[CLUG] Re: ILUG digest, Vol 1 #446 - 28 msgs

[Dermot Conner]

>>I am not sure of the exact aim of LAID, so forgive this criticism
if my assumption
>> that it was to introduce linux to novices, but I thought that some
of the topics
>> presented may have scared away potential converts.

>> Con Hennessy


    I presume you are talking about the second half of the event, which was
the techie section. If you only caught the stuff after lunch, you could be
forgiven for finding it all a bit tichnical. The morning was dedicated to a
general and business discussion, an introduction, if you will, with a
newbie-user bit around lunch. (take a look at the programme,
http://cork.linux.ie/events/laid/  I think. Whilst we ran a bit over
schedule the basic format was the same.)  As the name of the event suggests,
this was an Awareness Day, an oppertunity for all sections of the computer
fraternity, from the suits to the besandaled, to learn something, from a
rough idea of what it is all about, to the care and feeding of bugzilla. For
simplicity sake, we split the day into different sections for different
demographics, mainly so the suits could go play golf in the afternoon if
they wanted, and so the newbies could get some idea of what was going on,
thereby hopefully making the end of the day more comprehensible to them.
Ideally, we would have had the time, funds, assistance, speakers and space
available to run several talks concurrently, with a hall each for business,
newbies and techies. However, we didn't, but we tried to do the best we
could with the resources available to us. Inevitably, people will have been
somewhat disappointed that their particular interest was inadequately
represented, and we are very interested to hear what you would like to see
during a hypothetical LAID2.
    In relation to your suggestion that 'some of the topics presented may
have scared away potential converts', I would hope that the newbie install
bit around lunchtime was not too intimidating. We tried to show that the
process as a whole is reasonably painless, and throughout the day, the point
was regularly made that the community as a whole would be glad to lend
whatever assistance they could to new users. Certainly some of the technical
bits were very advanced (I for one felt my mind being uncomfortably
expanded), but one must remember that a large proportion of the attendees
were experienced users who demand some mental stimulation, and without whom,
the community would not exist and the day would have been impossible.
    Now I come to think of it, I would like to take a moment to thank all of
you who attended, I sincerely hope you found the day to have been
worthwhile, and that you derived some benefit from it. I hope we can all get
together and do something similar again.

Best regards

Dermot