[Gllug] Linux Volunteering: meet up Thursday 10th October

[Mike Brodbelt]

On Tue, 2002-10-01 at 21:42, Jerry Bate wrote:

> and I can well imagine that I may need to call on the advice of someone
> with deep Java
> experience (especially re performance... this is Java :-)

The cynical amongst us might say that Java and performance go together
like Microsoft and security :-).
 
> There are a few caveats I ought to point out to interested GLUUGers.
> Most charities don't use open-source software, or unix. Attitdues and
> policies are slowly changing, but there are some deep-rooted reasons
> for this, which won't go away easily.

I speak here from the perspective of someone who works for a charity.
We're in the education sector, and cashflow is definitely an issue,
though we're in a better position than some charities.

There has probably never been a better time in the last 10 years to sell
charities on open-source software. The debut of Microsoft's new
licensing policies have substantially lowered the barrier to entry for
Linux type solutions. The Inland revenue are considering ditching
Microsoft entirely on the desktop, the Scottish Police use Star Office,
several local councils make extensive use of Linux, and the cost
benefits are clear.

The major problem for charities is that, on the whole, they don't have
skilled peope who can manage open source systems. The average charity IT
department will be one or two people who have decent Windows skills, not
enough hours in the day, and do the best they can. The idea of using
Linux won't even be raised - they don't have the skills, and don't have
the luxury of the time to learn them.

If someone were to say to these people: we can provide you with a
service, support it, and teach you how to support it yourself, while
simultaneously making it sufficiently reliable that less staff time
"nursemaiding" it will be needed, I think many would be happy to try.

It's important to start small, as well. Suggesting that you can nip in
and replace the file-server/domain controller with Samba is probably
going to be greeted with horror. It's better to pick a service they
don't have, and provide it. When they see how well it can tick along,
they'll be far more prepared to let it grow.

My suggestion would be Hylafax. Fax from the desktop is useful, most
charities do lots of faxing, and don't have fax from desktop capacity.
Commercial fax packages are expensive, and low on the priority list. A
fairly low powered machine and a decent modem can probably be found
lying around. Hylafax, once set up, "just works". Windows clients can
have WHFC (http://www.uli-eckhardt.de/whfc/) installed, Macs can have
MacFlex (http://homepage.mac.com/robthedude/MacFlex/). Both the
client-side apps are free, and WHFC registers a printer monitor, so you
can set it up as a printer. The learning curve for users is non-existent
- they just need to print to "Fax printer". They'll get email
confirmation when the fax has been sent, and will soon get used to it.
It can be set up in outgoing mode only, leaving them with a paper fax
for incoming stuff, so it will act as an "addition", not a replacement
for anything. Set up right, no-one in their IT group should need to
touch it, and the users have an incentive for trying it - they don't
need to get up from their chairs and go and queue up by the fax machine.
When you mention the phonebook features for sending mutiple faxes
easily, people who have to do this will try it - otherwise they have to
type 200 numbers into the fax machine.

After it all works, & they're comfortable, you can set up Samba, and
share the directory for received faxes, so people can receive
automatically too. Stick Irfanview (http://www.irfanview.com) on all the
machines - it's freeware if you're a charity, and they get a nice
graphic viewer that'll deal with multi-page tiffs that hylafax produces.

Give people a few months with a system like that, built from their spare
hardware, and free software on server and clients, and you'll have a lot
less resistance if you suggest replacing their mail/file/print server.
Personally, I think print server is a good second target - the windows
print spooler isn't that great, and some of the nightmarish network
printing systems out there need to be seen to be believed.

> Secondly, charities don't have much time to manage volunteers, so they
> tend to prefer people they know, who can just get on with it. They also
> need people with bags of experience and knowledge, which they can't just

There's one of the main problems - people with lots of experience can
get paid more, on the whole, than they can earn in the charity sector.
Banks have unix people on hand, the average charity doesn't. Personally,
I believe this is a mistake - it's a better investment to put your money
into decent staff and use free software than go in the other direction,
but that'll take time to change.
 
> Friends of the Earth pay my expenses provided that I'm there for at
> least 6 hours in a day
> (currently I get 5- travel and 4- meal). I beleive that Amnesty and
> most other major NGOs
> do the same.

Any charity should at least pay your expenses. Volunteering is fine -
paying for the privilege of helping others is not. A few days train
fare/lunch is not much to ask. If you're just going to set up one
systems for them, you can waive it, and if they want more, they can
cover the basic expenses.

HTH

Mike.


-- 
Gllug mailing list  -  Gllug at linux.co.uk
http://list.ftech.net/mailman/listinfo/gllug