On 18/05/11 14:48, Matthew Daubney wrote:
On 18 May 2011 13:05, Paul Sutton <[email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
So what can we do about this, I am currently helping at a youth music
project that has now got 4 / 5 ubuntu computers up and running, I am
struggling to maintain what we have on zero budget
What help do you need and where?
I think some of it is providing after support. In Exeter we've started
a laptop adoption scheme (one of the guys in the LUG runs his own
consultancy business and has made some good contacts, once such contact
has a load of ex-corporate and ex-school laptops). He came up with the
idea of offering these laptops for around £25 each to residents in
Exeter who might not already have a computer at home.
As part of this scheme they come along to a LUG meeting, they get taken
through installing Linux from a USB stick (in this case a slighty
customised version of Linux Mint with a couple of extra packages) and
get shown how to use it, they get taken through the basics of the
applications, setting up an e-mail address etc.
We're also offering to install Linux (either Ubuntu or Mint generally
depending what we have on hand) on peoples PCs. The problem we had with
this on the last install we did was that they had a USB ADSL modem from
Talktalk. Nowadays most people seem to have routers with ethernet ports
or wireless etc but then as we found in this case, there are the odd few
people who might still be using USB modems, dialup or whatnot. This
particular installation required a home visit (luckily I was free so
offered to pop over) and I got them up and running so they now dual boot
between Linux Mint 10 and a god awful slow installation of Vista.
I did give them my contact details and told them that if they needed any
help to contact me. These folks live in Exeter and I live in Torquay
(but work in Exeter) so visiting wouldn't be too bad, but other than
this the idea was they could come to a LUG meeting and get support once
a month, what I think would be handy would be to be able to give support
if need be, either remotely or in person. I don't mind helping out with
this myself, although I find it easier if they're local to me.
Hopefully as the Exeter meeting starts to get more popular more of the
local LUG members in Exeter who go to the meeting will be able to offer
support (the Exeter LUG meeting has only been running for about 3
months). No doubt others have found similar sorts of things across the
country.
if we as a community want to promote Ubuntu and or Linux to the masses
we need investment and money overall.
I'm not convinced about that statement.. but it has a slight ring of
truth to it.
I think part of the problem we're finding in Torbay is there isn't many
places available to maybe do install days etc. But we do have a
suitable location for things like the Ubuntu hour idea. We've been able
to demo Ubuntu and other things on laptops at a local resturant/bar at
LUG meetings and we have had a mention before in the local paper.
User groups want to do something, but may lack the funds to do so, if
we find a worth while cause we end up hitting a financial barrier,
we need to promote the alternatives and actually BE THERE when people
want help, so we can support up to a point then if I am stick i need to
be able to get someone who can help there ASAP to sort out the issue,
What it sounds like you need here is a way to ask for some help. The
groups I know need help are the ones that ask for it (like the recent
email around from the Nottingham hackspace)
I think part of the problem we have in Devon & Cornwall specifically is
that only a few of us are enthusaistic about getting out there and
promoting FLOSS, although things are getting better, we have meetings in
Torbay, Exeter, North Devon and there was talk about a Plymouth meeting.
I'm not sure what the Cornwall guys are doing, I belive there was two
demo days held in Penzance a couple of years ago. Seems to be the same
few people who get involved though :-)
Rob
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