Alok Dugar wrote:
> I believe the discussion started with some other purpose in mind. i.e to
> provide the educational insti with some free technical inputs and in turn it
> gives LUG cal the stage and the other requirements for using/popularizing
> linux.
>
> looks like its already shifted to professional services.
>
> ciao
> alok
>
> ps I refrained from the same inspite of the fact that we are providing
> technology services exclusively to educational insti/schools.
Alok:
Perhaps it was a little early for me to suggest that.... then again perhaps
not.... To make my point of view clear to you & the rest of us here:
1> After reading Prateek's descp abt LMB setup I felt that it does not have the
technical capability to accomplish converting the 286s' into Terminals, even if
they are provided with a some amt of guidance & hand-holding (in form of
seminars + workshop format)
2> As a point of interest, how do you define the range & extent of "some free
technical inputs"... if it means setting up/configuring one/two machines or
setting aside 4/5 hours each week for this, I would gladly put it in along with
the rest of the guys volunteering - absolutely free!
3> When I mentioned "very nominal fees" I meant exactly that.... Educational
institutions are not my target clientele... particularly the schools, they
simply can't afford me ;-) After recovering my conveyance expenses, I would
have liked to donate the rest of whatever amount I may recieved from them to
the ILUG-Cal funds. It *wouldn't* have been the first time I would have done
such a thing.... see the archives for that....
There are certain facts I had *never* bothered to talk about, both on list and
off it -- during LI - '99 approx Rs. 3,500/- had been spent out of my own
pocket in activities directly related to it. Despite that I had donated over
1.5K worth of CDs to the LUG, which was not really a profit as I had much spent
more than I had earned through the sale of CDs from GT Enterprises. This is
only just one instance of such spending.
My association with GT Enterprises as their Eastern India representative has
more to do with protecting largely non-corporate individual users & places like
educational institutions from being ripped off by S/w dealers who unscruplously
charge 100% over GT's M.R.P., as well as being able to guide these customers
what would suit them best rather than push them to buy the most expensive pack
available. I have also being able to offer special introductory discount prices
in past to our LUG members for their personal purchases, on behalf of GT
Enterprises. I don't make any money from these CD sales, rather everything does
towards ILUG-Cal funds (after deducting the expenses & the operating profit).
(My current plan is to buy us an Internet account so that the responsibility of
administering the list & web-site can be easily handed over to someone else
whenever I am out of town).
4> ILUG-Cal has been very short of funds from the very beginning... attempts at
fund-raising by asking the members to contribute have been very difficult to
say the least... even proposals of having a annual subscription of 300/- for
working professionals & 100/- for students have been shot down at point-blank
on this list.
We need funds for 1000 & 1 things, for example --
[i] setting up a s/w library of different distros,
[ii] regular CD-based distribution of s/w upgrades for members - particularly
students who can't afford a 10K+ phonebill just for the d/ls, but rightly want
to keep up with the latest version like anyone else,
[iii] subscriptions to magazines and journals, purchase of books,
[iv] machines to hold demos during our meetings or cover the taxi-fare for
bringing over a PC to our venue,
[v] the expenditure (however minimal it might be) to participate in computer
exhibitions etc,
[vi] opening of bank accounts so that we can accept checks from sponsors,
[vii] registering our organisation as a Registered Society.
As PC once remarked on this list.... all good things needs funds to see them
through....
The reason I have gone to such lengths in explaining my position is to ensure
that my gesture is not misconstrued & interpreted out of context. I didn't
reckon my earlier posting rated a [COMMERCIAL] subject tag. Maybe I had perhaps
taken my position on the subject for granted, and didn't bother to elaborate it
for the benefit of the members who don't know me that well.
Therefore, my offer to Prateek still stands. However if the members do find my
earlier post inappropriate as you seem to have, I will withdraw it and shall
prefrain from making any such offers in future.
--Indra.
--
To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the body
"unsubscribe ilug-cal" and an empty subject line.
FAQ: http://www.ilug-cal.org/help/faq_list.html
