[Sussex] Community computer access facility

[Steve Redshaw]

We are in the early stages of planning a community computer access facility
for our village. It would provide internet access, supervised sessions and
more general tuition for people who wanted to access services through the
internet or learn to do more on their own computers. We are exploring grant
funding to start up and maintain this.

As a fairly new convert to Linux, I am keen to use Linux as the operating
system for the several laptops available for people to use. Several reasons
for this;

   - it gives people an experience other than Microsoft windows
   - it gives access to Open Source software
   - it is not so vulnerable to viruses
   - all the common computer tasks, particularly online ones, can be
   accomplished equally as well through Linux
   - the windows environment provided by KDE is very close to Windows and
   would not pose any difficulties in use for those only familiar with Windows
   - I don't fancy being an unpaid Microsoft rep
   - (it may be practical to consider dual-boot machines to facilitate
   tuition on particular programs people run on their own computers as they
   will almose certainly be running Windows!)

I now use Linux nearly all the time (there are a few programs that I use
that I can only get to run under Windows) and find the support from forums
(I use Mandriva 2010), when something goes wrong or I need to know something
new, is very good. Where we would need support is with technical matters
(setting up and maintaining a small network of laptops).

So I have a couple of requests;

Any comments on the proposals so far, use of Linux as OS etc, would be
gratefully received.
Where can we get good technical support on a commercial basis (we are in the
Midhurst area)?

thanks
Steve Redshaw
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