[plug] suggestion: PLUG 4 Schools

[sol]

e:
>
> First, go back and read the comments from Colin, Simon, Dennis, Justin and
> Alex, since they are all very insightful.
This suggestions seems to have spurred a perspicacious brain-storming 
session. I can agree with points made by all of the above (and Leon too!). It 
certainly isn't something that can be done off the cuff. If we started now 
then *maybe* we would be prepared to launch something by early next year.

One point I did want to raise, is that it would seem to me that a program 
which yields  concrete results would likely be a lot more convincing than 
arguments on paper. If one school were convinced to migrate and it were setup 
well and supported well (not to mention delivering real savings), I honestly 
believe that this would do more to persuade policy makers and society more 
broadly that Linux/OSS is a better bet than Windoze. And it would provide OSS 
advocates in WA and Australia with a potent case study to point to to justify 
their arguments. I also think it would enrage M$ sufficiently for them to 
make a public stuff up like the way their most recent audit managed to 
alienate thousands of schools.

And when we were all prepared and ready to launch the plan publicly, we could 
start by dropping a few anonymous calls to M$ about illegal installs in 
certain schools leading to an aggressive audit.........no, just kidding. That 
would be too evil. ;-) 

For my part I'm willing to put my hand up for something like this. Is Brian 
Tombleson still keen on lobbying? Anyone else interested?

regards,
sol

 

> > "Our greatest resource is our local user group. We need to
> > help schools and LUGs around the country make connections. Towards this
> > end we're going to start promoting a July 4th. software freedom day.
> > Sponsored by LUGs all over America, this event will bring together
> > Unix/Linux experts and schools to establish local support connections
> > for training and migration to GPL software."
>
> Fabulous idea, but to actually work it will need:
>
> * REAL BACKUP: Red Escolar will almost certainly fail because they
>   basically just pressed a flock of CDs and sent them out. Microsoft
>   will pick over the bones of that and deal yet another un-needed body
>   blow to the Mexican economy; and
>
> * REAL WORKERS: Traditional consultants are too expensive for many
>   schools, students are too disorganised for many schools. We need one
>   key person who will be a schoolie with some admin experience and well
>   organised. We then need to accrete some students, recently ex-students
>   and retirees around him/her who will be willing to put up with being
>   organised by someone else. We will also need *some* consultants
>   willing to provide limited amounts of help on difficult issues for
>   free or extreme discount; and
>
> * REAL TRAINING: The above group will need to play with at least a mock
>   system together to see what really is hard, easy, automatic and
>   impossible in a realistic situation, albeit one sans a flock of eager
>   little vegemites throwing rootkits at you from within the firewall; and
>
> * REAL FLEXIBILITY: Said group must be willing to put up with sites at
>   which the only Linux machine hides in the server room at one extreme,
>   and whole-of-school situations at the other extreme.
>
> I believe that most schools should be charged for this service, even if
> only minimally, perhaps $200 per server plus $50 per workstation including
> 3 months' more-or-less full support and another 9 months of telephone
> support. This money will go to needed equipment for the flying team,
> reimbursing transport costs and the like, and any spare change will be
> pooled for stuff like advertising. It may need to also feed, clothe and
> house our schoolie.
>
> Being charged will also help the schools to take the idea seriously, and
> will quickly sort out the really-willing from the maybes. Down the track,
> the initial rates can be raised as needed or lowered as possible. A sponsor
> would be great (maybe a hardware supplier?) but shouldn't completely stop
> PLUG from charging.
>
> Cheers; Leon