[wellylug] FW: Building Bridges to community

[Rob Giltrap]

This provides a completely different angle in which to get OpenOffice
adoption. The problem with OpenOffice adoption is not funtional, but
purely that no-one wants to go away from the 'standard' file format of
MS. Imagine showing the value proposition to the unions.

1) Several hundred dollars is wasted every year on paying MS for you to
use MS Office which could otherwise be paid o employees in wages.

2) All employees could freely use OpenOffice at home rather than having
to pay dollars to be able to use the same software they use at home.

3) Educational institutions will also then move to using OpenOffice to
feed business.

A broad push by unions would provide the opportunity for the majority to
move as one in one foul swoop creating the momentum to save 10's of
millions of dollars from exiting the NZ economy.

Any comments?

Rob.



On Fri, 2003-02-07 at 09:26, Jamie Dobbs wrote:
> Had this sent to me today. I really do not have much of an idea how I
> can answer the questions that Michael is asking - would someone care
> to respond on the groups behalf? 
> Perhaps we could discuss on Monday night and someone could respond to
> him.
> 
> BTW - How many people will be coming on Monday night? Remember that
> we are back at our usual venue of the Johnsonville Community Centre.
> 
> - Jamie -
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Michael [mailto:m.francis at accesscomm.ca]
> Sent: Friday, 7 February 2003 9:24 a.m.
> Subject: Building Bridges to community
> 
> Hi Jamie,
> 
> greetings from the great white North
> Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
> 
> I am dropping you a quick note in the hopes that I can get some sort
> of 
> overview of FLOSS type activitities In NZ
> 
> Here in the middle of the Canadian West our local lug last November
> organised a very large two day public expo for all things Linux Open 
> Source etc.
> 
> Regina is a small city approximately 180,000 and our lug has around
> 400 
> members, We managed to beeat up on IBM,SUN,HP, to cough up most of
> the 
> money to put on the show. We rented a hotel convention center and had
> 
> over 2,000 people come through the doors in two days.
> 
> It has helped us build some bridges into our our local community and 
> some allies are starting to help us out.
> 
> The Regina and District Labour council have provided us with a a free
> 
> class room space in their Union center and we are slowly educating
> the trade unions and non -profit community groups about the benifts
> of switching from the dark side and as a result creating work and 
> opportunities for our LUG members.
> 
> This week we have had a NZ guest working with us on Labour issues
> here
> a Ross Teppet, who is the National Education Officer for EPMU in New 
> Zealand. I managed to spend a couple of hours with him and started
> the FLOSS re-education process and he was blown away by some of the 
> things we are doing here regarding seting up training programs and 
> regular install fests.
> 
> and he has expressed a wish to see if he can help start similar
> programs 
> in NZ
> 
> So I guess what i am asking is how involved with the their local 
> communities are the NZ LUGS and are there NZ FLOSS advocates
> that are becomming interested in working with thier local communities
> Ross is still touring North America for about month and I am hoping
> to 
> develop some contacts for him for when he returns.
> 
> The labour movement is starting to get a clue here in Western Canada
> so much so that they have found me $300,000 of funding to help them 
> convert their Labour councils from mostly M$ to FLOSS stuff
> 
> and we are developing very much that first precept of 
> 
> Mutual Growth Through Co-operation
> 
> anyway as Ross put he would love to get the same kind of community
> based 
> learning stuff on the go in NZ.
> 
> So see if you can put some feelers out into the NZ Lugs for
> individuals 
> that are interested in moving forward into thier communities.
> 
> I am one of the founders of www.canopener.ca is there a NZ working
> group 
> of FLOSS activists yet?
> 
> anyhow nuff for now
> cheers
> m
> 
> 
>   .-.   Wellington
>   /V\   Linux
>  // \\  Users       
> /(   )\ Group
>  ^^-^^
>         http://wlug.paradise.net.nz/
> 
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> 
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-- 
Rob Giltrap <rob at ubietygroup.com>


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