| Walt Mankowski via plug on 7 Jan 2024 07:46:17 -0800 |
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| Re: [PLUG] Linux install-a-thon? |
PLUG used to take part in a number of installfests, but the last one I can find in my mail archives was in 2013. Sadly the person who organized them, Jim Fisher, passed away last year so he can't comment. But I believe the reason Jim stopped doing them was that it was getting harder to find people to take the computers. The computing world is different now than it was 10-15 years ago. Today everyone carries around a computer in their pocket. Plus there are Chromebooks for school and $80 netbooks at Micro Center. I think a lot of people who were using the Debian boxes we built back in the day might be better served today with a commodity Android phone. I'm not saying to not do it. But I do think it would be a good idea to make sure you have some folks lined up who might actually want them before you devote a lot of time and effect to the project. Walt On Sun, Jan 07, 2024 at 10:09:23AM -0500, K.S. Bhaskar via plug wrote: > 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 > >> > >> ___________________________________________________________________________ > >> 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 > > > > ___________________________________________________________________________ > > 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 ___________________________________________________________________________ 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