[AuckLUG] Installfest location

[Ghodmode]

On 5/1/07, Karl. <kmw1 at free.net.nz> wrote:
>
> On Tue, May 01, 2007 at 06:00:41PM +1200, Patrick Gildea wrote:
> > I agree. The idea of a registration process and a secert location is
> > rediculous. If I have to register i'm not going to bother since it does
> > defeat the purpose of a installfest.
>
> <sarcasm on>
>
> That's pretty funny!  It is humour isn't it?
>
> Or do you honestly mean to say that you want them to provide this
> installfest (which they're doing for free, as far as I can tell) with no
> advance info about likely attendance?  Perhaps you'd like them to book
> the uni gym, just in case lots of people show up unannounced?  I bet
> no-one else wants to use the gym on a Sunday, so that's perfectly fair
> isn't it?


The reason that we do InstallFests is to spread the word and share the idea
and ideal of Linux and Open Source Software with as many people as
possible.  Right now, Linux enthusiasts are in the minority and we're
competing with big, well-funded businesses in the US.  If the offer is only
extended to people who are already active participants in the community,
then we've completely ignored our target audience.  Yes, we do it at our own
expense and the reward is not a salary, but the feeling that we have
contributed to to Open Source community.

If you want to address financial concerns, then please research the number
of computers bought in New Zealand each year.  Cross-reference that number
with the cost per license of the Microsoft Windows Operating System because
almost every computer purchase here sends a significant and unnecessary
amount of money out of the New Zealand economy.  If you want to talk about
the expense of doing an InstallFest, be sure to first consider the expense
of NOT doing one.

And about that secret location - yeah, sure, they tell us it's on
> campus, but that could mean anything!  What if I have to walk to another
> building?  I need to know right now, just in case I feel like showing up
> - it's not enough, just knowing it's on campus!


How many campuses does University of Auckland have?  How many buildings?
How many of us just arrived a few months (or weeks? or days?) ago and don't
have a clue to the answer to these questions.

They're taking away my freedom by asking me to let them know I might
> want their help - that's just not in the spirit of linux!  I have a
> right to privacy!  Completely defeats the point of an installfest -
> yeah, that's right - completely defeats it.


No one suggested that freedom is being taken away.  But it's not being
promoted in the same spirit that the software itself is: We don't have to
register in order to download any distribution of Linux... The download URLS
are not kept secret from anyone.  These things are also done at considerable
expense to the vendors, but the reward far outweighs the expense.

The registration process and non-disclosed location acts as somewhat of an
obstacle to people who are not already active participants in the
community.  And, if you're already an active participant in a LUG community,
then you probably already have Linux installed.


<sarcasm off>
>
>
> OK - sorry to all the people whose time and resources I have wasted with
> this email.  Yeah, it would have been nice if they said 'main campus' or
> something like that - I'm just assuming that it is main campus as
> opposed to any other campuses the uni may have these days.  And sorry to
> Patrick if he really was being humorous but it was too subtle for me.
> I've been a bit simple lately.  I know full well that writing an email
> like this only diminishes the average opinion of me - oh well, it was
> fun while it lasted!


Karl, don't apologize.  I'm glad you wrote.  I hope no one considers this
dialog a waste of time.  Discussion of policies and ideals are as important
to our community as discussion of technical details.

Please be assured that, for me, this is not humor.  I have chosen to make
Open Source Software my life and my livelihood.


Karl.
>
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>


In my writing, I've used the word "we" purposefully.  While I have been a
very active participant in several Linux Users' Groups over the course of
many years, I'm not involved in the organization of this InstallFest.
Rather, I used the word "we" to emphasize that none of this is, or can be,
an individual effort.  We need to do these things together and, if we do, we
will improve the world... at least from the perspective of software
development and marketing.

Thank you,
    Vince Aggrippino

a.k.a.: Ghodmode