Before I start in with anything that will upset anyone, let me mention that I am not affiliated with NextStep, and I do not speak for them. I did volunteer with them a few years ago and racked up over a hundred hours of time. Therefore, I do feel a sense of support for their organization and what it does.
James, Since I do not wish to misunderstand you, here is what I believe your complaints are: 1) volunteers receive a box valued at less than $50 for 40 hours of work, while better boxes are going elsewhere 2) machines come with Windows rather than Linux by default 3) the services provided by NextStep would be better funded by state tax for electronic recycling rather than volunteers Well James, the focus of NextStep has always been to provide a few things to the community: 1) machines for free to non-profit organizations and underprivileged individuals 2) provide job training and skills for volunteers 3) recycle and reuse electronic waste and educate the public on the dangers of this waste Many people volunteer to get job training and show that they can be useful to society, while providing a good service to the greater community. That community is not only the people in and around Eugene, but throughout the world. Yes, you can find and purchase a GX50 for less than $50 bucks online, but then again, you have access to the Internet, even if through a local public library. Those schools in Guatemala do not have such a luxury. With this in mind, the computers provided to volunteers are not there as an incentive to get people to volunteer, it is a thank you for those who do, and a tool for those who lack a computer at home already. That is part of the reason why they are called volunteers, because they are not being paid or reimbursed to do what they do. I know that NextStep has been working on finding a version of Linux for the average user for quite a while. However, they have to work with the base assumption that most of the people receiving these machines are not technically savvy, and either the Linux versions they have had available are not ready for many "average" users, or users have needs for machines that run certain types of software, which run only on Windows. While there are wonderful alternatives, without volunteers providing the information and tools needed to support the end-users, the options available to NextStep are limited. If you want people to feel more compelled to recycle, then get in touch with the state legislature to increase the deposit on bottles and cans to a higher amount, and then make the recycling tax a deposit on electronic devices. However, remember that the new recycling law in Oregon is a "shred-it-and-forget-it" law, that not only takes out reuse from the picture, but bypasses programs like NextStep to send the items directly to the shredders. That means that NextStep has been hit hard by the consequences of this law, and are struggling to provide services to the community. Finally, your response about offering to customize Puppy Linux for them for minimum wage misses the in-house point. Being a non-profit, they are dependent upon donations of both equipment and time, and the only paid positions they have are the most basic ones, usually involving the receipt and handling of money. They did not, and still do not, have the money to pay for every person that comes along that has useful skills. Simply, I believe that you missed the point of NextStep. It is not here to help you convert time into hardware, but to help keep reusable or recyclable electronic waste out of landfills, and provide computers to those who have no other means of getting them. They need people to volunteer, not out of expectation of some hardware in return, but to provide a service to the community, and not only to people here in Eugene. If we, the Linux Community, really want NextStep to have Linux boxes available, then we have to volunteer our time. We have to agree on a single (AHEM!) Linux Distribution that would be usable on the machines they have. This means that it has to run on the older 1.2GHz Celerons along with the 1.8GHz P4s. Then provide a handy installer/re-installer CD, along with instructions on how to use it. While many people would still want Windows machines, the Linux boxes would have more "value" because they would have the safe re-installer if something went wrong, and a user guide to help them through basic uses. Thanks, Chris
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