1. Thanks for evaluation of all products, and for choosing Qumble. 2. I will prepare an image, that includes Source code of all applications and upload it. It makes more sense for offline distribution. (it will become around 1.1GB DVD image) 2.a. I will also update software in few days (not to latest, but to most stable versions of each app. ) 3. I will prepare forum and website in the next several days. 4. Qumble also includes Free Software philosophy books and the trailer of "Revolution OS" video, in the new patent-free WebM video format. Accessible from the menu.
-Technologov On Dec 14, 2012 6:26 AM, "Will Rico" <[email protected]> wrote: > I started this thread on December 1 and owe a report on how our Free > Software outreach, at a local community college in Boston, went. > > First, thank you to everyone who made suggestions regarding the Free > Software CD for Windows. I looked at Qumble, OpenDisc and Valo-CD (thanks > Alexey, Michael, and Tomi for those suggestions!). In evaluating the three > options, I noticed each had some software that was more up-to-date than the > others, e.g. one might have a newer version of Firefox, but an older > version of LibreOffice, so it was hard to decide based on versions. > Overall, I found the selection of software on each disc was comparable. > > We downloaded the ISO for OpenDisc (http://www.theopendisc.com/) and > burned a DVD. Unfortunately, it wouldn't install. The autorun didn't run, > and when I clicked Kiwix.exe nothing happened, so that pretty much ruled > out OpenDisc. > > Valo-CD (http://www.valo-cd.net) can only be downloaded via a torrent and > my colleague who was doing the downloading didn't want to install a Torrent > client and was pressed for time, so we skipped Valo-CD. > > Qumble > (http://sourceforge.net/**projects/qumble/files/<http://sourceforge.net/projects/qumble/files/>) > downloaded nicely and popped up a nice menu as soon as I put it in the > drive. It let me choose which program(s) to install, categorized by type, > and gave a little description of each. Unfortunately, the main Qumble site > is down and one if it's touted benefits is the website and its forums, so > that was a little disappointing, but overall, it seemed nicely packaged and > was the one we decided to go with. One last quibble with Qumble is the > name, which I'm not sure how to pronounce. > > Thanks again to Alexey who I understand is part of the Qumble team! > > So here's how the outreach event, which was on December 4, went: > > The college in question was Roxbury Community College and I worked with > their Community Partnership Program Coordinator, who was super helpful, in > putting together the event. The idea was simple. We were given a table on > the first floor of an academic building and between 12 & 2 on a Tuesday, we > could talk to students, hand out literature, DVDs and CDs. > > We brought the following material with us to hand out: > -- What is Free Software (https://www.fsf.org/** > resources/resources/what-is-fs<https://www.fsf.org/resources/resources/what-is-fs> > **) > -- A handout I made with a list of on-line and in-person resources > -- A list of "Why Free Software" (short bulleted list of reasons to use > Free Software, meant as a compliment to the "What is Free Software" doc) > -- Qumble CDs (with Free Software for Windows) > -- Ubuntu 12.10 DVDs (I know, I know, more on this below) > > I didn't know what to expect since I hadn't done this type of an event > before. We had a very makeshift banner that said "Free Software," which > piqued some interest, but for the most part, we had to approach people and > start conversations, usually by saying "Would you like some free software?" > > Most people were skeptical (one woman commented "there aint nothing in > life that's free"). Some thought it was a promotion for something that > they'd have to pay for later. In some cases it took quite a lot of > reiterating to convince people that no, they wouldn't have to pay in a > month, or 3 months, or 6 months or 10 years; this is 100% free. Of course, > we took the opportunity to segue into conversations about "Free as in > Freedom." > > Hardly anyone had heard of Free Software or GNU/Linux previously. We > described Ubuntu as a replacement for Windows or Mac operating systems, and > pointed out that they could install the DVD for free, get a modern > operating system, and avoid "upgrade" fees for Windows 8. We also talked > about LibreOffice as a replacement for Microsoft Office. > > The "free as in beer" argument went over well. In some cases, "free as in > freedom" and "free as in beer" are interconnected, particularly when people > are coerced by various mechanisms to upgrade versions of proprietary > software when in actuality they don't realize a benefit as a result. > Depending on a person's economic situation, these fees can cut deeply, or > drive people to pirating software. We talked about how Free Software > doesn't make people feel like criminals for doing one of the most natural > things in the world, sharing, and that seemed to resonate with people too. > > The "There Aint Nothing in Life That's Free" woman, who originally seemed > the most resistant, wound up having the longest conversation with us and by > the end was telling us about the dangers of Facebook, impingements upon > privacy, and the importance of freedom. > > Some results: > 1- We handed out all the DVDs and CDs (48 in total). > 2- One of the students attended the Ubuntu Mass Colo in Dorchester the > next day > 3- None of the students came to our Desktop GNU/Linux meetup ( > http://www.meetup.com/**desktop-linux-users-group/<http://www.meetup.com/desktop-linux-users-group/>) > in Cambridge (also the next day) > 4- I didn't hear from anyone via email (I listed my email address on the > Resources handout) > > Overall, I would have loved to receive emails from people I met, but I'm > pleased with the results. We introduced the concept of Free Software to > lots of people and got free software into their hands. I'm hopeful some of > those people tried the software, and others handed the discs off to > relatives. More people may be running freer software currently as a > result. Ultimately however, I know it will take more than one "touch" for > most people to internalize the message, make a change, and get involved. > > What I would do differently: > > Well, I definitely wouldn't have handed out Ubuntu 12.10. Our event was > three days before the Stallman post on Ubuntu being malware. As I > commented in another thread, I agree with that assessment and wrote a blog > piece about it myself (http://desktop-sig.blu.org/** > 2012/12/6-ways-canonical-**ubuntu-can-be.html<http://desktop-sig.blu.org/2012/12/6-ways-canonical-ubuntu-can-be.html> > ). > > Perhaps Trisquel would have been a better option, as Jason Self pointed > out in this thread, prior to the event. I was hesitant to hand out > Trisquel for two reasons: > 1- I felt Ubuntu would have a better shot of being hardware compatible for > most people > 2- I liked being able to point people to the plethora of Ubuntu-centric > resources online, many of which are especially nice for new users > > Final comments: > > Putting together this event took time and effort, but it was a lot easier > than I imagined and the experience was rewarding. Anyone who hasn't done > this type of outreach before, shouldn't be intimidated. The hardest part > was finding a venue. Roxbury Community College was the only local > college/university that embraced the concept. I've had a hard time making > connections at the other colleges and universities. But I'm sure there are > plenty of places that would be receptive to the idea (farmer's markets was > an interesting idea suggested by Mark Holmquist). > > Feel free to respond to this thread or email me privately if you have > questions. > > Will > > On 12/03/2012 03:55 PM, Michael Dorrington wrote: > >> On 02/12/12 20:38, Gustavo C. M. wrote: >> >>> Just an exercise of making distinctions: >>> >>> For example, the owner of an "Internet Cafe" could offer the use of >>>> Free Software on machines that the users do not own. >>>> Since the software is not being distributed, the GNU GPL does not come >>>> into effect. >>>> >>> It comes; it's just that it's "propagation", not "conveying", of a >>> "covered work". >>> >> Stop. >> >> If only there was a FAQ on the GPL: >> http://www.gnu.org/licenses/**gpl-faq.html<http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html> >> >> I would say the Internet Cafe would be similar to the "Laptop Loan" (but >> this is not legal advice and I am not a lawyer): >> http://www.gnu.org/licenses/**gpl-faq.html#LaptopLoan<http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#LaptopLoan> >> >> There is also an explanation of the terms propagate and convey: >> http://www.gnu.org/licenses/**gpl-faq.html#**WhyPropagateAndConvey<http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#WhyPropagateAndConvey> >> >> If you do come up with one or more questions (preferably with answers) >> then could you try to get the FSF to add them to this FAQ (or another >> FAQ). >> >> Carry on. :) >> >> Regards, >> Mike. >> >> > >
