[dundee] Installing a Free WIFI Hotspot at the DCA
R J Ladyman
it at file-away.co.uk
Fri May 2 13:10:31 BST 2008
I was not really emphasising the money, just the expectations of the user
<scratches previous bite-marks and old scars>. If it stops working, who do
they call, that sort of thing.
RJL
On Friday 02 May 2008 12:43:16 Rick Moynihan wrote:
> 2008/5/2 R J Ladyman <it at file-away.co.uk>:
> > I would make a suggestion here - if you are going to contract to look
after
> > it, an annual fee paid to the LUG (or the charity, or whatever) is a
better
> > idea: you might find that the system requires maintenance in future, and
that
> > the original installers have perhaps moved on. If the 'contract' is with
the
> > LUG then there is continuation for the customer: plus, new members get to
be
> > trained on an existing system. You might also want to state what the LUG
is
> > and is not prepared or capable of doing.
> >
> >
> > RJL
>
> Agreed. I don't know anything about how the LUG/DCA are setup to
> handle such things though. After my brief discussions with Clive it
> seemed that he was primarily just concerned with setting the thing up,
> we never spoke about support.
>
> I have a feeling that a recurring contract may be more than the DCA
> are willing to commit to; particularly with an adhoc organisation like
> the LUG. If they had the budget and were willing to contract for such
> things, wouldn't they just seek a commercial organisation to do this,
> rather than look at free alternatives?
>
> Anyway, as far as I'm concerned the main point isn't the money. The
> point is to build a mutually-beneficial relationship between the LUG
> and the DCA. The DCA could conceivably do a lot for the LUG,
> providing more exposure, etc... By helping them use free software we
> further the agendas of both the LUG and the DCA.
>
> So it might be easier to enter into an informal agreement, where
> perhaps the DCA negotiate a small donation each time their is a need
> for another body of work.
>
> Anyway, this is all just speculation. If we can discuss each of these
> possibilities openly here, then I can refer Clive to the thread and
> see what sort of arrangement (if any) he thinks would best suit them.
>
>
>
>
> > On Friday 02 May 2008 11:45:08 Rick Moynihan wrote:
> > > Hi, everyone
> > >
> > > After Magnus and Arron's presentations at the DCA Upgrade event on
> > > Wednesday; I spoke briefly to Clive Gillman (Director of the DCA).
> > >
> > > It seems that Clive wishes to provide free wireless internet access at
> > > the DCA as part of their role within the community.
> > >
> > > Being an institution in a public space however their is a requirement
> > > that they ensure (or at the very least strongly encourage) responsible
> > > usage by their customers.
> > >
> > > Hence they want to:
> > >
> > > 1) Ensure connecting clients are first directed to a DCA splash page,
> > > informing them of events at the DCA etc...
> > > 2) Provide a level of content filtering
> > > 3) Ensure fair use of a limited resource (by time/download limits)
> > >
> > > The main concern here though is to provide open access.
> > >
> > > Clive had mentioned taking a look at ZoneCD ( http://www.publicip.net/
> > > ) which is a Linux LiveCD for doing precisely this. I'd agree with
> > > his assessment that it looks like a near ideal solution for this
> > > problem, being both low cost and easy to deploy.
> > >
> > > Clive's a busy guy however and doesn't have time to set this up
> > > himself, though he has already provisioned the hardware. Having
> > > spoken to Clive over the years, he asked me whether I would be willing
> > > to do this for him. Though it looks like an easy job and their may be
> > > a small pot of money involved, I'm conscious that my free time is
> > > limited and that I'd rather not personally be responsible for
> > > maintaining and supporting this system.
> > >
> > > So it occurred to me, maybe a better solution for the DCA would be to
> > > have the LUG itself maintain and support this. That way the DCA get
> > > some notion of ongoing support and assistance and perhaps some of the
> > > younger members of the LUG get some valuable (CV worthy) experience.
> > > Plus I think it's good for the LUG to engage with such things.
> > >
> > > I'm thinking maybe a few LUG members could set this up & perhaps
> > > document it on the website.
> > >
> > > I'm not sure how much money Clive had in mind, but after some thought
> > > it seems there are 2 options:
> > >
> > > 1) Pay the individual(s) who do the work
> > > 2) Donate the money to the LUG or another good cause.
> > >
> > > I personally have a preference for (2) but I'd be happy to see what
> > > other people think of this. I don't know yet what the implications
> > > are for the DCA or the LUG, but it seems like it's a discussion worth
> > > having.
> > >
> > > Interested in your thoughts,
> > >
> > > --
> > > Rick Moynihan
> > > rick.moynihan at gmail.com
> > > http://sourcesmouth.co.uk/blog/
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
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> > > https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/dundee
> > > Chat on IRC, #tlug on dundee.lug.org.uk
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> >
> > Robert Ladyman
> > File-Away Limited, 32 Church Street,Newtyle
> > Perthshire, PH12 8TZ SCOTLAND
> > Registered in Scotland, Company Number: SC222086
> > Tel: +44 (0) 1828 898 158
> > Mobile: +44 (0) 7732 771 649
> > VOIP: 7714336 at sipgate.co.uk
> >
> > http://www.file-away.co.uk
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > dundee GNU/Linux Users Group mailing list
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> >
>
>
>
> --
> Rick Moynihan
> rick.moynihan at gmail.com
> http://sourcesmouth.co.uk/blog/
>
> _______________________________________________
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>
>
--
Robert Ladyman
File-Away Limited, 32 Church Street,Newtyle
Perthshire, PH12 8TZ SCOTLAND
Registered in Scotland, Company Number: SC222086
Tel: +44 (0) 1828 898 158
Mobile: +44 (0) 7732 771 649
VOIP: 7714336 at sipgate.co.uk
http://www.file-away.co.uk
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