[Linux-pe] OT: Opportunity knocks

[Michael Hughes]

I'll byte ;-)  I hope to soon be in a position to introduce several
FOSS packages into a reasonably large university community.  I'm
looking at VLC, Pidgin, Firefox, QuicktimeAlternative (or K-Lite:
neither are entirely FOSS, but both are more attractive than the
original), PDFforge, and of course OO (installed parallel to MS Office
to ease the transition.)

I doubt we'll ever be able to introduce a FOSS OS, because a
substantial # of courses teach MS apps and system architecture, and
we're economically encouraged to participate in the MEEC Agreement
which covers OS the whole campus. There are also several critical web
apps which require IE.

On Tue, Dec 9, 2008 at 1:33 AM, Charles M Howe <cmhowe at patriot.net> wrote:
> List,
>
> This SHOULD BE on linux-pe exclusively, but as a practical matter I am
> going to cross-post to the novalug list until I have proof that a
> reasonable number of people are following this thread on linux-pe. Hint:
> I expect it to go on forever. But I may change the name of the thread
> occasionally. And I will be happy to let someone else be the moderator.
> (Or maybe it is automatic that that is Alan's role. (Which is it, Alan?)
>
> On to what this is all about.
>
> *************************************************************************
>
> To many, including to this poster, the inauguration is like dawn. "Now
> is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer!"
>
> The opportunity is not only to sell the idea of Linux and FOSS but also
> to promote good practices, all the while making sure that Windows users
> especially but also Mac Users (OS X, isn't it?) aren't alienated. I
> don't want to alienate Windows users. If there is to be a steering
> committee, I volunteer to serve, but I don't want to be the chairman.
>
> Some possible goals:
>
> (1) Require -- mandate by passing a law -- companies, corporations,
> charities, etc, make a genuine attempt to foil attempts to make their
> servers zombies. The inspiration for this is either Keith Casey or Jay
> Hart. One of you did sysadmin stuff for a company that forbade you to
> even attempt to do so.
>
> (2) Promote Linux and FOSS by whatever means are available.
>
> (a) Point out that Wine exists, so that there will be no need to learn a
> new sw package.
>
> (b) Point out that your children may not HAVE to steal programs. It is
> entirely possible that they can run all but Microsoft programs using
> Wine.
>
> (3) Make sure that the Feds but also state and municipal government
> people know the capabilities of Linux. I am correct, aren't I, that the
> OO Word Processor has a better chance of recovering ancient Windows
> documents than Windows does.
>
> (4) Publisize what the Business Software Alliance (BSA). (I think I have
> the name right.) The BSA can swoop down on a business (or school system)
> and either make it exhibit a license for every utility it has installed
> anywhere. For example, iirc, a county government or school system in the
> Hampton Roads area, Suffolk (sp?), had to pay well over 100K USD because
> it couldn't find all the licenses of some of the software installed
> somewhere. AND THE GOVERNMENT CAN'T SEEM TO STOP BSA INSPECTORS FROM
> DOING WHAT WOULD OTHERWISE BE CONSIDERED BREAKING AND ENTERING. It can
> happen to private businesses, too.
>
> Maybe I am overstating what actually happens, but I do recall being
> outraged several years ago at what the BSA did.
>
> It's 1:30 am, so I am not going to go on.
>
> Any takers?
>
> Charlie
>
>
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-- 

Dwight L. Moody  - "I have had more trouble with myself than with any
other man I've met."