[sclug] Re: Helping others into FOSS/Linux (Dr Adam J Trickett)

[Dr Adam J Trickett]

Neil et al.,

On Sun, 01 May 2005 at 06:50:53PM +0100, Neil Haughton wrote:
>> Where we, as a community could perhaps hire a community centre type
>> room, and show a bunch of keen retired (or other normal non-hacker
>> people) Linux, help them with setup - many have donated hardware
>> from family/friends, and do a Q&A, where normal people ask us about
>> Linux/FOSS, and we ask them what would make it better for them.
> 
> I would be willing to bring my Mandrake box along for demo - pretty 
> standard 'home office' setup - email, browsing, music, OpenOffice, that 
> sort of thing. Nothing exotic or off the wall, but probably what your 
> target audience is after. Let me know.

That's great. I've exchanged quite a few ideas on the Hants-LUG and
with Alan Cocks, and it seems that people like the idea of bring-a-box
and small community meetings.

The Hants-LUG is having a bring-a-box in Basingstoke next Saturday,
any one on this list is welcome too. I think the Hants-LUG has the
right kind of meetings already they just need to invite more people
along!

However at least two people suggested small local meetings, in
community centres, where new users are able to dip their toes into
Linux waters. I think there is also a feeling that a LUG may be too
intimidating, or they simply don't know about us, so perhaps within
the existing LUGs in the country we need to create small micro-LUGs
that are part of the larger LUG community, but are also part of other
groups such as Age Concern or schools.

I need to think this through before I get everyone doing something,
but it looks like there are people prepared to do things here and
there.

-- 
Adam Trickett
Overton, HANTS, UK

Those who do not understand Unix are condemned
to reinvent it-poorly.           
	-- Henry Spencer