Run Linux on Windows Tonight - Learn GNU, COBOL & SAS Hands-On"

Unix (WSL) Quickstart Meetup

📅 Date

Today – Tuesday, May 26

⏰ Time

5:30 PM – 7:00 PM (Central)

📍 Format

Hybrid (In-Person + Virtual Option)

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📣 Invite Message (Send This Out)

Subject: Learn Unix on Windows (WSL) + COBOL & SAS — Tonight

Hey everyone,

We’re hosting a hands-on GNU + Unix quickstart session tonight where we’ll show you how to run a full Linux environment on Windows using WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux)—no dual boot, no heavy setup.

We’ll also introduce COBOL (enterprise systems) and SAS (data analytics)—skills that are in high demand across banking, healthcare, and government.

👉 If you’ve been curious about:

Getting into tech quickly

Working with real enterprise systems

Learning Unix/Linux the practical way

This is a great place to start.

Time: 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
What to bring: Laptop (Windows preferred, Mac/Linux welcome)

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🧭 1.5-Hour Agenda (Fast-Paced + Hands-On)

🔹 5:30 – 5:40 PM — Welcome + Setup

Quick intros

What is WSL and why it matters

Get everyone into terminal

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🔹 5:40 – 6:05 PM — Unix + GNU Basics (Live)

Navigate system (ls, cd, pwd)

Create files and folders

Use:

grep (search)

awk (data)

pipelines (|)

👉 Everyone types along

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🔹 6:05 – 6:25 PM — COBOL Intro (Real Systems)

What COBOL is used for today

Run a simple program using
GnuCOBOL

👉 Show:

Create file

Compile

Run

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🔹 6:25 – 6:45 PM — Data Thinking (SAS Mindset)

How enterprises process data

Compare:

SAS workflows

GNU tools (awk, sort, etc.)

👉 Mini dataset exercise

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🔹 6:45 – 7:00 PM — Wrap + Next Steps

Q&A

Next session preview:

Automation (bash scripting)

Real COBOL batch jobs

SAS projects

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💡 Position It Right (Important)

Tell people:

> “This isn’t beginner fluff—this is the same stack used in billion-dollar systems. We’re just making it accessible.”