[wellylug] second installfest meeting & situation update

[Wood Brent]

Installfest planning progress & meeting notes from Tuesday, 
(E&OE)


Present:

Michael Dittmer, Jeremy Naylor, Chris Hodgetts, Lyndsay Hunter, Brent Wood,
Carl Klitscher, Tony Booth, Ed Hintz, Jamie Baddeley,  Jo Booth

Distro gurus on the day:
------------------------

Mandrake: Damon Lynch (version 10.0 official instead of 9.2) 
Fedora:   Carl Klitscher
Debian:   Sam Cannell/Chris Hodgetts 
 
 
No driver/winmodem guru appeared. 

We discussed this issue and agreed that we would use a borrowed external
modem for laptop setups, and suggest the owner purchase an appropriate linux
compatible PCMCIA modem, with further help at wlug meetings.

For internal PCI modem setups, we will have Linux compatible PCI internal
modems available on the day (for sale). These will be available for sale, along
with 40Gb HDD's (to avoid re-partioning if possible), any not sold will be
returned at no charge.
 
We will have a copy of Partition magic to re-size any systems with existing
Windows partitions, prior to a Linux install (any problems during re-partioning
will NOT be a Linux problem :-)
 
Note: Hardware for sale on the day will be through or approved by Silicon.



Presentations:
--------------
 
We agreed on a few presentations & how to run them. 
 
Each will run for <1/2 hr, starting at 10:30, and on the 1/2 hr thereafter.
This gives a spare 1/2 hr to run a presentation again if there is enough
interest (see web page reg details) or plenty of time to set up for the
next one.

I've held Michael's demo to 1/2 hr, as he'll be available during the
installfest for demoing the productivity packs anyway, wearing his Lycoris
reseller hat rather than WLUG.
 
Topics:
 
10:30AM Linux: what is it?   (Brent Wood/Jamie Baddely)
        (basic description of Linux, open source software, distro's...)
 
11:30   What is Wellylug?  (Jamie Baddeley)
 
12:30   Using Linux every day: core applications (Carl Klitscher)
        (Open Office, Evolution, browser? GIMP?)
 
1:30PM  Demo of Linux install using Fedora (Carl Klitscher)

2:30    An introduction to computer security (Ed Hintz)
 
3:30    Desktop LX: productivity pack & game pack (Michael Dittmer)
        (demo & presentation of these commercial add-ons to improve your
        Linux experience)

 
Advertising.
------------
 
Jamie to chase up local papers, both in the free "what's on?" columns &
possibly an interview/news item.
 
Jamie drafted a brochure (which is to go to Dymocks, local DSE stores &
a few to any WLUG members who want some to pin up in suitable places, eg:
local computer shops, malls, community noticeboards, schools, etc. This is
currently being tweaked after input from others.

 
Dymocks powerpoint.
-------------------
 
Sort of part of the advertising, but I'll list it separately...
 
Brent showed a presentation he'd put together as a starting point. Apart from
the font, background, colour & general content it was pretty good :-) Taken
by Jamie to tidy up.

This will hopefully go to DSE to incorporate in a LiveCD, and will run from
that at Dymocks on a Silicon PC, as well as in local DSE stores for the
week preceding the installfest. If not, then as an Impress document on a basic
Linux install.
 

demonstrations
--------------

As well as his presentation, Michael will have PC to demo the productivity
packs.

Brent/Jeremy/Damon will have a Silicon PC and will run demontrations of
Mandrake installs throughout the day as seems appropriate.

We will have a Silicon PC running the PC Reviver (an NZ designed virtual IDE
hard drive running embedded Linux as diskless client/terminal/workstation)
 


web site.
---------
 
There was some discussion about just what we wanted, resulting in:
 
We need a registration page, to collect numbers (& names/email addresses?)
for each presentation & the installfest.
 
Someting like a form which they enter name, email, tickbox for
presentations they want, distro if the have a preference, info saying stuff
like they have backed up any files they don't want to lose, they recognise that
any
process involving partitioning & formatting can lose files, etc, that we'll
have
extra HDD's available if required, & maybe a field for comments?

Once required fields are completed, they can click the register button to
record the details. Exacly how this is to be stored & collated is open,
ultimately up to the webmaster.
 
We can use this (like Jethro's current polls?) to gauge interest in the
various aspects of the installfest to plan it more effectively. (eg. plan to
run a presentation a second time in the empty 1/2 hr if required, or have more
of
required distros...) 
 

Govt installfest.
-----------------

We ruminated on this & generally agreed that it was appropriate for the
group to make a decision without wider consultation (FWIW, there are 20
subscribers to wlug_org, I don't know how many in wellylug)
 
We felt it an event which NZOSS is better set up to run, although they are
welcome to ask WLUG members to help.
 
If the WellyLUG really wants to discuss this at the next meeting then
sing out.