Kia ora taatou, greetings all. Hello to the greatest bunch of geeks one could ever hope to meet!
It is with some trepidation & restraint that I formally introduce myself to the CLUG list. I found last week's meeting so stimulating, that I have to offer my .02c worth to the fray of words so demanding to follow here. This means risking 'the flame' that inhibits voice in less friendly environs. In two ways, I am unsure of the wisdom of posting. Yet i do so as my contribution to the newbie cause. Firstly, I share the antipathy towards 'the hawking of wares', and trust I am not in breach of it. Secondly, the product I offer may not be 'market-ready' and could draw extra criticism for that. With these reservations, I wish to contribute to Linux training, and so hereby notify the existence of: http://www.infohelp.co.nz/linux.html - as documentation of one newbie's learning experience. Mandrake 8.2 is functioning as my desktop - with occasional, non-deterrent modem dropouts - as of this week, thanks to CLUG InstallFest & Keith McGavin. I am ready to join Chris Sawtell's Unix course this evening, and thought I should post in case there are any other newbies out there with a modest training budget for part-time, evening/weekend Linux absorption, who might be encouraged to show up tonight. I hope there is no misrepresentation in my log, Chris - please let me know if so. The above website provides a record of this user's "road to Damascus" with Unix. It has taken me five years to prepare for the trip. Having trained at CPIT to CBC, I left in 1997 with two conclusions: that the Internet allowed self-training as never before possible; and that Linux was the direction true techies had to go. I am working constantly towards self-employment in these fields so rarely have time to get involved in list dialogue, please accept. The kernal of what I learn from the group will be documented on my website, as a guide to other gate-free seekers. Should any list members with their own company or influence over an advertising budget wish to ecourage this work, InfoHelp offers discount introductory display rates! The overall aim is to build a comprehensive business index for Canterbury that can serve to popularise and facilitate Linux installation. Premises will be sought to house the Internet service in upstairs offices, with a large ground floor space for making available to CLUG gratis. Any direct feedback on this plan is most welcome. I hope you like my site. Thanks for your time and commitment to open source Sincerely etc., Rik Tindall InfoHelp Services www.infohelp.co.nz Canterbury Technology Ltd.
