making everything automatic.
%\item Writem an IMAP front end for discuss, allowing IMAP clients to
%read discuss meetings.
%\item Perl zephyr bindings.
\item Web message forum for use by classes/others.
\end{itemize}

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