Hi, my name is Mark and I'm trying to get into GNU/Linux and free software.
I haven't booted Windows in several months, which is a record for me. I'm a
mathematics professor at a masters-level university in the US, and I hope I
can use my position to begin spreading the word about free software.
I've been using Trisquel for a few weeks now, and I really enjoy it. Using
free software makes me feel more like a member of a community, and less like
a consumer. I find myself thinking more about what's important in other
areas of life as well. (For instance, I'm considering becoming vegan, but
that's still in the future. Also, long walks with my dog aren't breaks from
the important stuff anymore; they are the important stuff. (Go Cesar
Millan!))
By the way, I love the log-in sound for Trisquel so much. Can I get some
info on who made it and what software was used to make it? Of course, things
are so stable, I don't hear the login sound too often. :)
I recently joined the Free Software Foundation as an Associate Member and
bought 5 or so T-shirts.
I have a few thoughts/suggestions/observations to offer for the Trisquel
website, in the spirit of helpfulness:
1. When I try to join as an associate member, I am sent to a paypal page
that is not in English (despite the fact that the page I had been reading was
in English), but I'm not so good at reading other languages, and I'm
especially concerned when it deals with money. Is there some way I could
choose a paypal site that is in English and uses US dollars?
2. On the list of links on the right side of the Trisquel homepage, there is
an option for Donate but none for Associate Membership. Perhaps these two
ideas could be consolidated into one link on the main page, and then the user
could make a choice on the next page after clicking the link? (I see that
the new Associate Membership Program is listed in the main part of the page,
but that will eventually leave the main page, and I have to scroll down to
see it on my system, since I like big text.)
3. Under the FAQ link, under How can I help the project?, there is no
mention of Donate or Associate Membership.
4. The suggested amount for associate membership is more than what it cost
me to join the Free Software Foundation as an associate member. I don't know
if that could dissuade some people; it's a minor point. However, it may be
that lots of people are finding out about Trisquel from the FSF (like myself,
even though I had heard about it from the Slashdot announcement for Slaine.)
Of course, they can join with less, it's just a minor observation.
Please don't take these as criticisms, and also let me know if I have missed
something.
Thanks to everyone involved with Trisquel. Keep up the good work!
Mark (slackjaw)
