[ale] Install Fest????

[aaron]

Holding an Install Fest is a great idea and I plan to participate
if the final date and location allows. However...

I have to wonder at the effectiveness of doing this at a Mall. Are
these shopping zombies a good target audience and opportunity for
getting new users on board with Linux? Sure, there is visibility, but
how much of this crowd will really take the time to look? Is this the
best avenue for investing the time and effort?

Its possible a Mall can be the ideal environment, especially if the
Install Fest promotions are done from an angle like "The ultimate
Anti-Virus Vaccine for your PC!"... ;-)

...but I have to wonder if the visible and technical system access
provided by Linux is still daunting for the average home user, even with
all the "freindly and familiar" enhancements and packaged software
additions of the past few years. I think the majority of consumers have
now been conditioned into limiting their computer expectations to the
level of TV's and Game Consoles. Buy it, plug it in, surf the net, play
solitaire, [reinstall winblows, get a Microshaft virus, reinstall
winblows, <repeat>] throw it away after a year or two and buy a newer
one, hoping that it might work beter: the marketroid dream of
the disposable commodity consumer society in action (and what more
ostentatious display of that than a modern shopping Mall).

For several reasons, I would suggest that the most promising candidates
for advancing the Linux choices are in high school and college
audiences, and that these types of groups are where ALE efforts might
be the most effective and successful. Not only do these young people
generally have more open, flexible and curious minds for exploring new
approaches to technology, but they are more likely to both see and
-need- the economic advantages Linux can provide through recycled
hardware and low cost software.

I say forget the Malls and promote a "Back to School" Install
Fest special event that hits on as many area college and high school
campuses as possible. Give the promotion a full month of lead time and
use as many free / public service announcement outlets as can be found
for reaching GA Tech, GA State, Emory, Agnes Scott, et al. Then
consider running the show for a full weekend at a "cool" central
location like the Innovox lounge (which, BTW, is already familiar to a
lot of students at the schools I named). And explore other support or
sponsorship sources, too, like working with area computer Recyclers
or Leasing companies to provide cheap hardware at the event to go
along with the Linux software and expertise.

Hope that inspires some other discussion and ideas. Unfortunately, I
won't be available to participate or comment for a few days, but will
look to see where this has lead next Wednesday.

peace
(after justice)
aaron


Previously, Jeff Hubbs typed into the ether:
> I put in a call on Wednesday to the office at Perimeter Mall to gather
> information and I was shunted to the person who handles such things.  I left
> voice mail.  Yesterday, I went by the office in person but the woman I was
> shunted to earlier was not available.  So, I'm not getting very far even at
> the info-gathering stage.  There is a spot in Perimeter Mall (downstairs,
> out in front of the Radio Shack) that they periodically clear out for
> various events (at the moment, they're having a blood drive there) - plenty
> of space.  
> 
> My enthusiasm for this location will droop if it turns out that the mall
> can't provide tables and chairs.  I can understand ALEers providing
> everything else from power strips on up, but I would be surprised if any of
> us can secure and transport a pickup-truck-load of tables.
> 
> If I finally get some info, I'll pass it along.
> 
> - Jeff
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Rod Young [mailto:development at combiz.net]
> > Sent: Thursday, August 09, 2001 9:01 AM
> > To: Jeff Hubbs
> > Cc: rob hoppe; ale at ale.org
> > Subject: RE: [ale] Install Fest????
> > 
> > 
> > Great idea.
> > 
> > R. young
> > 
> > >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Original Message <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
> > 
> > On 08/07/2001, 6:04:15 PM, Jeff Hubbs <Jhubbs at niit.com> wrote 
> > regarding RE: 
> > [ale] Install Fest????:
> > 
> > 
> > > We can either have an installfest primarily for ourselves 
> > or we can try 
> > to
> > > have one for all and sundry.  It takes more doing to 
> > arrange the latter, 
> > but
> > > the nice thing is that it's an opportunity to "sell" Open 
> > Source / Free
> > > Software to people who would otherwise never encounter it.  
> > Along those
> > > lines, I'd suggest a location such as Perimeter Mall - a 
> > ring of tables,
> > > lots of hubs, cables, power strips, a file server...release forms...
> > 
> > > Is anyone else even remotely interested in trying such a 
> > thing, or is 
> > this
> > > too grandiose?
> > 
> > > - Jeff
> > 
> > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > From: rob hoppe [mailto:hoppe at mindspring.com]
> > > > Sent: Tuesday, August 07, 2001 4:28 PM
> > > > To: ale at ale.org
> > > > Subject: [ale] Install Fest????
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Lets talk about it Thursday!  We need a place.  We had the
> > > > first one at
> > > > GT.  I saw redhat do it in raleigh with a server with 
> > redhat distro on
> > > > the server in the proper format to boot from it.  A 
> > network for this
> > > > would be simple.  We should do it like LIA at ALS?
> > > >
> > > > Comments and any notes in case you can't go thursday.
> > > >
> > > > Rob
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > > _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
> > > > _/  Rob Hoppe
> > > > _/  770-995-5099
> > > > _/  770-560-1050 cell
> > > > _/  770-338-5885 fax
> > > > _/  253-276-8905 efax
> > > > _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > --
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> > > > in message body.
> > > >
> > 
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