Installfest Research

[Trent Shipley]

[This message intentionall cross posted.  Installfesters and interested 
parties do not necessarily subscribe to the Devel list.]

(Wherein we use the pronoun set e, er, ers, erself , and so on)



After the Installfest for March 2005 I talked to one of the Installfest inner 
circle.  E said that Installfest only wanted a few services.

* A FAQ page.  (A first and critical priority.)

* A web page with text box(es) where Installfest consumers would be asked 
questions about their hardware, what software they wanted to install, and 
generally the tasks they wanted to accomplish at Installfest.  The HTTP 
posted results would go to some responsible party affiliated with 
Installfest.  (A high priority.)

*  A public-relations e-mail release tool (spammer, low priority).

* Installfest would like the solution ASAP (therefore without gold plating, 
critical priority).


The Installfester was annoyed that it was taking so long to solve the problem.  
Er annoyance was doubled since e was willing to do the web hacking erself if 
e could get access to the PLUG site and its documentation (so as not to crash 
the production site).

E was unaware that a sig within the Devel sub-sig was considering working on 
Installfest automation.  E was aghast that the project sig in the devel sig 
was even THINKING of solving Installfest's automation "problem" with a 
three-tier solution that would fit into general work on Event Software 
Integration.

The interviewee also thought that extending PostNuke would be overkill.  Even 
allowing that the extension were reasonable, e did not like PostNuke.  
Instead, e would rather write clean code and duct tape the result to the 
existing PLUG site.

==================

I start off by noting that Installfest is NOT asking for any "planning" or 
"project management" software per se.  If an Installfest is a type of event, 
and events are types of projects, it is irrelevant for the problem at hand.

The most involved problem is basically a trouble ticket entry system.  Trouble 
tickets are a sub-problem in the CRM field.

Nevertheless, I think that the interviewee should have given more 
consideration to tracking HR inputs (that is, Installfest volunteers, their 
skills, and commitment to show up--Shubes's "Who's Who") and to track trouble 
ticket outcomes.  The reader will note that both are well within the ambit of 
CRM or help desk domains.  

Furthermore given the classic help-desk dimensions of the Installfest "itch", 
I think that the Installfest insiders should reconsider trying to find a 
simple solution on SourceForge and the like, rather than trying to roll their 
own (evident simplicity not withstanding).

=====================

In summary, the Development Project sub-sub-sig should drop Installfest 
automation from its list of prospective projects.  The Installfest inner 
circle know what they want, have the skills to solve the problem, and no 
shortage of motivation.  They should simply contact the web master (Alan 
Dayley) and hack the PLUG web site.  (Well, preferably create a development 
environment, test, THEN hack the web site, but you get the idea.)

-----

There is still the possibility that ASULUG, with its greater interest in 
Mega-Installfests, would have more interest in Devel Project's services.  If 
so, then we would still have a first client for an Event Software Integration 
Project. ASULUG's next meeting is 23 April (I am told).  I hope to have more 
after that.