Rob S wrote:
I was thinking that a sig could be an hour of people just asking
questions, as the question part of the meetings is usually quite tiny.
When i asked about building a kernel, i got a deluge of responses,
which was helpful and not helpful at the same time. I feel that there
was also an impetus on ending the meeting as well. I think, that there
is a tendency for "I.T. types" (to use a generalisation) to be answer
machines. We give short and efficient answers to questions, which may
not be what everyone wants. I think a more relaxed and open atmosphere
could help the flow of questions.
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.
That's a good idea. Sometimes attitudes in the linux community are, to
say the least, unfriendly toward questions. I think, if the "question"
format takes off, there should be a demo machine. It's hard to talk
someone through a kernel compile without the machine in front of you.
-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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