[NTLUG:Discuss] Linux Lab

[Mike Owens]

This would be in Fort Worth. What I am trying to do is teach people
Linux here and get experience with where people are. In the last month
I have been installing Linux on friends' machines like a madman.
Before this month I have never installed Linux for anyone. And now
it's like night and day I have people who want it. And it's amazing to
see their faces when they see Compiz for the first time. They can't
believe it. And they say Linux is cool, and they want to learn it. I
set them up with Thunderbird, show them Firefox and OpenOffice, and
they are off. But they are all at a point where they need more. They
just need to be shown how to practically use things.

So I discovered this cool program called xvidcap and recordmydesktop.
I am proficient in writing DocBook documentation and integrating it
with websites. So I realized that I can convert xvidcap videos to
Flash and embed them within DocBook and that is really powerful stuff.
If I can set up a classroom environment where I can learn from people
what they most commonly need to know, then I can start to write
practical lessons on how to get started. The idea is for things to be
very hands-on. Ideally, I would like to have a basic computer literacy
course for adults using Ubuntu. It would cover all the basic practical
things -- OpenOffice, Firefox, perhaps Dan's Guardian for the family,
and whatever the general consensus feels is important. Start with the
practical stuff (desktop and every day computing), then drill down
into the glorious parts of Linux/Unix (shell, networking basics, power
tools, etc.). If there is interest, I would like for this to grow into
further courses that cover what I consider the fun stuff --
networking, Samba, databases, Apache, etc. But it's not about what I
want -- but what other people want to learn.

After people learn enough to get around, they can help teach, and even
go help set up labs in Vietnam.

The Vietnam connection is that I signed up through my church to help
install computer labs in Vietnam. They have 60 schools that are
looking for computer labs and we are trying to fill that need. And
since Vietnam has announced that they are going 100% open source,
now's the perfect time for Linux. Eventually, it occurred to me that
the best way to do this is start with people here who speak my own
language. Develop a general process and then make that process
repeatable -- and translate to Vietnamese. There is an entire Ubuntu
team that might be able to help with this. But I am surrounded by
English speaking people who want to learn Linux, and others who know
Linux. So that's where I am starting. Like I said, this is all a blind
leap of faith. I have no idea how this is going to work out. But it
all starts with at least having working hardware to run Linux on. In
three weeks I'll have 16 used Dell desktops sitting in my garage.
Right now, that's all I've got to go with.

The other idea I had is to run this whole thing like an open source
project -- look for volunteers, and let volunteers do what they want.
Set up a wiki, mailing list, host the documentation in SCM, and see
what happens. I am working on the wiki and site right now.

-- Mike

On Thu, Jan 22, 2009 at 11:07 AM, David Simmons <dave at dgnal.net> wrote:
>
>
> Mike - you didn't say if this 'lab' will be in the North Texas area (or is
> it in Vietnam?).  I have some extra monitors that I can help with.
>
> -dave
>
>> I am trying to possibly start a Linux class
> for new users, which
>> hopefully will involve a place to meet and
> a lab. I have some people
>> that are interested in taking it, and
> eventually helping out. This is
>> connected to a larger project
> that will hopefully impact schools in
>> Vietnam.
>>
>> I have managed to secure 16 PCs and I am paying to have them
> shipped
>> from Virginia. But they have no monitors at this point.
> If anyone is
>> interested in helping out, or knows of anyone who
> might like to help
>> out, please let me know. At present, this
> whole thing is a total leap
>> of faith. I don't have many details
> beyond that. In about a week I
>> will have all the PC's sitting in
> my garage.
>>
>> -- Mike
>>
>>
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>>
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