[Linux] FreeGeek or ByteWorks in South FL?

[Adam Glass]

Ah yes, it's been about 18 months, hasn't it?

Just kidding, kinda.  This idea crops up in one form or another about
once every year or two.  Sounds wonderful on the surface.  There would
be lots of enthusiasm.  Dozens of people would show up that first
weekend, hauling their computer trash to some location that somebody
donated as a work space.  Over the next month or so a smaller number
... smaller each weekend ... would show up to refurb the machines and
do the installs.  Meanwhile the pile of computer junk that just cannot
be refurbished grows ... hmm.  But leave that aside.

Now you have some Linux boxes to hand out.  Find a community
association or some such and either give them to individuals or to the
organization.  Great!  Except ... except now you are obligated to
provide support.  Despite what we tell each other, the reality is that
Linux is not simple.  No matter how pretty the desktop and how well
locked down the box is, users will find ways to screw it up.

If the folks who provide the machines don't also provide several hours
of support per week, we have done a disservice to the folks who have
the boxes.  And when are those hours needed?  When the kids are doing
homework after school ... which happens to be during business hours.
Or on weekends, when we have lawns to mow and, yes, video games to
play.

Public spiritedness does not last long under those conditions, I'm
sorry to say.  Here's what happens:  First, a small number of people
end up doing most of the work.  Then, one by one, they start making
excuses and not showing up themselves.  Finally the whole thing
collapses.

I have seen this happen before, more than once.  A Linux user group in
Miami, which no longer exists, did all of the above and also rewired a
whole community center (or at least started to do so) a couple years
ago.  The expected happened within months.  Last I heard, somebody
installed Windows on the machines so at least the kids could use them
again.  I wonder what impression those kids will have of Linux when
they grow up.

Something like this could work if there was a very large number of
very knowledgable volunteers, so only occasional days of service were
necessary.  By that I mean dozens of people willing to donate their
time not just once but on a regular basis.  And not just those with a
passing knowledge of Linux, or else you end up with one or two gurus
getting a dozen urgent phone calls per week.

I've been organizing volunteer events both in and outside the Linux
community for many years.  Believe me, such folks are hard to find.
They exist but not in the numbers needed for something like this.  At
least not in South Florida.

If there really is enthusiasm to do something Linux-related for the
public, let's work on a one time event that can be repeated anually if
it works well.  In the past FLUX has had booths at local technology
trade shows, but those have pretty much all gone extinct.  But I have
contacts within the school system and a few of us know folks high up
in the Broward library system ... maybe we could channel our creative
efforts in that direction.

The important thing is to make sure a goal is achievable before
putting one's energy, resources ... and most importantly one's
credibility behind it.

--Adam