[svlug] RE: SVLUG/BALUG help

[Marc MERLIN]

If you can't make it to installfests, or you have further time to donate,
please look at this
(I'd appreciate a Cc to marc at merlins.org so that I have an idea of how
many people are able to help)

----- Forwarded message from Anne-Catherine Yon <ayon at sbcglobal.net> -----

From: "Anne-Catherine Yon" <ayon at sbcglobal.net>
To: "Marc MERLIN" <marc at merlins.org>
Importance: Normal
Subject: RE: SVLUG/BALUG help
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Dear Marc,

Here is the email in English. Thanks in advance:

Last April, I sent you an email on a first event organized by our
association, World Computer Exchange (www.worldcomputerexchange.org) to
collect working computers for schools in developing countries and develop
cultural exchanges with US Schools.

Plan is to install Linux on them when they are installed there in the
schools. This is a huge work there, done by people who may not have
sufficient knowledge and resources for that. In addition, as computers are
not cleaned here, they may keep what is already installed on it.
Consequently, support is very difficult as we don't know always what they
have

Ideally, we should be able to test the donation and install Linux on all of
them before shipping, so that there the computers can be installed and used
very quickly, that we can developed a standard support than everyone can
use, that we can develop different projects between the schools, knowing
what they have there.

It was impossible for our first shipment last April. Now we think that this
is time to move to that. However our association is still new in the Bay
Area and really needs the support from Linux specialists to develop this
process that eventually will means installing 400 PCs and Macs with Linux
every 3 months (objectives 2003/2004).

What I would like to know is if SVLUG and BALUG members would be interested
in developing a volunteer program with us to:
1- give us feedback on the best approach for using Linux: if we decide to go
on Linux for computers that we shipped, we do it also for our work within
the association, that means that we would need advice on developing
databases, preparing webpages, etc. when using Linux
2- organize a Linux team to help us choose the best process to clean the
donated PCs & Macs and install Linux: what is the easiest installation for
non-techie people, that is also the quickest but almost the best: should be
a good deal between the 3 parameters.
3- if possible, have Linux volunteers to help us installing Linux on the
donated computers, either during the collection hours at our storage
facilities, or at home, by receiving donated computers, preparing them and
then bring them to our storage facilities or having a volunteer from World
Computer Exchange picking them up.

This is just a first draft, with some ideas on how Linux community and World
Computer Exchange could work together. Ideally, if we succeed to set up an
efficient process for the donations in the Bay Area, we could extend this
model to other regional offices in the USA and worldwide.

For information, the 400 computers shipped in April arrived in Bangladesh.
They haven't been installed yet. But it is sure that this will not be easy,
due to the diversity of the donations and on what is installed on it.
Installing Linux before shipping any donation could be a huge added value to
this program.

We have the partnerships in the developing countries to receive the
donation, install them and maintain them. We need know to provide the
computers and the support from here. Your participation can make the
difference.

Hope to be able to discuss those ideas soon with you

Thanks


Anne-Catherine
650 387 3871

World Computer Exchange
PO Box 60778
Palo Alto, CA 94306
www.worldcomputerexchange.org

----- End forwarded message -----

-- 
"A mouse is a device used to point at the xterm you want to type in" - A.S.R.
Microsoft is to operating systems & security ....
                                      .... what McDonalds is to gourmet cooking
Home page: http://marc.merlins.org/   |   Finger marc_f at merlins.org for PGP key