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<th valign="BASELINE" nowrap="nowrap" align="RIGHT">Subject:
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<td>[lugmaster] Seeking new sponsors and donations for
Slackware UK.</td>
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<th valign="BASELINE" nowrap="nowrap" align="RIGHT">Date: </th>
<td>Mon, 19 Apr 2021 22:02:04 +0100</td>
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<th valign="BASELINE" nowrap="nowrap" align="RIGHT">From: </th>
<td>Darren 'Tadgy' Austin <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:lists@afterdark.org.uk"><lists@afterdark.org.uk></a></td>
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<th valign="BASELINE" nowrap="nowrap" align="RIGHT">Reply-To:
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<td>UK LUG Masters' private discussion
<a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:lugmaster@mailman.lug.org.uk"><lugmaster@mailman.lug.org.uk></a></td>
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<th valign="BASELINE" nowrap="nowrap" align="RIGHT">To: </th>
<td>A closed discussion list for UK LUGMasters.
<a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:lugmaster@mailman.lug.org.uk"><lugmaster@mailman.lug.org.uk></a></td>
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<br>
I'd appreciate it if you could forward this onto your LUGs -
thanks!<br>
<br>
Hi,<br>
Some of you in the Slackware Linux community may know me already,
but others may not - I'm Darren 'Tadgy' Austin and I operate the
Slackware UK [<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://slackware.uk/">https://slackware.uk/</a>] mirror and hosting service
specifically targeted at the Slackware Linux
[<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://slackware.com/">https://slackware.com/</a>] community.<br>
<br>
The service has been running for over 10 years now, with
sponsorship and support from a private company in the UK, File
Away Limited [<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.file-away.co.uk/">https://www.file-away.co.uk/</a>], who I have to thank
for their unwavering support over this time - I couldn't have
continued the service without their help.<br>
<br>
File Away's support has allowed the service to grow and grow to
what it is today. From simply offering a mirror of Slackware Linux
at the end of a 2MB SDSL connection, to also offering free hosting
of projects on dedicated servers with Gigabit connectivity for all
things Slackware!<br>
<br>
I would like to think Slackware UK has grown to be one of the
largest repositories of Slackware related projects and files on
the internet - in fact, I cannot think of anywhere else that
provides access to so many resources in one location.<br>
<br>
But Slackware UK isn't just about mirroring software that you can
find elsewhere on the internet - I offer free full file hosting to
Slackware related projects, distributions and package maintainers.
There are several projects which utilise Slackware UK as their
primary hosting solution; including SlackwareARM
[<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://arm.slackware.com/">https://arm.slackware.com/</a>] and SlackwareARM for the Raspberry Pi
(SARPi) [<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://sarpi.penthux.net/">https://sarpi.penthux.net/</a>], Absolute Linux
[<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.absolutelinux.org/">https://www.absolutelinux.org/</a>], Freeslack
[<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://freeslack.net/">http://freeslack.net/</a>], Slint [<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://slint.fr/">https://slint.fr/</a>], Cinnamon
SlackBuild (CSB) [<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://cinnamonslackbuilds.github.io/">https://cinnamonslackbuilds.github.io/</a>] and MATE
SlackBuild (MSB) [<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://mateslackbuilds.github.io/">https://mateslackbuilds.github.io/</a>], to name but
a few. I also offer a mirror of the entire Slackware Linux trees
as well as packages provided by the Slackware core dev team
members alienBOB (Eric Hameleers) and rworkman (Robby Workman). I
also maintain an in-house cumulative archive (thanks to alienBOB
for the bootstrap) of all packages distributed since the very
first release of Slackware64.<br>
<br>
As I mentioned before, the service has been supported for many
years by File Away Limited. However, recently and unfortunately, I
have had word from File Away that they may no longer be able to
continue funding (paying the bills!) of the main Slackware UK
server after this years contract with the dedicated server
provider ends. Obviously this could be a blow to the continued
availability of the service going forward.<br>
<br>
So, why am I reaching out to the community?<br>
<br>
The primary reason is to try and find sponsors who may like to
provide funding for the Slackware UK services in order to keep
this valuable and widely used project operational. If you know of,
or perhaps work for, a company who may be inclined to support a
project like Slackware UK with sponsorship or donations to the
cause, please, please either pass their details to me so I can
make a direct approach, or facilitate an introduction between us
yourself?<br>
<br>
Finding new sponsors who can financially support the project would
be fantastic - especially if those sponsors already have something
to do with Slackware (using it in their products or company, or
regularly use one of the projects hosted on Slackware UK,
perhaps?).<br>
<br>
However, If you cannot help by providing a contact or
introduction, that brings me onto the second objective of this
approach: donations or patronage.<br>
<br>
If you would like to contribute to the cause but don't have any
contacts to offer, please consider a donation, if you have the
means?<br>
I currently have a GoFundMe fundraiser
[<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://gofund.me/87934ce3">https://gofund.me/87934ce3</a>] running, with the goal of bringing in
enough donations to see the project through the next 3 years of
operation. But I do understand this may be a lofty goal and you
may wish to show your support with a one off PayPal payment
[<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://paypal.me/DonateToSlackwareUK">https://paypal.me/DonateToSlackwareUK</a>] or a continuing patronage
through Patreon [<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://patreon.com/SlackwareUK">https://patreon.com/SlackwareUK</a>]. Any donations
are gratefully received and every little bit helps :)<br>
<br>
Finally, I would appreciate it if you could spread this message
through your circle of contacts, be that a group you are involved
with (a LUG, Facebook group, etc.) a mailing list, or any other
personal contacts far and wide.<br>
<br>
Please note that all donations and sponsorship are kept strictly
for the use of services provided by Slackware UK, in a seperate
bank account. I do not profit or take any sort of payment for
running the service.<br>
<br>
Thank you for taking the time to read this and any bit of support
you can offer!<br>
<br>
Darren Austin.<br>
<br>
<br>
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