Installfests?

[Christopher Browne]

On 6/28/06, Evan Leibovitch <evan-ieNeDk6JonTYtjvyW6yDsg at public.gmane.org> wrote:
> Christopher Browne wrote:
>
> > The last installfest was last summer, and it attracted exactly zero
> > outsiders, despite what looked like pretty decent publicity.
>
> Christopher makes some good points, but I think there's far more to the
> issue than transportation.
>
> A decade ago, installfests were *really* necessary. Linux wasn't easy to
> install, a lot of care was needed to determine what kind of hardware
> would work and what wouldn't, and there weren't specialized
> distributions finely tuned for old or underpowered or oddball (ie. PS/2)
> systems.

I seem to recall that the InstallFest attempt last year primarily
"peaked" with an attempt to put Linux onto a pretty baroque system.
And I agree, that's not of widespread interest.

> The current situation is very different. Most install-time hardware
> available today is well supported by Linux and almost all of it is
> auto-detected. Distros such as Xandros, Linspire and PCLinuxOS cater to
> newcomers. Live CDs pioneered by Knoppix allow people to easily find out
> how well their system is supported *before* doing an install. The number
> of Linux books, articles has skyrocketed, even in the mainstream IT
> media. And there are better DIY sites and distributions for people using
> Linux to breathe new life into old hardware.

We just got a bunch of Lenovo Thinkpads last week, at work; several of
us shared a single Ubuntu disk that gave us pretty much the
functionality we wanted out of the box.

(Alas, the state of the "Linux art" does not include decent support
for wireless with WPA + certificates...)

It's worth noting that this took about 10 minutes, and involved about
1/10 the questions that used to get asked the first time I installed
Debian.  There was nothing to agonize over; nothing that required that
I know obscure nooks and crannies of Unix to understand the issue.

I'm fairly well certain that installing Windows would be *way* more difficult...

> In other words, I would submit that utility of the installfest has
> peaked. There is still a need for it, but the need is far less than it
> used to be. At a technical level, Linux simply isn't as intimidating any
> more.

Hmm.  Disagree.  Linux is more complex than it ever was.

The difference is that there are distribution makers that have
diminished the sophistication of the configuration questions that they
ask.

- They *don't* ask you if you want to install via more or less obscure
means that require strange pre-configuration

- They don't ask you to decide how to partition disks; they make choices for you

- They don't ask you what software to install; they choose a large set
of packages for you

- They don't ask you to understand .xinitrc; they set up a lot of
defaults for you

> IMO this requires an examination of tactics -- if not the installfest
> (or the installfest alone), then what? I would suggest that newcomers to
> Linux need more than handholding at install time, indeed they need to be
> better armed before even deciding to install.
>
> Consider an event that combines an installfest with:
> - how to install your own linux system (what distros, how to test, etc)
> - seminars on "how to choose a distribution" or "the truth about the GPL"
> - introduction lessons on how to tackle tricky install issues such as
> partitions
> - basic sessions on entry-level Linux admin (users, files, printers,
> backups)
> - tips on how to integrate Linux into an existing Windows installation
> (Wine, Samba, etc)
> - OpenOffice training
> - information on the problem with DRM and most applications of "trusted
> computing"
> (These are just examples, but you get the idea...)

Yeah, in effect, speakers on various things that aren't particularly
about Linux or that are very "soft" matters.

> Look at what's happening elsewhere. In Ottawa and Montréal, there have
> been successful new-user events that have followed similar tracks -- not
> depending on a single attraction but having a series of events.
>
> Our Québecois friends are planning an event, the Quebec Free Information
> Week (SQIL), the week of November 12-20, that has been successful in its
> last two years. I have been approached to see if there is interest in
> spreading the idea (of FOSS events that week) to other Canadian cities.
> (http://sqil.info/)
>
> Perhaps GTALUG would like to consider doing something at the same time.
> So long at the location is reasonably accessible by car and transit, I
> suggest it doesn't have to be totally central. But I think location is
> secondary to content -- give people a reason to come before you even
> talk about how they'll get there.

There are worse ideas to be had.

SQIL seems to exclude non-Quebec activities, which isn't exactly the
most inclusive way to go.

There's merit to doing something like that, though.
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