[Menai-LUG] Meeting/Seminar?

[Richard Smedley]

On Thu, 8 Feb 2007 11:25:53 Kevin Donnelly wrote:
> Thinking about this further afterwards, I wonder if there is an
> argument for trying to expand this.  That is, instead of a meeting
> for us "converted", try to do something that is specifically aimed at
> expanding the bubble.

Hear, hear - this is exactly what LUGs should be doing :)

> This would be something along the following lines:
> - 1-day seminar/workshop/expo on using Linux now/practically/for real
> work
> - scheduled for some time in May or June, to give a bit of time to
> organise this
> - publicity through local papers, Federation for Small Businesses,
> and "official" bodies like Business Eye, etc - ie specifically
> targeting local small businesses

Please don't neglect the third sector - social enterprises
are far more dynamic and innovative, as well as being
generally morally superior ;-P
[switches on flame-proof shield ;)]

> - combination of talks, hands-on, and demos split into "tracks", eg
> small office end-user, office servers and networks, creative,
> education
> - any local business that is already providing services (equipment,
> software, web-design, hosting, etc) based on FLOSS would be welcome
> to demo/talk
> - all screens used must be running Linux (ie everyone must show they
> are eating their own dogfood)
> - publicity material to be bilingual, handouts to be bilingual sfap,
> and a couple of the talks/demos in Welsh

We'd be happy to attend and present if I am available :-)
 
> Deliverables (apart from the actual event):
> - show that there are support structures in place for local
> businesses if they want to experiment in this area
[snip]
> This would need a fair bit of planning (assuming others think it
> would be worthwhile/practical to do!), but I would be willing to lead
> on that if I could get input from others.  What I could not do is
> develop/deliver the programme single-handedly, so that's why I would
> like comments and suggestions on scope/content, volunteers, etc.  I
> tend to think that Linux is now at the stage where it is actually a
> pretty practical choice for a large number of end-user IT-related
> tasks (Ubuntu and openSUSE spring to mind as pretty polished
> distros), and just reading the list suggests to me 5-6 people I think
> would be quite capable of contributing a talk or demo to an event
> like this, if they wished to do so.

I'm happy to help you develop the schedule/scope/content.

> Obviously, the event would need to be reasonably high-quality, and
> the talks would need to be relentlessly practical (in both senses:
> not "here's some interesting code which draws a penguin on the
> screen", but "this is how you could meet all your email needs by
> using FLOSS", and not "you could use Sendmail or Postfix for that",
> but "here's a walkthrough of one system, showing email clients
> collecting the mail, and webmail access through a browser").

Agreed

> So, any views on how doable this would be, or not?

Given the sponsored venue, the only real challenge is the
catering - all such events stand or fall on the quality of
the victuals ;^)

Pob hwyl,

 - Richard

-- 
Richard Smedley,                                         rs at m6-it.org
Technical Director,                                     www.M6-IT.org
                                              A PRINCE2 aware company

Web services * Back-ups * Support * Training & Certification * E-Mail
M6-IT CIC ``Software Freedom for the Education and Voluntary Sector''


M6-IT is a Community Interest Company, limited by guarantee
Registered in England & Wales,               Registration No: 6040154
11 St Marks Road, Stourbridge, West Midlands, DY9 7DT