Re: tlug: Net Day

["Stephen J. Turnbull" <turnbull@example.com>]

>>>>> "Scott" == Scott Stone <sstone@example.com> writes:

    Scott> On Tue, 17 Mar 1998, Uc^ida Masatomo wrote:
    >> Hello, everybody.  TLUG New Server is working fine. I've
    >> accessed from three providers, (Hi-ho,Asahi-net,marinet).  I
    >> wonder if we can do similar things again (Setting up real Linux
    >> server). Nearly one year ago I read on a magazine that in
    >> California there's a day called 'Net Day'. On this day
    >> volunteers go to schools and help setting up networks.  If
    >> somebody knows better, please elaborate about this activity.

This seems to be associated with President Clinton's "wire the
schools" initiative.  In the current issue of the Communications of
the ACM there's a perspective on why educational software (as opposed
to "edutainment") sucks from the perspective of both users and
authors.  It basically comes down to (what else) financial
constraints.  Schools get a very limited amount of money, and are
basically evaluated on pupils' average score on standardized tests.
This results in the following priorities:

1.  Textbooks that directly address curriculum goals.
2.  Auxiliary materials that directly address curriculum goals.
3.  Neat stuff.

Unfortunately, textbooks are far more cost-effective than CD-ROMs so
they get 90%.  The neat stuff gets zero.  But....

If you can put a sticker with a legislator's name on it, it can get
funding.  So buildings and computer _hardware_ get special exceptions
to the above list.  But who's going to run them?  Who's going to
plug the things into the net?  Not American ed school grads, who
generally can neither add a new software package nor a new peripheral
(read "mouse pad") to their box without f**king up.

Solution?  Volunteers!  "Net Day."  Bummer.  Why "bummer"?  'Cause the 
volunteers go away on yokojitsu, leaving boxes gathering black Tsukuba
dust.  I've seen them in the local elementary school, easily 1,000,000 
yen worth of NeXTStation and FM-Towns, sitting on a shelf.

It won't be much different in the US in most schools.

    >> I propose TLUG do same things. In case a couple of members
    >> second my proposal, let's promote at our homepage.

    >> Here's an example.  TLUG are happy to help setting up Linux
    >> Server in Kanto Area.  We are non-profitable organization. So
    >> we do this set-up without charge. Note you need personal
    >> computer and nearly 40000 yen to keep permanent connection.

(1) We should roust old Ryuu-kun (you know, the PM) into paying for
this.  Hell, maybe we can get Nomura Shoken to fund a 2.5 million yen
reception for the kickoff event.

(2) Setup is _not_ the issue.  Maintenance is.  If we're not willing
to run those servers, they'll die.  I've sounded out the four local
schools (2 sho, 1 chu, 1 ko) near me; they don't want it.  One
difference between Japanese priorities and American ones is that the
Japanese schools target nationwide tests, making textbooks more
profitable than in the US where scale economies stop at the state
level.  A second difference is that Japanese parents take standardized
tests very seriously.  The teachers know that computers will only get
in the way until the o-taku start writing the tests.

What might work is targeting the PTAs.  Hmmm.  I'll think about this.

We should also see about getting hardware and ISP donations.  That
would be a service.

    Scott> What benefit do we get out of this?  I say we *should*

_Linux boxes on the 'Net_.  With TLUG in the Webmaster slot on every
page.  'Nuff said, deshou.

    Scott> charge a fee and put the money into the club funds to buy
    Scott> stuff for the club's server, for meetings, etc.

Killjoy :-)

In general, it's a bad idea to charge a fee for anything you don't
plan to warranty.
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