Re: [seul-edu] Some ideas re: LinuxCanada2000

[Doug Loss <dloss@suscom.net>]

Pete St. Onge wrote:
> 
> OVERVIEW TALK
> 
[snipped lots of good organizational ideas]
> 
> BOOTH
> 
> Lots of stuff can be done here.
> 
> A lot of people have talked about how great Linux should be for
> education. Linux isn't about talk or vapourware. It's about real apps,
> real solutions. Until they see it for real, few people will bite. Well,
> time to show it.
> 
This is an important point.  We talk a great deal, and fairly well, but
for something like this we need to show real stuff.

> The goal would be to demonstrate two things at once, namely:
> 
>   - existing SEUL-EDU-supported software
>   - how schools can leverage existing hardware via Xterminals
> 
> This shouldn't be much work, as everyone has tried the software already,
> RIGHT? :)  486's are easy to come by, save for the boot roms for the
> nics. The case of the 486 could be left off so that folks could see the
> innards, namely the mb, nic, ram, and power supply. The server could be
> placed elsewhere, hidden maybe.
> 
Just as important will be an old Mac or two, I think.  Lots of schools
have these and realize they're rapidly becoming useless.  If we can show
a new use for them as Mac/Linux X-terminals we may catch a lot of
attention.

> I have some numbers for a business case for Xterminals versus new
> hardware, and I can provide these for the cause. (Doug: I may write this
> up into an advocacy article between now and the conference)
> 
This also will be very handy.  Pete, now that you've brought it up it's
yours to do.  Have it on my desk by morning :-).

> My feeling here is that unless we can actually show how well this can
> work, few people will consider using Xterms. Connecting via a hub means
> that someone could actually build a couple of extra Xterms at the booth,
> and put them online as folks watch.
> 
That's a pretty good idea.  Especially if we can set it up to be a
clean, quick install.

> P.S.: Sorry, Doug. :)
> 
> "Never give a 7-yr.-old a whoopee cushion." -- Doug Loss
> 
Don't apologize; that was an observation based on life experience.

-- 
Doug Loss                 The difference between the right word and
Data Network Coordinator  the almost right word is the difference
Bloomsburg University     between lightning and a lightning bug.
dloss@bloomu.edu                Mark Twain