[plug] ComputerBank meeting Tues 24th 7:45pm

[Christian]

bob at contact.omen.com.au wrote:
> But in a lot of cases we're not going to be installing, the end user will
> be doing that as part of the training were going to be giving. So you can
> see that we want to see some consistency between what we're teaching and
> what is being used.
> 
> >Installing Slackware would be just plain STUPID.  If you want to KISS
> >then I wish you good luck in explaining to these complete newbies "First
> >you untar the .tar.gz or .tgz file.  Then you read the installation
> >instructions.  They might be in README or INSTALL or something else
> >completely different.  Then you need to check to see if you have the
> >requirements mentioned in these files - plus any other implicit
> >requirements that aren't mentioned and should be obvious.  If you don't
> >have the requirements then......."
> >Personally, I'd rather be telling them "You type 'apt-get install
> >program'."
> 
> Not if we want to do as we intend and produce more that "just another user
> that doesn't have a clue".  Obviously although lots of the people going
> through CBs doors are going to end up being "users" we need to have the
> ability to extend the training available through to the point where the
> newby can make reasoned choices for themselves and that will mean that we
> will have to have a series of steps that lead up to that. The easier we
> can make those steps in the begining the better the CB "client" will be
> able to make progress (and in some cases there is going to have to be a
> fair amount of ego building to get them to attempt these new and
> frightening things) the more confidence is built and the better the
> outcome all round.

You seem pretty confused here - or maybe that's just me.  Firstly you're
saying that Debian shouldn't be used because in some cases the end-user
will be trained to install the operating system and it would be too
hard.  Then you're saying Slackware should be used because you're going
to train them anyway and you don't want just another clueless end-user! 
Installing Debian is at least one order of magnitude easier than
compiling/installing .tar.gz software so if you're going to set a
realistic training goal then installing Debian and basic system
management (including package installation) would seem a sensible idea.

As for the training, I was under the impression from David's email (and
from what I had heard in the past about CB) that the project was about
giving people, who might otherwise not have the opportunity, access to
very basic computer systems for little or no cost.  I didn't realise it
was about training the next generation of system administrators.  I
suspect that if the CB project is going to succeed then it needs to set
realistic goals which, for my mind, do not include trying to undertake
the mammoth task of training people (with little or no computer skills)
semi-advanced concepts like compiling and installing their own
applications and libraries virtually from scratch.

Regards,

Christian.

-- 
Yeah, there are more important things in life than money, but they won't
go out with you if you don't have any.