Open Source CD Lending For Public Libraries? 292
phatlipmojo writes "Bob Kerr has taken what might well be an important step in getting open source software to the masses: donating CDs to public libraries for lending. It's a simple idea, but fraught with complications; indeed, at first, he couldn't give the CDs away to the wary libraries. Mr. Kerr dealt with the complications admirably, and has had a great deal of success getting open source CDs into lending libraries around his home country, as Mr. Kerr's howto PDF and this NewsForge article detail. What kinds of suggestions would Slashdotters make in addition to Mr. Kerr's to help make open source software on public library shelves a widespread reality?"
A good plan. (Score:5, Interesting)
This could do well in association with a local User Group of some sort, methinks.
Getting a bunch of people together to organize the CD labeling, DVD-cases instead of jewel cases, etc could help spread the cost and work around, as well as creating a perfect "next step" for the people checking out the software - a user group basically waiting for them.
I especially like the quote: Forcing anyone to do something they don't want to do just breeds resentment.
Re:A good plan. (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:A good plan. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:A good plan. (Score:2, Insightful)
OSS isn't trying to sell something. No profit is being made from these disks. In fact, it costs someone to make these disks. Just as it costs AOL, but to AOL, it is a minor expense against profits made from subscriptions generated by the disks.
Re:A good plan. (Score:2)
Daniel
Re:A good plan. (Score:2)
Cheers,
Re:A good plan. (Score:2, Funny)
Stalker-tastic!
BYOCD (Score:5, Interesting)
It might be smart for libraries to offer two methods for achieving this:
1) Library burns cds on demand for a small fee.
2) Users burn cds themselves.
Having actual cdroms on a shelf for people to "check out", as it were, is likely a bad idea for a number of reasons. The large volume of cds occupying shelves would be a copy of the old library system, so it would likely be their default method, but it's incorrect, imho; it's a waste of space; it goes against the mighty electronic way. Burning on demand is the way to go because the open source community could ensure that the most recent versions of software are available, and that fresh new content would flow into libraries everywhere, rather than fill up shelves until the place has no more room.
Stop gaps could be issued at the base system, to prevent abuse, and this would be much easier if the product was electronic.
Re:BYOCD (Score:5, Insightful)
You'd have to disable copying because the music and video industry wouldn't stand for it. They'll still send C&D letters even without copying enabled, but it would be easy to prove their worries groundless.
Images to provide (Score:2, Interesting)
KNOPPIX
Mandrake LiveCD
Debian installation CD
Fedora
The for-Windows [myip.org]
Can anyone think of any more? Mandrake and RedHat aren't likely to want people selling copies of their software, they'd probably want you to buy it from them, instead.
Re:Images to provide (Score:2, Informative)
The for-Windows Open Source Software CD [myip.org]
Re:Images to provide (Score:2)
Because there is space left over, some non-OSS but free and useful software has been placed on the CD.
I reclaimed about 160 MB of space by erasing the source code to all programs (except GnuPG) from the CD.
....
Re:Images to provide (Score:2)
Doh. I sould have read it more carefully. It may not be Free, but it's still freely distributable. (At least, I think it is.)
Not really. It would be if you were prepared to provide the source to any third party for the next several years because you neglected to provide source for GPL code, but otherwise no.
I have not gone over the free-as-in-beer software included in this CD, but much of what is "free" in windows is really shareware which is crippled or nagging. Some is freeware, but both freeware a
Re:Images to provide (Score:3, Interesting)
Well, why not SUSE?
Re:Images to provide (Score:2)
Come to think of it, with SUSE you would only be allowed to provide copying free of charge, so that would probably rule out libraries where you would have to pay a monthly/annual usage fee...
Re:Images to provide (Score:2)
I was also for some time unsure about this, but the consensus in different forums I have read (including quotes from SUSE's own customer support) seems to be that it is legal to copy SUSE CDs, as long as it is free. You are just not allowed to *sell* the copies (because of the Yast license).
Actually, I recently sent an email to SUSE support asking about what specifically makes it illegal to offer SUSE ISO images
Re:BYOCD (Score:4, Informative)
You'd have to disable copying
Photocopiers are available in most libraries, yet this doesn't seem to have created a huge problem with "piracy" of books.
Sure, there are warning posters above them telling people not to violate copyright; if this suffices for printed books and magazines, then why not for CD and DVD materials as well?
My support of Linux has left me with old distributions that I would love to donate to my local library. Probably I ought to do newbies a favor and only donate the newest releases instead of that old RedHat 4.2.
Re:BYOCD (Score:3, Interesting)
You can't really be that dense, can you? To photocopy a book, at an average of 250 pages by $0.10 per page and 5 seconds to copy a page, you're looking at $25 and 20 minutes. You could go out and buy your own copy of most books for that price, and even if you choose to still copy the book you'll have a loose pile of paper w
Re:BYOCD (Score:5, Interesting)
The problem with the whole digital revolution is that it allows us to do things on a scale simply never possible before. Sure, it was technically illegal to dub tapes and give them to your friends, or to photocopy a recipe and send it to your mother, but it would never be worth prosecuting simply because of the difficulty in finding people, and the cost of prosecution for such a small return.
Re:BYOCD (Score:2)
Re:BYOCD (Score:2)
Of course, there are many stipulations as to how much of a work can be copied e.g. max 20% per work
Re:BYOCD (Score:3, Insightful)
Libraries could sell single blank CD-Rs for $2-3, a suitable markup for having them right where you need them and because a library should be able to do a little fundraising, but patrons should be invited to bring in their own CD-Rs.
There should be some
Re:BYOCD (Score:2, Interesting)
Now, as anonymous coward, I can ask what I would otherwise be embarrased to. How do you disable copying, but allow ISO's to be burned?
I use Linux regularly, but I'm a configuration lightweight. I've used several of the OSS CD-buring programs, but they all appear to be general purpose. I don't know enough to even begin to guess at how to set this up, can someone enlighten me?
Please keep the flames to a minimum, this is an honest question from an ignorant devotee, not a t
Re:BYOCD (Score:2, Informative)
Re:BYOCD (Score:4, Funny)
I think your cloak came from the guy who makes clothes for the emperor.
Re:BYOCD (Score:4, Interesting)
This could be a great distribution channel for indie bands distributing legal free music as well.
Re:BYOCD (Score:3, Informative)
Re:BYOCD (Score:2)
A nice piece of work... (Score:4, Informative)
Major props to him for taking the time to write up his experiences - both the successful moves and not-so-successful ones as well.
CD Checksum when returning... (Score:5, Insightful)
(Admittedly I have not yet read the article he may well have covered this.)
Love it. (Score:3, Insightful)
Plans nearly complete (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Plans nearly complete (Score:3, Funny)
for that kinky library sex, i assume?
Linux on Demand Kiosk w/ CD burner (Score:5, Interesting)
Good plan (Score:4, Informative)
I figure that with just a bit of effort, you could make a small tabletop version of this for under $1000 or so. I mean, all it needs is a cheap system, a burner (preferably without a tray, as they tend to get broken in public places), and a monitor. Form factor could be exceedingly thin with a custom casing for it, esp. if you used an LCD panel for the screen.
Thin and small is good here, because that means it's not taking up space in the library, which would make getting the librarians to agree much easier.
Write some custom software to basically provide a menu of images that the user can pick from (and optionally allow the local LUG to remotely administer the thing), assure the librarian that it's all open source software (which entails explaining OSS to them), get their agreement and assure them that it's no maintainance at all for them (plus let them sell blank CD's/DVD's on a markup, and it'd be done.
Good luck (Score:4, Interesting)
I tried to get one system into our local town library. The director of the library flatly refused to even consider the proposal to have a linux workstation in the library.
Essentially, even if volunteer-maintained and/or no maintenance required(think Knoppix), she said that they were Windows, and Windows only, and that was because that's what the Minuteman Network supports(the Minuteman Network is a nice little corporation that's making money off the local town libraries.)
Despite being exceptionally polite, she wouldn't even examine the proposal, and complained about issues I had addressed already- in the proposal, if she had bothered to read it.
Re:Good luck (Score:2)
Minuteman extends beyond just interlibrary lending; it gives the collective group of libraries the purchasing power of a corporation. Minuteman also is 100% responsible/controls the computer networks in the libraries. When something breaks, a MLN tech fixes it...
Bring Your Own PC (Score:4, Funny)
Encourage people to bring their PCs and have them installed/configured with various FOSS stuff like OOorg.
Combine this with a programme to train young people in IT and you have your enthusiastic staff.
Use the library as the place where these two meet.
Turn it into a para-religious experience: "Born Again Penguins", as people dip the parasite-ridden carcinogenic carcasses of their old WinXP boxes into the holy water of Linux and come back home with a brand new box.
Mix it with booze and music.
Move it from the library to a spacious converted warehouse.
Add a coffee bar and wireless hotspot.
Not just lending (Score:4, Insightful)
I was checking around the stacks at my local library and saw that they had a Learn Linux book (Yah!) but the installation CD was for RedHat 6.2 (Uhoh..) I was very tempted to slip a recent install into the book along with a card explaining it.
Re:Not just lending (Score:2)
Bad idea... (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Bad idea... (Score:2)
Re:Bad idea... (Score:2)
Just a technicality but...script kiddies do not have their "own binaries and libraries" if they do, they are not script kiddies.
Read the article, please (Score:3, Informative)
Also, the author is in Scotland and states that broadband penetration is 5 to 10% there, which means 90 to 95% of the population is NOT going to be able to download these in a reasonable manner.
Even in the US, there are large chunks of the population where broadband is not available, even just a few miles out of large cities, sometimes.
Re:Bad idea... (Score:2)
Problems with lost media (Score:3, Interesting)
Someone recommended a burning on demand. Not a bad idea if someone is willing to keep the people there upto date with new images couple months and train people how to burn the CD's. Its sad to see that many don't know the difference between, say, buring a music CD and an ISO.
Donating a PC with Library of Open Source? (Score:3, Insightful)
Do we need an open source project to create a simple locked linux library distro and easy-to-use CD maker?
I work on one. (Score:2, Funny)
Anyway, I'll see what I can do. What software would you suggest?
I thought about Open Office, but it sucks to set up for danish support (my native language). What else would be appealing?
A full Linux distrubtion like Mandrake?
A live CD?
Some games?
I'll be here all week (Score:2)
This may seem like a stupid question... (Score:2, Interesting)
I mean, first off, Linux simply isn't ready for the desktop or the unclued user. I hate to say it guys, but it's true. My dad could install and use Windows, but he could not install use Linux (that would be any distribution you care to name). And I consider him to be an average computer user.
Secondly, it seems that there's a large disparity among audiences here. People who are capable of in
Re:This may seem like a stupid question... (Score:5, Informative)
Broadband is still hard to get in rural parts of the US.
Walking/bikeing/driving for 5-10 minutes to pick up a few 700MB isos is still going to be faster for 90% of the people out there for some time to come.
Re:This may seem like a stupid question... (Score:2)
Cheapbytes.
Cheers,
Re:This may seem like a stupid question... (Score:3, Insightful)
My dad could install and use Windows, but he could not install use Linux (that would be any distribution you care to name).
Bullshit, troll. My dad can't install Windows, Linux, OS X, or any other system you care to throw out. He can, however, click links and type. Since that's all you need to be able to do browse the web and send email (which is all he needs a computer for) he can use ANY properly configured systems.
What sort of advanced work does your father, the average co
Re:This may seem like a stupid question... (Score:3, Interesting)
Maybe not, but that still leaves out the U.S.
There are HUGE areas of the US where broadband is not available. Heck, the town where I grew up still doesn't have an ISP within 30 miles of it; it's long distance for dial-up.
When I was going to college in the '80s, it was the golden age of BBSs; and there was not ONE in the entire AREA CODE where I grew up.
Certainly these days broadband is
Re:This may seem like a stupid question... (Score:2)
I hate to be doing wee-wee on your parade, but sorry pal, you're just plain wrong.
While there might be the one or other thing that OSS/Linux still suxxors at (multimedia design software, for instance) it's absolutely
How do you keep it fresh? (Score:4, Interesting)
I'd predict that even if all the hurdles of convincing a library to maintain an OSS CD library were jumped, the library itself would suffer the same fate as technical books at most local libraries.
The technical books themselves take so long to procure because of the multiple(albiet not vast) layers of red tape that by the time they end up on the shelves, they're flirting with being out of date (just as new tech books flirt with being out of date before even hitting the store shelves).
I can't think of any open source project that isn't regularly patched, and because of this constant progression, I can't see a CD library being up to date, ever. It would require an individual or group of individuals who would simply cost too much to justify having them in the first place to maintain it.
Re:How do you keep it fresh? (Score:2)
Excellent! (Score:3, Interesting)
This man may just have radically altered the course of Scottish society. He is bringing enlightenment to thousands. This could be the best thing to happen to Scotland this century.
Well done!
No thanks. (Score:5, Informative)
We have almost completely stopped circulating CD-ROMs of any sort because the patrons have an expectation that the library will help them make it work, and if you mix initially lousy or just plain old software ("this storybook requires you to install quicktime 2.1") with who-knows-what the patron's got at home, it spells customer service disaster. No matter what kind of a disclaimer you put on it, circulating this kind of stuff would incur far more ill will from clueless patrons than it would benefit any unlikely geek who knows what they're doing but doesn't have access to sufficient bandwidth.
However, I would happily offer burners for public use and make blank media (and our bandwidth) available. That way, they get to keep the disc. Or hand them out at intro to OSS classes. Or mirror some trees. But put them on the shelves? No way. On top of everything else, they'd be outdated before they even made it through cataloging.
Nice idea though.
Re:No thanks. (Score:3, Interesting)
Why would IT be involved at all? Yes it is software, but it is simply content that people are borrowing. Does IT also help out when someone rents a tape that their VCR eats?
As far as tech support, simply stick to your guns and don't provide any.
Cataloging. My local library manages to have current best sellers on the shelves in a timely manner.
Re:No thanks. (Score:5, Informative)
While sticking to one's guns is of course possible, it's not good customer service to offer a product with a disclaimer or to turn away a patron in need of assistance. Sure, its par for the course in the commercial world, but we prefer to uphold a higher standard of service.
And bestsellers aren't revised several times per week.
What would be a far, far cooler idea (although not as cheap) would be to develop a kiosk that maintained its own local copies of many high-profile projects and allowed users to select from a menu what they wanted to burn to a blank they supplied. On-demand content, they get to keep it, and the kiosk could keep itself updated. All of the benefit, but none of the risk, unless of course someone manages to burn a disk on a day when a bug was in the tree. If the content is freely reproducible, why should they have to bring it back, or even worse... incur FINES! then it would no longer be free (as in beer).
Re:No thanks. (Score:2)
Re:No thanks. (Score:2)
You've missed the point. The poster considers that adhering to this policy will cause more ill will among patrons than good will, and the overall effect of the program will be negative.
In addition to the question of goodwill, the overall material effect might be negative, if you're just giving patrons a tool to wipe out their computers. Support needs to accompany this sort of thing, which is why it's better handled by the local LUG.
Re:No thanks. (Score:2)
Re:No thanks. (Score:2)
Your argument is, to prevent the unsatisfied patrons who could not make it work because of their own problems, you simply stop circulating the CD-ROMs. This is an excuse for laziness.
Using your argument, libraries should just close their doors, to prevent less literated patrons complaining they cannot read the books available, because they have expectation they can read all books on the shelves. That's an excuse for not doing anything. What's worse, this is exactly doing a dis
Re:No thanks. (Score:2)
You raise good points, but unless you also work in a library IT department, I suspect the parent poster probably knows the requirements and limitations of his world better than we do.
try in their own vcr/DVD player in front of the customer. If it works, it's the customer's problem.
How do you propose testing something like a RedHat install CD? For the latest movie, you just pop it in and verify it plays a few seconds. For a Linux distro, you'd need to go through a full in
Re:No thanks. (Score:2)
Do you honestly believe having one demo machine that shows the software working is going to placate
Re:No thanks. (Score:2)
Bah. Spoken like someone who has never been responsible for budgeting their time, let alone the time of an entire staff.
Keep in mind, the people solving these problems are getting paid by the hour, and there is a real cost associated with spending time on these things. With budget cutbacks affecting libraries around the count
Re:No thanks. (Score:2)
Its called knowing your customer.
>The clerks would try in their own vcr/DVD player in front of the customer. If it works, it's the customer's problem. You can do the same thing in the library.complaining they cannot read the books available, because they have expectation they can read all books on the shelves.
You goin
Notes (Score:2)
1) He says: Going into the future, I see the huge amount of power that magazines with CDs on their covers now have. There is at least one Linux magazine in the United Kingdom that has a DVD case with a CD inside glued to each issue, so I think that's what he's talking about.
2) I'm a raving Debian fan, but I hope he's also providing easy-to-install distros like Mandrake.
3) Once Progeny gets the Red Hat "Anaconda" installer wo
libraries use the software (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:libraries use the software (Score:5, Informative)
Re:libraries use the software (Score:3, Informative)
There are no such strings attached to the Gates Foundation computers. The only requirement is that you provide internet access with them.
We even got an optional "internet server". I told them straight up I would wipe it clean & make it a Debian/Apache/PHP/Squid box to replace the current one. That was cool with them... they just wouldn't support that software. They didn't even blink. Didn't care. As long as it was put t
There is a SourceForge project for this. (Score:3, Informative)
What to and How to distribute via libraries (Score:2, Interesting)
Negative rights only, please (Score:3, Insightful)
On the CD I donated, I also included the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It states, in Article 26, "Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free at least in the elementary and fundamental stages
I'm a libertarian, so I don't agree with this, at least as worded.
A "right" is something that you must always be granted, no matter what. If you look at the Bill of Rights in the US Constitution, you will find they are rights to be left alone: the right to free speech (no one can silence you), the right to not have to testify against yourself, etc. These are "negative" rights, your right to be left alone. (You will notice a right to own and carry weapons, but no mention of where you will get them; no one has any obligation to provide them to you.)
If you have a "right" to education, where does it come from? Do you have a right to grab a teacher and make that teacher teach you? How does your "right" to education compare with a teacher's right to decide what he or she wants to do? What happens if not enough people choose to be teachers -- do we need to force some people to be teachers to guarantee that there are enough teachers for everyone?
I would agree with wording that says "Education is important, and society should make education a priority." I'd even agree with a right to own educational materials. But I don't see how you can make a "right" to education really work, unless the word "right" doesn't mean what I think it does.
Here's a good essay about this:
http://libertarian.typepad.com/independent/2003/1
steveha
Re:Negative rights only, please (Score:2)
Re:Negative rights only, please (Score:2)
steveha
Re:Negative rights only, please (Score:3, Insightful)
well, according to you:
"...Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It states, in Article 26,..."
Where do ALLL rights come from? a piece of paper that a body of people i.e. government, backs.
Where does it come from? Taxes... ewwww.. I'll say it again TAXES. Now a third time to really piss of libertarians; taxes.
That right, thing that benefit most people should be paid for by most people.
Everybody benefits from education.
"Do you have a right
Re:Negative rights only, please (Score:2)
Wow! I'm pretty sure you don't mean that! If I don't get it on paper, from my government, it's not a right? So in a dictatorship, there really isn't a right to free speech?
I reject that. Certain rights are inherent.
Everybody benefits from education.
That's nice. I even agree. But it doesn't really work to make education a "right".
Here's another good essay on the subject:
http://www.libertyhaven.com/pe [libertyhaven.com]
Re:Negative rights only, please (Score:2)
Of course not. I support the right to not have other people prevent you from getting education. That's a negative right.
Most of the rights a libertarian supports boil down to the right to be left alone. Forbidding education to women is not the same as leaving women alone.
steveha
Library CD problems (Score:4, Insightful)
Quite frankly, with open source material and high speed connections at many libraries, I doubt that trying to convince them to find a way to catalog and loan out open source software is the way to go. Some better steps would be to get rid of, or at least repair, the annoying software they install on their systems so that you could at least download files to a pen drive or hard drive attached to the USB port. Another nice addition would be a CD writer or two in the library (these things are so cheap now they are often "free after rebate" items, certainly a public library could afford a couple). They might even make a modest profit if they also offered blank media at a small cost. This could encourage people to get the open source sofware right for them, not old copies of dated stuff on the shelfs or worse stuck away in a drawer somewhere or "lost".
Of course, I'm not sure that very many people who would use the public library as a source of open source software would not have the high speed access already, but if the original claim is that open source software should be available through the library I think there are better ways to go than to convince them to put a few CD's in their collection.
Don't check them out, give 'em away (Score:5, Informative)
We just dropped off about 300 free CDs at the Berkeley Public Library last week (stop by the Info Desk for a copy), during some recent events [pglaf.org]. As others have pointed out, libraries don't really want to catalog and manage stuff, nor do they want to worry about broken and scratched CDs. So, give 'em a spindle of 100 burned CDs or DVDs and let these discs walk out the door!
There are a lot of challenges to making this work truly smoothly (like the cost of putting a nice label on the CD, and troubles with competing DVD formats that don't always read correctly, and who's willing to burn them), but if the goal is to get content "out there," why bother with lending when it only costs a few cents to just give away a CD?
At Gutenberg, we're trying to start a volunteer-based effort that will let anyone request one of our CDs or DVDs via a Web form, then we'll send it to them by postal mail -- free! For a few hours of volunteers' time per month, and minimal costs (donated or reimbursed), why not!
Speaking as a library tech person (Score:2)
You want to make a positive contribution -- volunteer your tech skills at your lo
Re:Speaking as a library tech person (Score:2, Interesting)
This is not specifying LINUX!!! READ the article!! (Score:2, Informative)
In the cited articles, the products listed included Freeduc, OpenOffice, Gimp, and others. It was also stated that the software packages were installed and tested on a variety of systems, including Mac OSX, Win9x, Win2k, and WinXP.
OpenOffice, for one, is available for Windows as well as Linux.
This entire article is about OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE. There are OSS products available for non-Linux platforms.
That's
Try University Libraries and LOC (Score:3, Informative)
OS/GPL software has an initial general target audience "The Desktop".
I suggest, in the USA, obtain a LOC ISSN [http://www.loc.gov/issn] listing as an annual "Open Source" software reference on CD/DVD media with an abstract description of a desktop OS Linux distribution with appropriate supporting GPL desktop software for YYYY. Then again a different path may be more appropriate (like a periodical) check under the LOC Cataloging Programs and services [http://lcweb.loc.gov/catdir].
Donations of OS/GPL software references (listed in the LOC catalog) to university and community college libraries, in the USA, may be accepted as a gift to the library and checked out by students, professors,
University students are more likely (I think) to discover value in OS/GPL software, and maybe even request the university library obtain the most up to date releases of the Linux kernel and other OS/GPL applications. Well, where would educational institution libraries obtain free (or media cost) OS products for their shelves and loaning to students?
OldHawk777
Reality is a self-induced hallucination.
Authentic People prefer dominion over the moment, a place, and self.
Authentic People plant seeds of human evolution, destiny, and envy.
Primitives will always enviously try to raze the dream and ideal.
_ Plutocrat Tyrants prefer judicial jeopardy to honorable death.
_ Plutocrat Megalomaniacs prefer death before public recognition.
_ Plutocrat Capitalist prefer a debased public to civilization.
_ Trivial Denizens prefer a sullied public to honorable endeavor.
Library? Ha! Supermarket shelves! (Score:2)
Here is my idea, and I hearby place it the public domain for all to steal... er... implement.
Put OSS on breakfast food boxes. Seriously. I've seen breakfast cereal boxes with CDs bound to them... games and so forth, so why not OSS? Think about the Wheaties(tm) box, with pictures of athletes on it. Only we put famous OSS programmers on it. Linus,
Re:Library? Ha! Supermarket shelves! (Score:2)
why didnt he use The Open CD? (Score:2, Insightful)
Who wants it? (Score:3, Insightful)
Most people don't even know what an operating system -- hell, don't even know what "Windows" is.
A service like this would be of very little appeal and I would imagine the machine hosting this service would start gathering dust and would be used only once every few months.
Basically, it's a waste of time -- the effort would be better spent getting Linux into schools and such.
Windows (Score:2)
Not software per se, but... (Score:2)
Print "May Be Loaned By Libraries" on CD's Label (Score:2, Informative)
In South Australia, we once got
a local library to buy one of the
low-priced, multi-CD-ROM BERKS sets.
('can't find a URL for the UK-based
guy who published those CD-ROM's)
First, there was the question of
whether the disk-set could even
be housed in a library, where
others might use, borrow them.
They apparently have a central
purchasing department to decide
that, based on the license of the
items under consideration.
It took quite a while to decide
to buy a set or two (for several
lib
Errr, Big Fat Hairy Deal? (Score:2)
If you have old distros that are still in good shape and complete, go to your local library and ask if they'd like it for their collection. If they say 'no', sell them at the next garage sale.
Re:Why? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Other evangelism projects (Score:2)
You'd probably be okay putting up a flyer on telephone poles, though.
-Elentar
Re:Other evangelism projects (Score:2)
Santa Cruz, California. Which, now that Arnie is at the helm, IS becoming more totalitarian...
Seriously, though, if a person was loitering around outside school grounds, someone would call the police here and they'd be told to move along. Especially a scary geek character like the ones that caused all the havoc at Columbine. :-P
Even church groups would have a hard time sticking around, here - there's a lot of militant anti-church people in
Re:Other evangelism projects (Score:2)
The default assumption will be that your giveaway is not on the level, and that's a pure security stand because schools are now very hardened against intrusion of all kinds. If you want your CDs distributed, you'll have to go through the school administration. It's not impossible, commercial intere
Re:Schools and Open Source (Score:2)
I'd be willing to take the required time to teach C programming and such to the kids who want to really learn about computers, but the schools just won't allow it; it's sad, really.