On Monday 20 October 2008, Bradley Holt wrote: > In an earlier discussion I talked about how I think VAGUE is relevant and > can influence local businesses. "Can" being the keyword here.
> > There are a number of reasons for this decision that I've explained here: > http://bradley-holt.blogspot.com/2008/10/found-line-software-license.html Nice post. Where's the free warez and the download button? > > Since I made the statement that I think VAGUE is relevant to local > businesses, then I felt it was only right to ask for feedback on this > decision from the VAGUE mailing list ;-) > > So, fire away - what are your thoughts on this idea? What exactly are we talking about here? The role of VAGUE in promoting FOSS in VT, right? IIRC, this question has arisen before like a wack-a-mole at a hammer sale. To date, that message has been spread, atomically, through our members perhaps to [i]their[/i] respective audiences; not cogently as a group outside of the monthly meet-ups; which are of interest only to geeks-like-us (not usually the decision-makers) And who would be the intended audience for our message? If it's BIG business, the State and its many bureauracies, Health-care institutions, the public school system; well, IMHO: that's not going to happen through vague. As cited in Balu's thread, we lack the bonafides to convince the PHB's to entertain the risk. They will have to hear it from places like vtSDA, from other suits in ivory-towers that they can better relate to. Lots of luck there. Let's play the "Where are They Now?" game. People may not remember, but Champlain College heavily invested in other initiatives prior to vtSDA. So is it fair to measure their potential for success based on their own track record? Jack Hoffman, Executive Director, Vermont Broadband Council. Alan Kamman, Executive Director, Vermont Telecom Advancement Center (VTAC). David Binch, Director Vermont Information Technology Center "The Council is providing leadership on Vermont broadband issues." Well, Northlink is the only real broadband project the State is working on at present, and David Hallquest (VELCO) is calling the shots. And, most likely, Tim Nulty is going to eat their lunch when (if?) VFN gets off the ground. The above named, in addition to their exhaustive studies on BB, were actively engaged (read: spending grant monies) on telework as well. I remember meeting with them (at Champ College) to proffer a FOSS mindset for their model. as these guys were the luminaries (for some in govt) who were going to provide the 'guiding light'. After all the papers were published and summits held, they ended up sponsoring a public event in Stowe and not enough people signed up; it had to be canceled. [quote] http://www.imls.gov/pubs/wbws01cp1.htm Funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the State of Vermont Department of Libraries is beginning a two-year "Mobile Library Literacy" project to discover if mobile library services are a viable means for serving rural and suburban populations in the 21st century. [/quote] I don't remember who put together above project, but I haven't seen a book-mobile in waterville since i moved here, 7 years ago. My Point: If the stars who've descended from the likes of Gte, Ibm, and of course Champ. College, can't effect change on a large scale what hope does vague have? The only way to really make a change would be to have a FOSS lobby that gets Montpelier to both broadly adopt FOSS and offer some kind of incentive to it's service providers to do same. What're the odds of that happening? (Also, I have still yet to read that Montp is a 'wireless' city. Wasn't summitTech supposed to get that done? Or did they just quit at the State-house lawn? What's become of MontpelierNet and their project?) So, we focus on small business, that's where it's needed most and can be put to best use. That's where most of our members are already involved and have the best potential for persuasion. Another area of possible prospect might be community television stations, the AMO's that run them and the PEG contributors that provide content. Six years ago most managers thought I was a wing-nut for promoting FOSS at their summit; just stuff like forums and CMS's to organize around. Now their old-guard (read luddites) is changing and advocates like lauren-glenn davitian are having (measured) success in implementation strategies. (unfortunately, I dont share their optimism for a bright PEG future - but that's not a tech issue) The only remaining question, the fundamental one, is whether we (can) do it as a group or not. The recent FOSSvt expo proved to me that some members prefer going the exclusionary route; which caused me to ask self: "are we (or some of us) competing among ourselves for business and kudos?" > > Thanks, > Bradley > just my .02 Rion -- "The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt." - Bertrand Russell
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