on the other hand, it may just be that moving the question and answer period to the first item on the meeting, or right after the presentations is what could facilitate this.
Of course, i may be right off in left field, so i would like some feedback.
-Rob Shawn Grover wrote:
How big of an installfest? Well, I think the answer is somewhat subjective. If we have two or three "experienced" people there, then we can probably aim for about 6 to 10 "non-experienced" people at any point in time. People come and go, so the total number of people attending, and the total currently in attendance aren't necessarily the same. If no "experienced" people were there, then you'd have a room full of people struggling and not getting the help they need (though I'd imagine they'd have the moral support of the others). This is a great way to learn, but that isn't the purpose of the installfest. So, how big depends somewhat on how many experienced Linux users can make it. In the past I think the target has been 20 computers at any given time.
For the ISO's, there are normally a number of different distributions to be found at the installfest, and copies of the CDs can be made on the fly (gotta luv the open source licenses).
With regards for a SIG, starting one more or less is up to you. If you feel there is a need, and would like to take on the role of organizing and maintaining it, then you just do it. (er, at least that's how it happened for the Programming SIG.) My personal recommendations though, are as follows:
1) Make a judgement if the SIG has enough interest. 2) Determine what the SIG would do. i.e. regular or infrequent meetings? presentations or open discussions? What topics will be discussed, or is training the focus? where will the meetings take place? etc. Get an idea of what the SIG is about, but be ready to make changes as SIG members offer suggestions. 3) Discuss the SIG with the executive. Most likely, they will be happy to help out, but may also have inside knowledge that might suggest the SIG isn't a good idea at this time. (I hear Jarrod is a little more receptive after a beer or two.. <grins> j/k.) Also, find out from the executive what would be needed for their part (attendance tracking, tracking winners of door prizes, etc.). 4) If you have done the previous and have determined to proceed with the SIG, decide what needs to be done to make it happen (meeting place/time, announce to the list, create a mailing list, etc.) and then make it happen. 5) In the first meeting or two (or prior to them, if possible), have the SIG members ratify the purpose of the group, or at least state their expectations of the group. This information has to then be used to keep the group focused on topics relevant to the group's desires. 6) Commit yourself. If you are running the SIG, make sure that it isn't something you'll loose interest in after a couple of meetings - you're responsible to make sure the meetings happen and organize any presentations that may be needed.
That said, my own thoughts on a newbie SIG is that it's not really needed at this time. The main CLUG meetings are really where the newbies can get information they need. That's the purpose of the presentations, and the question/answer period, as well as the casual social event that happens at the tail end of every meeting. Creating a SIG tailored for Newbies would be tough, because you would be covering the same topics over and over, and loosing members once they've become proficient enough to not be considered a newbie anymore. Not to mention that everyone has their own specific needs/goals with Linux - are you building a linux server or desktop computer? Do you use KDE or Gnome? Do you use the command line to install new applications, or the distro specific tools? Do you tailor the meetings to one distribution or all, and how do reconcile the differences? But, these are from my own perspective - perhaps there is a method of doing things that I don't see yet, that would work out well. Again, this becomes a judgement call on your part if you are looking to start a SIG.
My thoughts. (sorry for the long post)
Shawn
-----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Rob S Sent: Wednesday, July 14, 2004 1:56 AM To: CLUG General Subject: Re: [clug-talk] Installfest
I have some questions:
How big do we want the install-fest to be?
What iso's do i need to install suse? is the personal edition a demo version?
How does one start a sig? I was thinking of starting a sig designed for newbies, if there is interest and a few fluent linux users are willing to volunteer time for questions.
-Rob.
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