On 10/21/09, Jono Bacon <[email protected]> wrote: > And that aim continues. We need to make Ubuntu available to as many > people who need it, particularly those for whom the download options > are limited. The goal has not been to supply a CD to every Ubuntu > user of every version of Ubuntu. Remember, one of the coolest things > about Ubuntu is the way you can upgrade from one version of Ubuntu > to another – without the need for a CD!
I completely understand the reasons for the move, so I am not just complaining, but rather pointing out why some of these changes are actually going to hinder Ubuntu's growth, with particular regard to my Loco Team's area. 1. For those without broadband, which is most people Zimbabwe, upgrading via the net isn't even *almost* an option. Even with local "broadband" our speeds leave a lot to be desired, and I have had at least one attempted upgrade crash completely because of lost connections in the middle of the upgrade. It just isn't an option for most people here. 2. As a result of poor connectivity options in Zimbabwe, as per my recent report, the Loco Team has made efforts to provide other avenues, such as the Freedom Toaster and a local repository where downloads can be done without using expensive international bandwidth. However, there is currently one Freedom Toaster in the entire country, and "broadband" is only available to a minority of the people within only a few cities. The only way of reaching outlying areas is with CDs. I am aware that most users in outlying areas have been able to make requests on shipit in the past (using dialup connections for Internet access), and this has been their main avenue for getting discs. 3. On the understanding that CDs would still be available to Loco Teams, I visited shipit to make a request (which is how I have always done it in the past, as Team Contact) only to discover that I was automatically "blocked" based on my previous orders, so I couldn't even "explain" myself in making a request. 4. I then re-checked the page https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LoCoGettingCds and confirmed that CD's are only available to "approved" Loco Teams, which we are not. As can be seen, once again, from my recent report on Ubuntu at ICT Africa 2009, our Loco Team has certainly not been idle and we have put huge effort into marketing. We have not applied for "approval" yet because we haven't met prerequisites like having an IRC channel (because it's just not practical in our area due the lack of connectivity for most people). Unless this IRC requirement (as stated on https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LoCoGettingApproved) can be waivered, but even then it doesn't help teams who are just trying to get off the ground who may still need CDs. 5. You will possibly recall a recent mail I sent on this list inquiring how members should go about recording what they do, and how they can get recognition for their efforts if they are not developers. We have established our Team on launchpad, but it's impossible for people to "earn" karma if they're not developers. There are no real developers in our Loco, and many of the Loco members don't have internet access other than via Internet cafes, so "maintaining an online record" of their achievements and efforts is just not practical for a lot of them. I can't even find the time to update my own wiki pages, even with Internet access at work (no access at home). These are just some of the reasons why becoming "members" is kind of difficult for some people, no matter how much work they're doing in their local communities. Using myself as an example: I'm the founding member of a 2-year old Loco, have been team contact for 2 years, have created ties with local government and the Computer Society of Zimbabwe, pushed a local ISP to host our repository and web site for free (which took a full year of pushing), have taken part in the organisation of release parties and presentations, have actively gone out looking for members (and a team of 3 has grown to over 15), have provided limited support via the mailing list and forum, have organised monthly face-to-face meetings and was voted in as Team Leader two months ago...... but I still don't know if I will qualify for membership, because as soon as I see that my launchpad account is one of the things that will be looked at (as per https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Membership), I am painfully aware that my launchpad account looks rather pathetic compared to most people out there who are developers.... so I suddenly find myself losing confidence and haven't even bothered trying to become a member as a result. Don't misunderstand me; we are not complaining about the difficulties in becoming members or in becoming an approved team, but clearly pretty much ALL our avenues of getting CD's from shipit have been cut off in one swift blow. 1. We're not approved 2. None of us are members 3. The Team contact can't even request discs Forgive my constant referral back to our participation at ICT Africa last month, but as a result of this we're expecting over 100 people at our release party (possibly closer to 150), and we fully expect the growth of Ubuntu to spiral from here on out. So for us, this is the prime time to be ordering bulk CD's from shipit..... and our hands have been tied. Just to reiterate that I'm not "complaining" - but rather trying to be constructive by providing our point of view. Unfortunately, having been a teacher previously, I write rather long mails in an effort to make sure that my point comes across clearly, which is often misunderstood as "ranting"... which I assure you is not the case :) -- Regards, Neil Coetzer Team Contact Ubuntu Zimbabwe LoCo Team ------------------------------------------- http://www.ubuntu.org.zw http://zimbabwe.ubuntuforums.org http://www.ubuntu-zw.org -- loco-contacts mailing list [email protected] https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/loco-contacts
