Thanks Alan and Derek, I agree completely. I'm going to be taking RSVP's from interested users to guage our attendance, and call for more volunteers. For the first few times, I'd like to get more volunteers in than is required for installs proper, so we can dream up and set up the Cool Things [tm] for future installfests, like the demo home or business setups, the file server, etc. Technomage, bring that equipment like you said, we'll get something set up. Also come to the next Stammtisch Tue 5/18. You said you needed a couple of extra hard drives? Home demo: We could install and network one of the 'easy' distros, I say Mandrake. Then get the big three, web, e-mail, and offices, working, and also put a Samba on a secondary hard drive, and set it up as a backup for the home directories. Is there an easy GUI method packaged in either Fedora or Mandrake to make crons? It would be most impressive if you could say, "this is my SO's machine". For business type machines: if you're setting up a guest account, how about setting up three, and install PHP groupware and Jabber on it, and a generic 'brochure' type web page. These can be a real eye-opener. They can see they can have a secure web server which also gets their people together quickly for very cheap. The next business machine will be a windows setup with a central Samba on Linux. The other business machine would be an LTSP, for instances when they want lots of terminals for clerks for data entry. We could cite that one eyeglasses store (which???) as an example. Best would be a windows app that is visible on the remote terminal. Again, pipe dream!! Over the next few months, all these need to be ready and available to dump in your car and go. 'we need someone to see the LTSP! Call Techno!' wham, go. Regarding ec's rant. I'm going to encourage interested users to RSVP, and ask if they have any special interests. If someone says, "I'm researching Linux for my business", my response will be "why?". Then, after listening, I'll call for a volunteer. Just like ec said, we should have volunteers with computers ready to just pick up and go. Reliably having an event and being ready for some things will get the decision-making suits to the event. As far as marketing: Hans should put the posting on the plug and AZOTO website, of course. But those places don't expand any further than the readership of this mailing list. It sure won't cover the decision-making suits. I'm also going to put press releases to AZIPA, Arizona Technology Council, and the major newspapers. Just a simple e-mail, and they put you on their calendar. AzTech has a very regular e-mail that lists all the tech events and tech-related chamber of commerce events, it's very popular. People look in the newspapers for all sorts of things, so the blurb in the events column helps. I'm also going to make monthly anouncements on the PC Chat radio show, 1310AM 19:00-20:00, starting today in the last quarter of the hour (the extra-geeky portion. I'll probably do it every week this month, then do it on the radio show 9 days before the event). BTW, I haven't heard many to volunteer to be an installer or a Cool Thing [tm] builder. Please RSVP me! [volunteers] technomage L5 L1 Anthony Milbauer L1 Alan Dayley What level are you, techno? :) -- --Alexander --------------------------------------------------- PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change you mail settings: http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss