Ubuntu-ZA participation: monthly themes

(also posted to the ubuntu-za list – reply there if appropriate)

Ubuntu-ZA Participation

I’d like to propose that we pick an area of participation in Ubuntu South Africa each month for six months, and during that month we put as much as we can into discussing and moving that theme, or topic, forwards.

The topics I have in mind are (in no specific order):

• Education
• Small Business
• Software Development
• System Administrators
• Spreading Ubuntu in South Africa
• [insert your idea here!]

The Goal

By the end of that month, the goal would be to achieve the following:

• Identify those in our community who are active or interested in this area – by introducing ourselves on the mailing list
• Identify the relevant needs and issues we face (e.g. skills in administering a school network, or a small business server, etc)
• Identify people in the community who can meet those needs or offer relevant services for a fee
• Nominate a person to act as the team leader for that area to continue promoting relevant activities in our community
• Report back to Ubuntu South Africa and the global Ubuntu community the results of the month’s activities (https://wiki.ubuntu.com/TeamReports)

After six months, we’ll have Software Freedom Day in September, and this year we’ll be prepared in advance and coordinate activities with relevant LUGs and see if we can’t get some rockin’ events happening (with Karl to lead the way at Sandton Convention Centre)!

Your Mission

Please contribute topic/theme ideas, and choose one to start with for March. Here are more details on some of the topics I listed above to show what I mean:

Education

Within our community we have:

• Educators
• People running IT infrastructure for education
• Students and Learners
• Developers of educational software or content

Issues: Why use Ubuntu instead of Microsoft’s educational pricing? How to run a school network? How to convert to Ubuntu? Who are the experts and service providers in Edubuntu / LTSP / thin client networks? Where does Ubuntu not meet people’s needs?

Small Business

• Small business owners
• Small business IT people (often the same people)
• IT providers servicing small businesses

Issues: How to do X/Y/Z with Ubuntu? Setting up a small business server? Integration with non-free software… Document format compatibility… Who to call on if it breaks…

Software Development

• Developing desktop software for/on Ubuntu
• Ubuntu as a development platform for the web