[Glastonbury] Strode Meeting

[tim hall]

On Thursday 04 December 2003 15:52, Martin WHEELER wrote:
> (You did rather drop it on everyone as a personally organised bombshell
> at the end of the meeting. I also got the impression there was more than
> just Diane involved from the College.)

No he didn't. (LoL)
Martin, wind your neck in. This is a potentially Good Idea.

> > The result of the meeting, as I read it, was that I would go back,
> > discuss things with Diane
>
> (I remember you telling us that was what you intended to do; I don't
> remember the group giving you a mandate to do it in our name.)

I for one think it would be great if Mike did.

> What sort of things?  Could we debate this publicly on the list first?
> Not everyone was at the meeting last night.

Things like Strode College using Linux? (Just a guess ;-)

> I've no objection to a meeting with representatives from the College --
> in fact, I'd enjoy it very much, and I think it's a fine development
> for the user group.  

Good, let's do it then.

> BUT -- if we're going to put on a demo for College
> staff, it has to be a cracker -- no two ways about it.  And that demands
> time, preparation and proper organisation.  With collaboration from all.
> In full knowledge of everything that's going on in the background.

I feel a mountain growing here. I don't feel we need to make work for 
ourselves or build this up into some kind of 'hard sell'.
I have enough confidence in Linux as a product - insofar as it can be called 
a 'product' - to believe that it will sell itself - it did so for me. In fact 
if I hadn't discovered it for myself, personally, I could have been put off.

For anyone from Strode College I would have thought that a look at what Steve 
has set up at St Dunstan's would be a pretty good advert, also his 
perspective as someone already involved in education, and who has also done 
some sums might be useful information. I don't remember the group deciding 
that we were going to 'put on a demo' for them either.

> > and then we could publicise (or not) the
> > meeting.
>
> Right.
>
> >  We really need to make sure that we go about things the
> > right way, and follow the niceties of etiquette - otherwise we will
> > just look silly and spoilt any potentially mutually beneficial
> > developments.
>
> I entirely agree.
> I therefore suggest we discuss this development openly and publicly on
> the list first; sound out everyone's opinions and ideas on the subject;
> and make a common agreement on how we represent ourselves (there are over
> forty of us now in the group) to external bodies -- such as the College.

We aren't selling the group to the college. We are simply a local resource, 
which they can choose to use or not as they see fit. Furthermore, here we 
are, discussing the issue openly on the list. 

I think it's a great idea & I fully support Mike in taking this initiative.

My 0.02 of a euro

tim hall