ZZZZZZZZ

[chasb at kukla.tiac.net (chasb at kukla.tiac.net)]

Hi All -

	Unless I've been dropped from the list and didn't know it,
I'd say that this list is a little dead.  Let's get talking!

	The company that I work for is seriously considering using
diskless Linux systems as their next generation Point-of-Sale system.
For reasons beyond my control, we're still using SCO on the server,
but we have the potential to start shipping thousands of boxes
running a java application on top of Red Hat Linux.  So how is this
company going to support on-going development of this stuff after
I close out my contract and move on?  By dipping into the vast pool
of monsterously talented Linux people in the greater Cambridge area.

	How do we assure that this is truly a vast pool?

		LINUX ACTIVISM, that's how.

	I challenge everybody on this list and everybody that reads
this message to *double* the number of rabid Linux devotees in the
next 12 months.  How do you do this?  Find one person that's on the
fence and push them over, that's how.  Tutor, mentor, teach, beg,
bully and cajole somebody in your inner circle to put down Windows95
or Mac OS 8 or SCO UNIX or Solaris or whatever and pick up Linux
and pick up the Linux Banner.

	Is this discussion group willing to do tech support?  Perhaps
we could drop our old CDROM distributions in public libraries, school
libraries and charity booksales, including a nice (Avery 537x)
printed-it-myself business card with the Tux logo and the email address
of this group.  Perhaps everybody could be dropping Linux Support
cards in the computer stores, at the computer shows or on the table
at the 99 or Bickfords?

	If everybody's game, I'll hack together some PostScript that
will generate the cards (I'll leave a comment in the code for where to
insert the URL and email address of your group) and push it up to my
web site.  That way anybody with a laser printer or a sufficiently
robust inkjet printer can run off as many cards as they can use.

	Why am I frothing?  I've been using Linux for nearly everything
for more than 2 years and it's never just "slipped out from under me".
It works, it's where *I* want to go today.

	I was at the MicroCenter in Cambridge last week and overheard
two guys in the OS aisle talking about taking Linux off their systems
because of never being able to get X configured properly.  Would that
I could have handed them a card with an email address for support and
the URL for BLU or GLUE or GNHLUG or the new Worcester group!

	So lets get those systems installed and lets keep 'em installed.
We've got Cult status, lets start acting like it!

chasb


--
Charles C. Bennett, Jr. <ccb at acm.org>
UNIX Tools, OO Development, Project Management
PGP Finger Print: 48 86 EC 74 12 49 60 40  3B D3 6A E7 E5 19 C1 47 
 Under Republicans, Man Opresses Man. Under Democrats, it's just the opposite.