[sf-lug] Linux lab possible at St. Anthony foundation

[Christian Einfeldt]

hi,

About 11 months ago, SF-LUGers showed up at St. Anthony Foundation to help
out with their first tech fair, which is shown in this Cnet video

http://news.cnet.com/Tenderloin-Tech-Day/1606-2_3-6223419.html?part=rss&tag=2547-1_3-0-20&subj=news

Today, Asheesh Laroia and I met with one of the computer admins for St.
Anthony to talk about dual booting some of the existing Microsoft Windows XP
machines.  If the St. Anthony management likes what they see, it might be
possible that the entire 35 seat lab there at St. Anthony will be dual
booted with Linux.  My own personal dream is to see St. Anthony sever its
Microsoft offerings completely in its client lab; and maybe even move the
entire organization over to Linux some day.  That would be a nice digital
tipping point indeed.

This process will proceed slowly.  The next step is for this admin to meet
with his supervisors to convey what Asheesh and I conveyed today.  If a dual
test happens, it would probably happen in January, but not before.  This
admin felt positive about the prospect of being able to offer alternatives
to their clients.  There is also the prospect of being able to give out
Linux CDs to clients who come in.  And, don't forget, St. Anthony holds a
tech fair every 3 or 4 months, in which we are demonstrating Linux to simple
end users and installing Linux on their computers.

Doc Searls said in his Digital Tipping Point interview that "open source is
what happens when the demand side supplies itself" and that is sort of what
we might be seeing here at St. Anthony.

This partnership is an opportunity for interested SF-LUGers to teach the St.
Anthony staff how to use Linux.  The staff will then train the St. Anthony
clientelle.  This admin also thought it would be possible to have a monthly
class at St. Anthony to teach the basics of Linux use to their clientelle,
an event to which SF-LUGers would be very welcome to attend.

This migration will not happen over night, but I will be posting updates
here on this list as info becomes available, so that anyone who is
interested can jump in and help out.

c u
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