[vox] [LUGOD] [Installfest] Major change idea

[Christopher James McKenzie]

Hi,

So during WEF, something became pretty apparent:
1. Linux is easy to install and few people have issues these days.
2. Linux is hard to use and lots of people have issues these days.

Well, ok, we can sit around and debate the semantic word choice and 
merits of totality of each argument, or, we can all agree that those two 
points roughly approximate truth here.

The realization that I had is that the installfests should be refocused 
to an educational outreach and workshop with an installation component.

How this will work.

Well first we rename it from installfest to "Educational Workshop and 
Installfest" or something ... up for a vote really ... I don't have a 
name I like.

Secondly, we need to modify the infrastructure so that people can RSVP 
on the order of

"I'd like to learn how to do basic Perl"

... you would not believe it, but about 2/3s of the people reaching out 
for help actually had linux installed and wanted to know how to do 
something like set up a firewall but for whatever reason (maybe they 
learn better when someone tells them (this is not BS, look up 
Kinaesthetic, Auditory, and Visual learning models with copious amounts 
of peer reviewed articles in the field)) they want an educational seminar.

 From the organizers (Alex + Me) point of view, we need to prepare basic 
rundowns on expected questions but then just wing it the first few times 
... practice is the best preparation.


----
I decided to not supplement the installfests with an educational 
workshop because, have you been to these?  We are getting so few people 
these days ... plus, this refocus I think really helps address modern 
concerns in the world of linux.

If I don't hear back from anyone (I don't know if it requires a bylaws 
change) --- but if I really don't, then I'm just going to do it starting 
gradually at the end of this week, then full on for june.

~chris.