-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Looks good to me, but I would make sure that we have the place and date confirmed before you get it out. I know that submission deadlines are well in advance of publication dates, but we should, hopefully, have the green light for GCC this week. On Thursday 08 August 2002 13:53, you wrote: > moin, moin, > > below is the Computer Buyer article as it now stands. I need to send it in, > but please critique it for me. I want a good article to help support what > we're doing. Feel free to rip it to shreds if have problems with it. > > Please also feel free to give me quotes I can use for the article. I will > probably have to shorten it a lot from where it currently stands, but I'm > gonna try to get as much covered as they'll allow and as makes sense. > > I'll fix references when I get it ready to submit to CB. > > ciao, > > der.hans > > ### > Welcome to the InstallFest > > What is an InstallFest? > > An InstallFest is a gathering where volunteers offer expert technical > assistance in installing Free Software, usually GNU/Linux, to the > public, all free of charge. The Phoenix Linux Users Group ( PLUG > [1] ) put on a 6 hour InstallFest at Scottsdale Community College on Sat, > 22Jun2002. > > Before the InstallFest event organizer William Lindley, a computer > consultant, said, "This is what the Free Software community is all about - > helping each other." > > After the InstallFest Jim Wejroch, steering committee member of PLUG, > wrote, 'Does the word "success" ring a bell?' in describing the > InstallFest. With 39 GNU/Linux installs and 150 to 200 people in attendance > PLUG was very happy with the event. > > In addition to the software installs there were several presentations and > lots of giveaways from the InstallFest's commercial sponsors. Presentation > topics covered GNU/Linux and Free Software, the Linux Termninal Server > Project ( LTSP ) and Open Source On the Educational Desktop. > > There was even homemade cheesecake from a presenter's grandma. > > The Arizona Open Technology Organization ( AZOTO ), a non-profit dedicated > to supporting Free Software and Open Standards in Arizona, helped sponsor > the InstallFest as did Tucson-based non-profit Open Source Education > Foundation ( OSEF ), which helps schools adopt Open Source for their > technology needs. > > Both groups provided presenters, people to help with the install and > support in organizing the InstallFest. OSEF has since finished the process > of earning 501(c)(3) Tax Exempt Charitable status. > > Lycoris, a commercial Linux distribution, flew people in from northern > California to help with the installs. Red Hat, the most well-known > commercial Linux distribution, brought people from their Global > Professional Services organization in from Flagstaff. > > There were volunteers helping install various GNU/Linux distributions > including members from the debian community. Debian is a community-based > distribution built by volunteers. > > > What is the LTSP? > > The Linux Termninal Server Project is an innovative, cost-effective > solution to traditional desktop problems. It has been garnering much > interest in Phoenix. The LTSP allows using older, inexpensive hardware as > lightning quick desktops. > > The LTSP desktops reduce maintenance costs by centralizing software > maintenance and having fewer hardware requirements, such as not needing > hard drives. > > Matt Alexander, system administrator for Tempe-based NewVision, has said > that after his boss asked for an alternative desktop solution Matt was able > to save NewVision over $20,000 and provide a more stable environment for > his 60 co-workers by switching to Free Software. > > Matt gave a well-recieved presentation and demo of LTSP. He will > be giving a presentation again as well as helping people install the LTSP > at the upcoming InstallFest2. > > > What is Free Software? > > The idea behind Free Software is that people using software need certain > freedoms that are not necessarily guaranteed by copyright law. > > Firstly, they need to be able to use the software for whatever purpose > they choose. Next they need the freedom to study the program and make > changes. Thirdly, people need the freedom to let others use the software > and finally people need the freedom to pass on the changes they've made to > the software. > > Software licenses such as the GNU General Public License ( GPL ) extend > further freedoms to those who use the software, while most commercial > software licenses actually restrict the freedoms guaranteed by copyright > law. > > While it is true that most people won't be interested in changing the > source code it is important that those who want to can. Removing the source > code and the freedom to change it is similar to closing all hardware stores > and not allowing people to fix things around the house or work on their > cars. Actually, it's worse. If one person fixes something in a program > everyone can benefit from that fix, whereas changing your lightbulb only > affects the area around that one lightbulb. > > The Open Source movement is similar to the Free Software movement, but with > less emphasis on the four freedoms of Free Software. Both movements > actually draw from the same community and rely on the same model of > community involvement. > > > InstallFest2 > > Due to the success of the July InstallFest and many requests for another > one PLUG has scheduled InstallFest2 at Glendale Community College on > Sat, 28Sep2002. The second InstallFest will have some new presentations, > including OpenOffice, the BSA, Free Software Licenses, and Information > Rights. > > Something PLUG is adding to the second InstallFest is help for installing > Free Software on Microsoft operating systems. Free Software that runs on > Microsoft includes things like OpenOffice, an office suite, Mozilla, a > web browser and email client, the GIMP, a graphics manipulation program, > apache, the world's most popular web server, MySQL, a database, and popular > development languages such as PHP, Perl, and Python. > > One of the advantages of the Free Software email and web software is that > they were designed to not have the security holes allowing viruses that > have plagued the software that comes with the Microsoft operating systems. > > There are also rumors that there will be more cheesecake at InstallFest2 > :). > > PLUG will be giving away CDs with demo versions of GNU/Linux that run from > the CDROM without the need to repartition the hard drive. > > See the PLUG home page or write InstallFest@PLUG.phoenix.az.us for more > information about attending the InstallFest and what to bring. > > An InstallFest is a prime example of community involvement. Come join the > Freedom Festival... > > > [1] http://PLUG.phoenix.az.us/ > http://www.AZOTO.org/ > http://www.OSEF.org/ > http://www.Lycoris.com/ > http://www.RedHat.com/ > http://www.Debian.org/ - -- Jim Freedom is worth protecting -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: PGP 6.5.8 iQA/AwUBPVLnGCsk3ywszI1FEQK5+ACfckRrLSpmyZDcez2/unLbAab0LUgAn23w TDXg/Hia8iT8+atko18XWN/4 =Zg/8 -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----