[Gllug] It is not Microsoft

[Lesley Binks]

On Fri, Jan 09, 2009 at 02:35:55PM +0000, Ryan Cartwright wrote:
> Sorry just catching up on some of this..
> 
> 2009/1/8 Lesley Binks <lesleyb at pgcroft.net>:
> >> Chris Bell wrote:
> >> Hello,
> >> I have been trying to persuade my local Ealing Council to provide help
> >> for new users of Unix compatible Free Open Source Software, and the only
> >> real response has been that it is not Microsoft, so no. There is no help
> >> provided for any other system.
> 
> and ...
> 
> >> The council has provided courses for many years through the "Adult
> >> Learning" and Ealing Library services.
> >> The Hanwell Community Centre (a listed old school building, once attended
> >> by Charlie Chaplin) is about to undergo a 2,000,000 renovation, and Ealing
> >> Council has also set aside 350,000 to convert five? of the largest and best
> >> classrooms to a Microsoft Only "Learning Suite", to be used by Council staff
> >> during the working day but be available to others at other times.
> >>
> >
> > A number of activities spring to mind....
> <snip>
> >
> > 3. Ask for room in the Hanwell Community Centre. Don't expect them to
> > divert one of their five flagship classrooms.  These have been earmarked
> > by people in the business of computer provision for their deployment.  That
> > business - whoever it is - may have a track record of IT classroom
> > provision and also have the ear of the deciders at the council.   Find
> > out who that business is and where and how they operate in terms of
> > getting the business in.  Look at what is provided and think how much
> > the local Linux community could provide of that or would it be better
> > to provide something different?
> 
> This sounds like a really good suggestion to me. By providing an
> alternative  - not necessarily a competitor - you could demonstrate
> any "demand" and/or benefit for using free software to the council.
> Don't forget that it has to be perceived to be a benefit by the
> council not just by those of us who know better.
> 
> Just out of interest: you seem quite determined to change the
> council's mind. Other than your preference for Linux is there a reason
> to force them to drop MS for this project? What I mean is that if you
> can demonstrate a training facility/suite that has demand - and just
> happens to use free software - would you have a better chance of
> success than trying to change the heading of the tanker that is Ealing
> Borough Council?
> 
> I'm currently in an email conversation with somebody who has set-up a
> community suite of half a dozen Edubuntu desktops and a Fedora server
> for people to use to learn computer/web skills etc. One of the
> knock-on effects has been the way different sections of the local
> community are now getting together through the project. The whole
> thing cost £1300 to set up and now that it is shown to be working the
> council are more interested. They did support the project from the
> start but from a greater distance shall we say. The guy running it
> gives 6 hours a week to the project.
> 
I'd be very interested to know how they got accomodation for the
desktops.  Where was this user space set up and how do they fund the
costs e.g. electricity, broadband ?

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