Re: [PLUG] Linux install-a-thon?

This would be a fun project, and I have done things like this many times before. At meetings focused on the public domain VistA healthcare information system in the late 2000s, people would routinely bring their old PCs and I would install Linux on them. At the 2007 and 2010 boy scout summer camps in Chester County, I taught the computer merit badge using donated hardware on which I installed Linux (see archives of this list from those years for my requests for donations and assistance, and thank you again to all who responded). At the end of each camp, I had a drawing for scouts who earned the merit badge to take the computers home (for many, it was their first computer). I have a couple of thoughts:

Promote virtually, but have an in-person installfest. Having installed Linux on (I guesstimate) at least 100 old Windows machines, one out of every 3-4 machines has some wrinkle to overcome before getting a successful install. Fortunately device drivers are no longer the problem on Linux that they used to be. You can't overcome these wrinkles remotely.
Install Debian Stable with a simple desktop like LXDE or Cinnamon. Many of those who will receive the computers will not be as tech savvy as one would hope, and Debian Stable is unquestionably the most stable Linux distro today.

Depending on when and where it happens, I will try to volunteer.

Regards

– Bhaskar

On Sat, Jan 6, 2024 at 10:08 PM Frank via plug <plug@lists.phillylinux.org> wrote:

I'm not sure how that would happen online. I was really hoping that we could give away physical computers to people. (I wasn't really talking about a traditional "Linux Installfest".) I assume we'd promote it online, for sure. But I was thinking it would be fun to rebuild a bunch of donated computers and hand them out to people who need them (who don't necessarily know or care what "Linux" is).

I'm just looking to see if there's any interest right now. I'm thinking it would make sense to partner with another community outreach group in Philadelphia to help with the public coordination in terms of the donations and the giveaways. The PLUG people can do the work of (re)assembling the computers, installing software, and getting them all ready to go back out the door.

I've been thinking about this project for a while, and the only problem that I can see with it is that a lot of people simply don't want computers any more, so I don't know what kind of demand there'd be (if any).

But, I think it'd be super cool if there was demand for repurposed computers.

- Frank

On 1/6/24 8:43 PM, Charles Hathaway via plug wrote:
+1 to online, if possible. No idea what that would look like, and I wouldn't want to block on it. This sounds like an amazing idea, but I'm on the wrong coast.

Charle

On Sat, Jan 6, 2024, 5:34 PM Steve Litt via plug <plug@lists.phillylinux.org> wrote:

Frank via plug said on Sat, 6 Jan 2024 18:54:18 -0500

>I've been reading about the upcoming push to Windows 11, and it seems
>that the existing glut of used computers in the world is going to
>continue to grow. I hate to see all of that perfectly fine hardware
>go to waste, especially considering that much of it can be had for
>free or next-to-nothing. I'd like to be able to put some of that
>hardware in the hands of people who can make use of it.
>
>I was thinking that an install-a-thon could possibly be a lot of fun.
>I'm imagining:

[snip description of installfest]

I think that's a spectacular idea. Any chance of having it both
in-person and online?

SteveT

Steve Litt

Autumn 2023 featured book: Rapid Learning for the 21st Century
http://www.troubleshooters.com/rl21
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___________________________________________________________________________
Philadelphia Linux Users Group         --        http://www.phillylinux.org
Announcements - http://lists.phillylinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug-announce
General Discussion  --   http://lists.phillylinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
___________________________________________________________________________
Philadelphia Linux Users Group -- http://www.phillylinux.org
Announcements - http://lists.phillylinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug-announce
General Discussion -- http://lists.phillylinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug