I'd like to meet on-line for an hour or two. Let's set up a time over the weekend.
John Hebert --- cmb <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Y'all wanna meet in the #brlug chat room and bandy > about some ideas? > Tonight? Tommorrow? > > Doug Riddle wrote: > > Hello All: > > > > First, IMHO, we need to remember that the focus > here is Open Source, > > not strictly Linux. > > > > IMHO, we should not limit our offering to 5 CDs, > but offer a fairly > > wide selection. We also need not place the entire > selection in every > > Library. Librarians already have a system for > ordering items from > > other branches which they do not have at their > branch. I was > > thinking of a system whereby we keep a good > offering fairly well > > updated at the central Library, and offer a basic > list for the branch > > libraries. In that basic offering we could supply > (for instance): > > > > 1) Cross Platform Office Suite (to aim at their > windows weak spot) > > 2) Open Source firewalls and other widgets to > protect PCs > > 3) A Beginner distribution like Mandrake 8.2, or > Lindows > > 4) An intermediate distribution such as RedHat (no > offence to the > > Redhat-philes) > > 5) An advanced distribution such as Debian or > FreeBSD > > 6) A networking CD with Howtos and examples for > SAMBA, CUPS and > > Linneighborhood perhaps. > > > > In the Main Library offering, keep a slightly > larger set of > > distributions, or at least more recent > distributions, more office > > suites, games, Squid, and other firewalls, email > and browsers, more > > documentation, and a set of development tools. > > > > I really do not think we should let our own > filters stop any > > interested users from experimenting. I do think > we need to make > > clear from the outset what kind of local support > they will find for > > the various and sundry OS's and applications. > > > > In short, I do not think we should leave Joe User > out of the picture, > > but we are not likely to attract him unless he is > actively looking to > > abandon MS for reasons of his own. The teenagers, > the older folks, > > and the curious looking for help from the library > are our customers. > > When I first heard about Linux and Open Source, I > went down to the > > Library. This was way back in the 1980's. I got > a big blank stare. > > After rambling enough, I was directed to LSU. I > was a student at > > LSU. I had gone to the public library looking for > something really > > OPEN. VAX and VMS were not open. There was > nothing for Intel, and I > > gave up for a few years. I would like to remedy > that. I think > > Highschool kids whose parents are buying a new PC > might have designs > > on the old one. I think it would be perfect if > they knew they could > > go down to the library and check out two or three > Operating systems, > > complete with free software and play around. Or > simply try some Open > > Source software on the old tired PC. > > > > Doug Riddle > > > > --- Mnemonic <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > >>-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- > >>Hash: SHA1 > >> > >>I checked out http://rute.sourceforge.net. As I > was looking around > >>I started > >>to think about an individual with whom I work. He > is not willing > >>to give > >>Linux a try because he says he does not want to > face another steep > >>learning > >>curve. Considering this, I think that what has > been suggested is > >>exactly > >>what I want, but not necessarily what everyone > wants. That is, > >>most people > >>want to turn on their computers and have them > function at such a > >>level that > >>operation is intuitive. I do not think they want > to spend an > >>inordinate > >>amount of time learning how to use their expensive > box of metal and > >>plastic. > >> > >>Let's say that I am Joe General Public...if my > computer is not > >>broken and I > >>am able to do everything I need to do with it, why > in the world > >>would I want > >>to try something like an alternate operating > system. What the heck > >>is an > >>operating system? How do I even find out that > such an animal > >>exists? > >>Education/awareness is paramount to the success of > this project. > >> > >>- -K > >> > >>On Friday 19 July 2002 14:15, you wrote: > >> > >>>I still think that it would be a huge disservice > to the users to > >> > >>give > >> > >>>them a hacked, unsupported outside of BRLUG > distribution of > >> > >>Linux. > >> > >>>Giving out a Debian or Red Hat or Mandrake would > leave open their > >>>options for support. CDs are cheap. Trying to > shoehorn a bunch of > >> > >>mixed > >> > >>>software wouldn't have any benefit, unless you > abandon the idea > >> > >>of > >> > >>>creating a custom distribution and offer an > "add-on" CD of > >> > >>software that > >> > >>>the distribution doesn't currently have, such as > OpenOffice, > >> > >>nVidia > >> > >>>drivers (or scripts to obtain, build, and install > them if > >> > >>licensing > >> > >>>doesn't permit), and books in electronic format. > >>> > >>>One other avenue to consider would be the > possibility to have the > >> > >>Rute ( > >> > >>>http://rute.sf.net ) printed and donated to > libraries. Having it > >> > >>done at > >> > >>>Kinkos might be prohibitively expensive, but does > anyone have > >> > >>ties to > >> > >>>publishers or printing companies that can > possibly get this done > >> > >>at a > >> > >>>reasonable rate? > >>> > >>>-Tim > >> > === message truncated === __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Health - Feel better, live better http://health.yahoo.com
