Re: tlug: Net Day

[urs roesch <urs@example.com>]

joem wrote:
 
> I'm not sure if I agree entirely with this ... While it's a "good" thing
> to both make money personally and to get funds for our group, I think
> Smack was thinking more in terms of community service for groups that
> don't have a lot of money to spend.  Many professionals donate time and
> resources to good causes, without lessening their appeal to their
> employers or customers.  TLUG itself is a group of professionals donating
> time to a project which will bring no monetary reward.
 
> Steve said he thought that maintenance was the big issue here, not setup,
> and I agree.  If we were to donate time to set up a server at a school, we
> have to be prepared for long-term support.  If we were to do this, we
> should start off with one school first and see what the long term demands
> become.

I agree with Joe it is more about spreading the word of Linux.

The magazine I subscribed to (c't magazin, in German) started a project
called "Schulen ans Netz" (meaning "hook up schools to the net"). Of
course they could not go into every single school in Germany (their a
magazine not a service provider) and configure the machines. They
compiled their own Linux distro which was focused on providing a gateway
to the internet (proxy servers, mail server, httpd...). The installation
procedure was tailored upon that, to make installation as easy as
possible. Also included were some admin tools that help to make
adjustments later. The clear goal was to provide an operating system
that is easy to install, including all necessary tools for the net whit
out the need of buying super expensive hardware.

The point is someone at the school should be able to do the small
maintenance work (preferably in a Japanese front end) and members of
TLUG only go there and help when real troubles occur.

Another point is to convince schools to use Linux (or an other free OS)
instead of say NT. Probably most of the teachers and principals have
heard of the "easy to use, can do everything OS" from Redmont and don't
want to bother with a "hacker OS". This is IMHO a bigger hurdle than it
seems. I think the big plus of Linux is the price here and that it is
able to run on less demanding hardware. Schoolgirls might love the
kawaii penguin too ;-).

If someone is interested in more details about the project from Germany
then I will see if I can translate some key points of the follow up in
the mag.

urs
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