[plug] Installfests

[Harry McNally]

Hello

There hasn't been any ideas in response to my earlier post and I can explain later why this matters for our 2025 programme.

One of the other committee discussions was Installfest events; their importance to PLUG's formative membership and the relevance of Installfests in 2025.

For anyone that was there when PLUG got very active in 1998, trying Linux for the first time was on someone's throwaway PC and a Installfests meant "Can you help me get xorg.conf right for my Bizzaro brand graphics card and HeavyAs brand glass monitor (that I just lugged up three flights to the loft in Cameron Hall so I'd really like some help to make it go) ?"

So today, with resources on-line, standard hardware, standard images on an SD card (!) do people still need to meet, build, and install systems IRL ?

During one of those installfests I borrowed a Philips driver briefly off an enthusiastic schoolboy to whip the cover off someone's PC case (probably to examine the Bizarro brand label on the graphics card). This guy also knew a lot about computers and Linux and was happy to share knowledge in the scrum of ideas, flaky hardware, and borrowed tools on those days.

That schoolboy was Trent Lloyd, now a developer at Canonical and doing very good work (is the feedback I am hearing). People like Tony Breeds were there offering support and encouragement. They were fun days and the emphasis was just getting a machine to run Linux.

Trent today: https://ceph2024.sched.com/speaker/trent@lloyd.id.au

Fast-forward to what we would want to achieve with Installfests 2025.

I have been wondering what could be delivered by small servers and running from a home internet account; returning to self hosting instead of buying services from cloud providers.

What I didn't realise was that Nick Bannon had also thinking about hosting PLUG using a Pi and also testing that on a FttP connection. If we can obtain ISP sponsorship, PLUG could also run an independent account on one of the three unused UNI-D ports on the FttP. I'd be interested to hear if anyone is using more than one UNI-D port for other services (or for an independent users at home or in the granny flat). Also, hearing from potential sponsor ISPs would be welcome!

We have a Raspberry Jam event scheduled for our March meeting. We may have advanced the PLUG on Pi project by then and the meet-up is an opportunity to demonstrate other public net facing projects.

In the spirit of Installfests, the evening may be organised to demonstrate applications for the Pi or helping someone with ideas to get a project running on the Pi.

If anyone has a project they would like to begin or a project they are proud to show off, please tell us about it here or to the committee at plug.org.au

Later, I can describe a project that is seeking circa-2025 Trents but this post is long enough already.

All the best
Harry

Chair Perth Linux User Group  

ps For any interest in building energy efficiency in my previous to last post, I received this event from Renew (Perth Branch)

  https://events.humanitix.com/how-to-save-on-your-energy-bills-using-low-cost-home-automation