Thanks to everyone who attended the VanLUG Steering Committee Meeting
on Wednesday night!
This is a l-o-n-g message, but there's lots of important information
in it. You might want to print a copy so you can refer to it as the
group moves forward.
If you would like to see anything changed or added or footnoted before
we post this to the VanLUG website, please let me know ASAP.
As the attached minutes indicate, the twenty of us covered a lot of
ground in almost 2-1/2 hours. It seems clear that the VanLUG could
have quite a future ahead of it!
-- Dave Michelson davem@ee.ubc.ca------------------------------------------------------------------
Vancouver Linux Users Group
Minutes of the Steering Committee Meeting
held on Tue, Aug 4, 1998 at 7 pm
at UBC (Brock Hall Annex 362)
In attendance:
Dave Michelson (Chair) davem@ee.ubc.ca Slava Voronina svever@home.com Simon deWeerdt deweerdt@physics.ubc.ca Randy Shepherd randys@dowco.com Vincent Janelle random@gimp.org Kim Kulak kim@vigilant.bc.ca Dale McGladdery dmcgladdery@cnv.org Kiel Foreman kiel@mdi.ca Jason Grant jamalcd@freakland.net Stephen O'Dor sodor@freakland.net Vlad Petersen vladimip@uniserve.com Jeff Alami jalami@gcs.bc.ca Christian Daudt csd@netbox.com Jason Kelly jk@inet.ca Jared Proudfoot jproudfo@footprints.net Ken Moren kenm@tvinet.com Art Stone stone@math.ubc.ca Ya'akov Miles ymiles@ibm.net Andrew Daviel andrew@vancouver-webpages.com Bill Kawakam billy@cafe.net
Quote of the Meeting:
"Hey, we're actually making decisions and getting things done!" - C. Daudt
Major topics:
1. Agenda for the August Meeting
The following agenda for the August meeting was approved:
Report from the VanLUG Steering Committee - Dave Michelson (~20 minutes)
Configuring Linux as a Gateway for the Small Office/Home Office - Brian Edmonds (~50 minutes)
A Linux Driver for the Mobitex Wireless Data Network - Part II - Mark Brady and Kaz Kylheku (~30 minutes)
Round Table - Topics and Issues of Current Interest - Art Stone (~20 minutes)
Note: Art Stone would like to share the responsibility of hosting the Round Table discussion with others, perhaps on a rotating basis. If you are interested, please contact Art at the next meeting.
2. VanLUG Corporate Sponsors.
The Vancouver Linux Users Group and Linux consultants and retailers in the Vancouver area share a common interest in advocating the use of Linux and informing potential users about the Linux support and services that are available here.
We hope Linux retailers will support the Linux advocacy and education efforts of the VanLUG by:
1) Participating in and/or supporting VanLUG special events such as Linux Installfests, the VanLUG table at the Pacific Coast Computer Fair and Swap Meet, and the Linux Users Group booth at COMDEX/Vancouver.
2) Helping us to advertise the VanLUG by allowing us to place VanLUG meeting notices and/or flyers/handouts on their bulletin boards or in their free literature distribution areas.
3) In response to a written request, occasionally (perhaps three or four times per year) providing door prizes (apparel, mugs, books, software, gift certificates, etc.) to be raffled off at VanLUG meetings or special events.
4) Informing the VanLUG when special promotions of interest to Linux/UNIX users are offered or new Linux/UNIX-related merchandise becomes available.
In return, the Vancouver Linux Users Group will support our corporate sponsors by:
1) Acknowledging the support of our corporate sponsors at VanLUG monthly meetings and special events.
2) Acknowledging our corporate sponsors on our webpage and on our flyers and handouts.
3) Passing on information concerning special promotions or new merchandise to our members.
4) If requested, by providing advice concerning user interests and current trends.
We have identified four potential VanLUG corporate sponsors amongst Linux software retailers and booksellers in the Vancouver area.
1) Simon deWeerdt has approached the UBC Bookstore on behalf of VanLUG Steering Committee. Vickie McLeod, the UBC Bookstore's marketing coordinator, gave the VanLUG proposal a very favourable reception and suggested that further discussions could be carried out to discover ways in which the UBC Bookstore and the VanLUG could benefit from affiliation. She appointed a member of the bookstore staff, Sanders Mah, as our point of contact.
2) Art Stone has volunteered to approach Multimedia Technologies on behalf of Steering Committee
3) Christian Daudt has volunteered to approach Duthie Technical and Professional Books on behalf of Steering Committee.
4) We still need a volunteer to approach the Granville Book Co. on behalf of the Steering Committee.
Our next step is identify and approach potential VanLUG corporate sponsors amongst hardware retailers and Linux/UNIX consultants in the Vancouver area.
3. VanLUG Flyer/Handout
Vlad Petersen distributed the final draft copies of the VanLUG Flyer/Handout which he has prepared for the group.
The purpose of this handout is to inform people *already interested* in Linux about the Vancouver Linux Users Group. We're going to ask local retailers (UBC Bookstore, Multimedia Technologies, Granville Book Co., Duthie Technical/Professional Books) to distribute them for us.
The general consensus: It looks great! A few minor suggestions were offered. For those who haven't seen it yet, here's a description:
--------------------------------------------------------------- Front Cover: "Vancouver Linux Users Group", an image of Tux, and the URL for the VanLUG website
Inside 1: List of points regarding the VanLUG
Inside 2: List of Linux Retailers in the Vancouver Area
Back Cover: List of Linux-related URL's ---------------------------------------------------------------
We'll call for a volunteer (or volunteers?) to prepare an information handout for people who have heard about Linux but aren't too familar with it for use at the Installfest. Documents on this topic produced by SSC and the LDP will likely provide an excellent starting point.
4. VanLUG Website
The group acknowledged the outstanding job that Andrew Daviel has done hosting the interim VanLUG website. Check out his latest additions and enhancements at http://vancouver-webpages.com/vlinux
Simon deWeerdt has volunteered to chair the VanLUG Website Working Group. His goal is to work with Andrew Daviel, Jared Proudfoot, Vincent Janelle, Jeff Amali, and the VanLUG membership to resolve the issues listed below. Anyone else interested in helping to put together a plan for the VanLUG website is most welcome to join.
a. Host and Domain Name. Several possibilities have been proposed by various members. These range from "vanlug.org" to "vancouver.linux.bc.ca". Ken Moran has volunteered to find out exactly what is required to register each of possibilities.
b. Hosting. Several individuals or organizations have volunteered to host the VanLUG website. Should we continue to impose on Andrew Daviel? Or is there some advantage to accepting an offer to move to a new site?
c. Content. Once a more detailed plan is drawn up, members of the VanLUG can be recruited to draft specific content. It was agreed that website content will generally fall into one of the following categories:
i. VanLUG Information - event calendar, meeting agendas, meeting minutes, maps, other information, etc.
ii. Links to International/National Linux Sites.
iii. Contact Info for Local Retailers and Consultants.
iv. Local information of interest to Linux users, e.g., how to connect a Linux box to local ISP's.
iv. Case Studies of Local Firms using Linux.
d. Design. It was agreed that steps must be taken to ensure a consistent look and feel to the website while ensuring that anyone in the VanLUG is free to contribute. Several technical solutions to the problems of maintaining a consistent look and feel and sharing the task of maintaining the site were proposed. It was suggested that the Website Working Group draft a style guide for the benefit of website contributors.
e. Schedule. It was agreed that the website should be in form that will support our Linux Installfest advertising and activities by 15 September 1998.
5. Linux Installfest - Saturday, September 26, 1998
UBC, Student Union Building, 10 am - 2 pm
The group expressed tremendous enthusiasm for participating in this event. At the outset, it was agreed that the date, time, and location were quite acceptable. Some asked whether it might be possible to find a more central location. Dave Michelson noted that meeting space is generally rather expensive. Since the Linux Installfest is a joint venture with a couple of AMS clubs, the room in SUB can be booked free of charge. If we can find free space elsewhere in town, we can certainly hold a future event there.
The UBC ARS has agreed to provide a display concerning the use of Linux in Amateur Radio. As a major participant and partner in the Linux Installfest, they will book the room in SUB for us.
The group discussed virtually every major aspect of the Installfest but we still need to identify specific tasks and people responsible for them. Perhaps we can get a good start during and after the VanLUG monthly meeting on August 17. a. Activities.
i. Demonstrations. Many members have volunteered to bring in their machines for demonstration purposes.
- At the very least, we could give visitors a ten-minute canned demonstration of Linux and answer questions about the nature and availability of specific applications and the differences between different distributions.
- Several members have suggested more ambitious demonstrations, including Samba-based print and file servers, Linux clusters, and internet demos featuring video conferencing and such.
We clearly need someone to step forward and help to coordinate this activity.
ii. Installation. Some visitors will bring in their machines and ask for help installing Linux.
- Ya'akov Miles volunteered to bring in his CD-ROM burner so that we could offer inexpensive copies of the free versions of Red Hat, SuSE, or whatever.
- Other visitors are more interested in seeing a *demonstration* of Linux installation. Would the UBC Bookstore be willing to loan us some UBC Premium clones for such demos?
iii. Presentations. We tentatively agreed to offer short presentations, perhaps 15-20 minutes in length, on the half hour, e.g.,
10:30 What is Linux?
11:00 Office Suites for Linux
11:30 Using Linux as a File and Print Server
12:00 What is Linux?
12:30 Science and Engineering Applications for Linux
1:00 Office Suites for Linux
1:30 Using Linux as an Internet Gateway and Packet Filter
For obvious reasons, we would want to advertise these well before the event.
b. Advertising. We'll start with USENET (c.o.l.a, bc.unix, van.general, ubc.general, ubc.events, ubc.unix, etc.) and the local UNIX mailing lists. And we'll try to get posters up at local Linux retailers, and around the UBC campus. What about BCIT, SFU, Capilano College, etc? Other retailers? (Computer City, London Drugs, Future Shop?)
c. Media Coverage. At the very least, we should try to get substantial coverage in The Province (Double-Click section on Wednesday) and The Vancouver Sun (NetWorks section on Thursday) during the week before the Installfest. Dale McGladdery has volunteered to help put together a media kit.
d. Corporate Sponsor Participation. It's to our mutual advantage if local Linux retailers have a presence at the Installfest. For example, would UBC Bookstore be willing to loan us some UBC Premium clones for installation demos? Also, CLUE has volunteered to solicit materials for demos and giveaways from the major Linux distribution houses. Should we try to contact companies like O'Reilly and SSC directly?
e. Equipment Setup. We'll need several people to help set up the room (tables, chairs, power cords, outlet strips, networking) and the Linux boxes, especially those used for installation demos and the more ambitious networking demos (Samba, video conferencing).
f. Handouts, Signs, etc. We'll need advertising posters, direction signs so that people can find their way to us, signs and posters to help people find their way around the Installfest (e.g., installations here, demos there, presentations around the corner), information sheets concerning Linux, the VanLUG, etc.
6. Pacific Coast Computer Fair & Swap Meet - Saturday, October 17, 1998
New Westminster, MacPherson Centre, 10 am - 3pm
Ken Moren (a member of the PCCFA executive) informed us that the Pacific Coast Computer Fair Association will give user groups a free table (and offer free admission to those staffing the table) at their computer fair and swap meet.
The group agreed that we should participate, particularly because the sort of people who like going to swap meets and hacking around with old hardware are often Linux users (or potential Linux users) who might want to join the VanLUG.
Art Stone volunteered to coordinate VanLUG participation at this event.
7. COMDEX - January 1999 The group agreed that the VanLUG should consider accepting the invitation from Matthew Rice of the Canadian Linux Users Exchange (CLUE) to participate in COMDEX/Vancouver in January 1999. In many ways, it seems like a natural follow-on to our Linux Installfest in September and participation in the PCCFA Computer Fair and Swap Meet in October.
CLUE's invitation follows their recent success in sponsoring Toronto area LUG's at COMDEX/Toronto. As they did for the group in Toronto (and plan to do for Quebec LUG's at COMDEX/Quebec in October), CLUE has volunteered to make all the necessary arrangements with the COMDEX/Vancouver organizers. They will also arrange for support from the major Linux distribution houses, including Red Hat Software, Caldera, SuSE, and Corel Computer Corp. They claim to be in a position to offer financial assistance as well. Our main responsibility will be to supply local content and people to staff the booth.
Meeting Adjourned at 9:20 pm.
After the Meeting....
A group of us went over to SUB to select a room to book for the Linux Installfest. We decided that it would be desirable to have two adjacent rooms - the larger for the main demonstration and installation area and the smaller for the presentations we intend to schedule throughout the day. Ideally, the rooms will be connected by a sliding partition for maximum flexibility.
Our first choice is SUB 207/209. If it has already been booked, our next choices are SUB 214/216., SUB 221/SUB 212A, and, finally, SUB 200 (Party Room). We intend to book the room from 8 am - 5 pm, while the event itself will run from 10 am - 2 pm (four hours). If demand warrants and people agree, we can always stay open a bit past the scheduled closing time.
We noted what appears to be RJ-45 jacks along the walls in SUB 207/209. We should contact the AMS to determine whether we can use these to connect some of our workstations to UBCnet for use in networking demos.
-- Dave Michelson davem@ee.ubc.ca