MESSAGE
| DATE | 2002-08-25 |
| FROM | From: "Phil Glaser"
|
| SUBJECT | Subject: [hangout] RE: Demo topics and schedule,
|
Hi,
> Let's create a list of topics and design
> the schedule
> around those topics. We will send it to LaGuardia and
> simultaneously publish
> the list of the topics in the mailing list, news group etc and
> ask call for
> speakers.
I like this idea a lot. I think we can assume that we will be attracting two
types of people in the audience: 1) people who are reasonably technical and
are very curious about Linux and Free software in general, but have not had
the wherewithall to explore it; 2) less technically oriented folks who are
in the position of making IT decisions and want to understand what this
technology is all about (this will be the case for the non-profit
attendeeds, most of whom are "accidental techies" -- people who fall into
the technical role out of necessity rather than desire).
While we don't have the resources to have two simultaneous "technical" and
"management" tracks like they do at the commercial trade shows, we might
want to think about the the demo in this way. Perhaps we could divide the
day up this way, one half for techies and the another for more general
interest. The latter would cover issues about total cost of ownership,
different issues with Linux integration, FUD neutralization, etc. The
technical part would be . . . well, the _fun_ part.
If this sounds like too much, keep in mind that we will have two separate
spaces for this demo. The presentation space in the library will be for the
formal presentations, but we also have the atrium where we will all have
ongoing demos for people to stop by and discuss our wares.
And I agree that once we have the topics, we'll be better able to figure out
who to ask to do which topics. If we build it, they will come! And if in the
end we have to adjust the topic content a little, that's not a huge deal --
at this point, we just need to put a stake in the ground and start
advertising. I think we'll find that we've got enough folks to do the
technical sessions and that what we'll need is folks to do the busines
perspective. I suspect it will be realtively easy to find folks for that.
> Jonathan just notified me that he cannot participate at the demo
> in October.
This is a bummer of monumental proportions. _Huge_ bummer. Enormous!
> We will need to find a replacement for him. His topic
> was going
> well with the main theme of the demo.
My feeling about this is that we need two sessions to cover what Jonathan
did in one session last time (yes, that's how rich it was!). One session
would cover concepts around X and the window managers, etc. Another would be
a tutorial of sorts in Open Office. Add to these two Brett's session on X
Terminal and we've got a nicely bundled package for the desktop crowd.
> The emphasis of the demo is on Linux Desktop and Windows/Linux
> integration.
My feeling is that this is an important element, but not the main theme. My
sense is that the main theme is something along the lines of -- how and why
to leverage Open Source/Free Software to reduce your IT budget. Since most
shops are already Windows shops, showing how to integrate -- and different
levels of integration -- will be a major topic.
> Brett, you have to do the X Windows terminal demonstration now.
Yes, AND: I still think it would be great to have Andrew talk. As a
representative of the LTP, he might be able to speak about the X
Terminal/LTP concept from a braoder perspective: about how this model has
been sucessful and how it can be successful for non-profits (and any biz
that wants to save $$$). I'm thinking of examples that we are problably very
familiar with, such as St. Mary's
(http://www.linuxplanet.com/linuxplanet/reports/4306/1/), the K-12 project
(http://k12ltsp.org/contents.html), the Linc Project
(http://www.lincproject.org/toolkit/linux/index.html), and Largo FL
(http://www.consultingtimes.com/Largo.html). These could be used as case
studies to highlight the general points and factors for succes, etc., etc.
So this would be the decision-maker track corresponding to Brett's technical
session.
I'm trying to get in touch with Andrew to see what he thinks and will keep
you posted.
> We will
> start contacting the non-profit organizations to come and see your
> presentation. I think that was an excellent idea.
I've taken the additional step of soliciting feedback from some non-profit
folks in NYC about the program to find out what they're interested in. I've
already gotten some good feedback and will continue to channel that back to
the group. BTW, the feecback I got so far is precisely along the line of
what we're planning -- talk about how to reuse those old PCs!!!
So here's my thoughts about the program:
GENERAL SESSIONS:
Introduction Open Source and Free Software (Ruben)
The Open Source/Free Software Road Map (Phil)
Total Cost of Ownership models (speaker TBD)
Hardware Reuse case-studies and models (Andrew Williams ???)
Closing Remarks and Rallying Cry (Jay Sulzberger ???)
TECHNICAL SESSIONS
X, Linux Desktops, Window Managers (speaker TBD)
Open Office Tutorial (speaker TBD)
X Terminal (Brett)
Web-based Collaboration Tools (Phil)
Data Base Tools (Ruben)
Graphics Solutions (Marco)
Dudes, we need to nail this down THIS WEEK so that we can start advertising
IMMEDIATELY. There's also a ton of other logistics, like making sure Brett
has enough hardware to demonstrate X Terminal, etc., etc., etc., and most
importanlty PUBLICITY!!!
How do we proceed from here?
Regards,
Phil
____________________________
New Yorker Free Software Users Scene
Fair Use -
because it's either fair use or useless....
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