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[Manchester] Notes for May 26th Fellowship meeting
by Sam Tuke 01 Jun '11

01 Jun '11

On May 26th the second meeting took place of the Manchester Fellowship group. We had a productive discussion primarily focused on four topics. Various action items resulted, including a PDF Readers UK campaign sprint proposed for Saturday 25th June. These notes reflect what was agreed. I shall forward the section on Okay Computer to other concerned lists. = Meeting notes = == Leaflet ideas == - existing UK leaflet is better to libraries than the Nortern Quarter - we should also distribute leaflets at the universities - we should design a second more catchy leaflet which relates to Free Software oriented groups and events in Manchester - pictures? Leafleting in some parts of Manchester is very competitive, getting people's attention is difficult - groups to be listed on new leaflet = Manchester Free Software, OKC, FSFE - events to be listed when they are upcoming = Software Freedom Day, uCubed - Anna will mail draft 'sputnik' design to the manchester(a)lists.fsfe.org list == Publicly accessible list of Free Software related community groups in Manchester == - there has been existing discussion on Manchester Free Software list and blackpool list, idea for central website with list of Manchester / NW groups with links to their mailing lists, simon suggested Northwest digital (nwdc) website - Simon will enquire about changes to nwdc site - addition of a wiki? - Sam will make a Fellowship wiki page of Manchester Free Software groups (like NWDC) in any case; can compliment existing resources (check wiki accounts can be created by public) - we shall reconvene on situation at next fellowship meeting == PDF Readers campaign in the UK == - add Salford council to list of UK bugs - We should organise a PDF Readers UK bug spring with the following activities: - find new UK 'bugs' and reporting them - contact outstanding UK organisations after new bugs have been added - Anna will invite friends and associates 'waifs and strays' - sam will post announcement to post to Manchester Free Software list, opendata list, possibly - provisional date for event: Sat 25th June - what about people without laptops? Anna will bring two laptops - Anna will arrange food for the event == Okay Computer == - has its own infrastructure - website, mailing list - participation will be open to supportive individuals and organisations, including FSFE Fellowship, Manchester Free Software, and LUGs - the next event will be more open up to other distributions, including wider variety of demos and disks - attendees will be provided with information on using remote community support effectively so that they rely less on support from local support after the event == Church and wider community events == - Anna will try to arrange a formal meeting with a local church group regarding a Free Software event, will report back next meeting - Possible opportunities for other Free Software events / stalls: - Greenbelt festival, on bank holiday weekend in August - 'Inspire' in Levenshulme church community space - free of charge rooms, they're looking for volunteer training in IT - Thameside Topaz, had adult edu week == Developing resources to appeal to third sector organisations == - feedback from Chorlton festival: sometimes charities need proof of stability, especially when they're using old donated hardware - 'open source options for government' paper can be useful to charities in choosing solutions - due to funding cuts Free Software is potentially very important to third sector right now - good networking hubs are volunteer centres for charities - discuss on fellowship-uk which resources to invest time in producing - how to appeal to third sector organisations is complex, need to involve at least national group in strategy, maybe have IRC meeting soon? Thanks, Sam. -- Sam Tuke British Team Coordinator Free Software Foundation Europe IM : samtuke(a)jabber.fsfe.org Contact the British team: uk(a)fsfeurope.org

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[Manchester] Weekly report for Sam Tuke (week 21)
by Sam Tuke 01 Jun '11

01 Jun '11

= Summary = During this week I primarily spent time on tasks relating to the monthly Manchester Fellowship meeting. I also publishing the May interview which took considerable time. = Detail = During three days working for FSFE I did the following: == Policy == - Collected and emailed a London Council a summary of the latest responses to enquiries made last week pursuant to aiding their deployment of Ubuntu on desktop machines == Editors == - Edited, formatted, published, and promoted May Fellowship interview - Provided feedback to interviewer - Discussed options relating to syndication of audio version of future interviews by podcasts == Community == - Emailed contacts in Scotland regarding potential venues for upcoming RMS tour - Had meeting with organiser of local installfest group, required some preparation to view presentations with dependencies - Managed community reaction to Fellowship group's association with upcoming Manchester installfest == Fellowship == - Sent reminders regarding Fellowship meeting on the 28th - Spent considerable time printing leaflets on local printer - Prepared detailed agenda and notes for Fellowship meeting. Topics: - status of existing UK leaflet, with examples - creation of new leaflet relating to all Manchester FS related groups - status of PDF Readers in the UK, proposed sprint in Manchester - upcoming installfest in Manchester - developing resources to appeal to third sector organisations - Made arrangements to meet new fellow during an upcoming visit == Other == - Added new contacts to press-release-uk@ list == Web == - Continued to contribute to proposal of tag-based breadcrumbs for fsfe.org - Proposed use of meetbot on FSFE IRC meetings == Preview == - Continue to monitor contributions to Open Source Options for Government paper - Publish notes taken at Fellowship meeting to all concerned lists and groups - Collect contacts made from enquiries on behalf of a London Council into a list or wiki for future use - Contact other community groups regarding appointment Executive Director of Digital - Organise PDF Readers sprint; venue, send notifications, prepare materials - Start work on Manchester specific leaflet, if time allows - Start documenting freedombox applications in preparation for my talk in July, if time allows - Continue development of resources for third sector, if time allows -- Sam Tuke British Team Coordinator Free Software Foundation Europe IM : samtuke(a)jabber.fsfe.org Contact the British team: uk(a)fsfeurope.org

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[Manchester] Guardian newspaper education 'Powerpoints'
by Sam Tuke 31 May '11

31 May '11

I noticed in The Guardian's educational supplement last week [1] that the free of charge teaching materials that they make available to teachers are Powerpoint files, and are unnecessarily referred to as 'Powerpoints' rather than presentations or slide-shows: "you can now find a one-hour PowerPoint lesson that can be used both in the classroom and at home" "The PowerPoint gives children the information and vocabulary to devise their own challenging science questions" This presents an opportunity to contact the journalist concerned, and copy in the Guardian's education desk, reminding them of Open Documents, Open Standards, and their particular importance to education. It could also help develop press relations with this important newspaper, which hosts annual conferences on education and public sector technology amongst other things. What do you think would be the best way to approach the issue in our message? Who do you think the message should be from (edu team, UK team)? Please contribute to ideas and the draft itself before the end of this week. Thanks, Sam. 1. http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/apr/11/space-travel-guardian-teach… -- Sam Tuke British Team Coordinator Free Software Foundation Europe IM : samtuke(a)jabber.fsfe.org Contact the British team: uk(a)fsfeurope.org

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[Manchester] IMPORTANT: okay computer list sign up.
by Anna Morris 31 May '11

31 May '11

Dear all, Due to popular demand and general sensibleness, we now have a mailing list for okay_computer! This list will be for organizers and attendees alike, so everyone can muck in together: anyone, from any group and of any skill level is *welcome! * *For organizers:* this list will be the place where all organizational issues are discussed, and all the planning will happen. Its really important that you sign up, because okay_computer planning will no longer be happening on your other lists. This should save us all a lot of bother I think! : ) *For attendees:* this list will keep you informed and help you to contribute your ideas, time and muscle to future events. It will give you a good place to get technical advise or assistance, and will be a good place for you to learn more about free software. So, who ever you are, please do come join this list and get involved. If we all work together, we can all help make okay computer bigger, better, freeer and more welcoming than ever! *How to join the list,* click on the link below and put your details in the boxes as asked. Then, click "subscribe." You will get an email in your in-box noting your request, and then another asking you to confirm. Once you have confirmed (by following the instructions in the email) you are then on the list. http://pielists.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/okay_computer If you are an active member of a specific group, it might be helpful for you to put then name of the group along side your user name. For example: Bob Smith - FSFE, or Josephine Blogs - ManLug. This helps people (like me and novice attendees) who are not so familiar with all the groups, to get to know more about the free software (et. al.) scene in the north west : ) *How to use the list:* If you want to send an email to the list, you need to use the list address like a normal email. The list email address is: okay_computer(a)pielists.net . Your email message will then automatically go to everyone else on the list, and they can all reply, and everyone will see their reply too! Its like a big email conversation. If *you *want to reply to an email, make sure you click "reply to all" (not just "reply) because otherwise you may be replying to one person and not everyone. Sometimes you might just want to talk to one person however: this is called an "offlist email." In this instance, use "reply" or their normal personal email address. Lists can be a bit overwhelming if you are new to them, but never fear, you will get used to it all very quickly, and help its always at hand. If you * are* new, watch especially for replies WITHIN the text of your original email. For example *Anna(a)email.co.uk *said I think we should have more vegan cakes this time, they were really lush. * bob(a)email.co.uk* replied >I think we should have more vegan cakes this time, they were really lush* * Yes, I agree, lushalicious cake mmmm! *Thanks for reading* I hope to see many of you on list sometime soon! Yours faithfully Miss Anna F J Morris Birth Mother of Okay_Computer -- "There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer, divine dissatisfaction; a blessed unrest that keeps us marching..." Martha Graham

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[Manchester] Hello All
by Anna Morris 31 May '11

31 May '11

Hi, I am new on this list, so for those of you that don't (yet!) know me: My name is Anna, I am 25, I live a cumbersome 8 miles from the city. I organized Okay_Computer <http://www.okaycomputer.org/> which has very recently shifted from being supported primarily by MFS, to yourselves (last fsfe - M meeting). I will be organizing many more of this fab events with your help (yay!) and lovely people from lots of other groups too. I am not a "techie" but am very passionate about free software. I am a writer, a vegan, massive nerd, a campaigner for/against many things, I am a carer for my partner Joe who is ill, I love doctor who, star trek, disaster movies and all thinks sucker punch, I have 4 cats, 1 rabbit, 2 fish and more books than pennies in the bank. That me : ) Nice to meet you, do introduce yourselves if you have time : D -- "There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer, divine dissatisfaction; a blessed unrest that keeps us marching..." Martha Graham

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[Manchester] Reminder: Manchester Fellowship meeting tomorrow at 19.00
by Sam Tuke 25 May '11

25 May '11

Tomorrow the May Manchester Fellowship meeting will take place at MadLab: http://madlab.org.uk/content/fsfe/ See past emails for proposed items for discussion. Best wishes, Sam. -- Sam Tuke British Team Coordinator Free Software Foundation Europe IM : samtuke(a)jabber.fsfe.org Contact the British team: uk(a)fsfeurope.org

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[Manchester] Weekly report for Sam Tuke (week 20)
by Sam Tuke 25 May '11

25 May '11

During three days working for FSFE I did the following: == Policy == - Published news item re: contributions to 'Open Source Options for Government' paper (syndicated by OSOR here: http://www.osor.eu/news/eu-uk- fsfe-appeals-for-information-on-oss-deployments) - Dented details of contributing to said govt. paper - Emailed fellowship-uk@ and manchester@ mailing lists re said govt. paper - Summarised news of new UK Govt. position 'Executive Director of Digital' to UK team, proposed action regarding this new appointment - Contacted a variety of organisations requesting details of companies able to support a London council's migration to GNU/Linux desktops - Emailed aforementioned London council with updates regarding my enquiries concerning assistance for their migration == Editors == - Proposed questions for May Fellowship interview to Chris Woolfrey - Proposed next steps with Free Software section to web@, proposed opening drafting process to editors team and defining vision for section == Community == - Emailed UK team re: making use of network of 'circuit riders': voluntary technical support and developers for UK based third sector organisations - Attended Manchester Free Software meeting on 'Puppet'. Discussed political contacts for Free Software with other attendees after the meeting. - Engaged in extensive communications with leader of local installfest group, discussed next group event, invited them to next Fellowship meeting - Dented article from fsfeuk account: 'Govt OSS Policy: resilient as a snowflake in June ' - Dented article from fsfeuk account: 'International alarm rings over UK ICT policy' - Dented article from fsfeuk account: 'Summary of today’s National Audit Office report on £11.4bn NHS IT scheme' - Dented article from fsfeuk account: 'MPs pooh-pooh happy clappy ICT strategy' == Fellowship == - Emailed proposed topics of discussion to Manchester Fellowship group for this week's meeting - Proposed improvements to communication mechanisms with Fellows to fellowship@ - Provided a UK Fellow with background information and extensive links to details of FRAND, Open Standards, and procurement. - Achieved access to current draft of Edu team mission statement and forwarded it to a UK fellow for their research == Other == - Contacted system hackers regarding improved spam handling on mailing-lists via use of mailman's spam folder and configuration of mail clients to upload spam messages to server - Debugged shared office Canon photocopier (it doesn't support GNU/Linux). Found solution using virtualbox, documented it and shared it. - Contacted edu team re: publication of mission statement - Forwarded new t-shirt and flyer designs in response to request on designers@ == Web == - Contributed ideas to discussion on reformatting of 'our work' page - Assisted a deputy coordinator in accessing FSFE's track instance - Notified fellowship@ of out of date 'communicate' page, sought commit access to SVN, made enquiries about status of migration of fellowship.fsfe.org to fsfe.org/fellowship - Contributed to debate on privacy of MoinMoin - Added Paul Adams to listed team members on uk.fsfe.org - Contacted UK team members not currently listed on uk.fsfe.org, requested permission to add them - Proposed new tag based breadcrumbs system for fsfe.org, outlined idea and engaged in discussion on web@ regarding this proposal - Implemented Martin Gollowitzer's suggestions for improving mailman message moderation on uk team list == Preview == - Monitor latest contributions to Open Source Options for Government paper - Make preparations for Thursday Fellowship meeting - research PDFR UK campaign current status - Continue enquiries on behalf of London council - Write article about appointment of new Executive Director of Digital? - Lunch meeting with leader of local installfest group - Print UK leaflets for Fellowship group (technical problems prevented this last week) -- Sam Tuke British Team Coordinator Free Software Foundation Europe IM : samtuke(a)jabber.fsfe.org Contact the British team: uk(a)fsfeurope.org

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[Manchester] Meeting 19.00 this Thursday at Madlab
by Sam Tuke 21 May '11

21 May '11

On Thursday the May Manchester Fellowship meeting will take place at MadLab: http://madlab.org.uk/content/fsfe/ Proposed topics: 1. Leaflets - views on content and next steps in distributing them. I shall bring the leaflets with me as previously discussed. 2. PDF Readers - the current status of the campaign in the UK, how many British public sector institutions are still advertising proprietary PDF software and if and how Manchester Fellows want to get involved 3. OK Computer - Anna Morris will be in attendance and exchange ideas for the next 'OK Computer' Free Software install day and determine participants 4. Getting Free Software into the third sector - how we can improve out-reach to charities and non-profit organisations in Manchester, what resources we need to develop (I've been working on a few), whether we should run or attend particular events etc. Please share your Comments, criticisms, and improvements to these proposed topics, and / or suggest new ones! Looking forward to seeing you on Thursday, Sam. -- Sam Tuke British Team Coordinator Free Software Foundation Europe IM : samtuke(a)jabber.fsfe.org Contact the British team: uk(a)fsfeurope.org

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[Manchester] Circuit riders - gateway to Free Software in 3rd sector?
by Sam Tuke 21 May '11

21 May '11

In the last Manchester Fellowship meeting we briefly discussed out-reach to third sector organisations. Whilst working on a separate issue this morning I stumbled across the UK's 'circuit rider' network. Is anyone familiar with these groups, their relationship with Free Software and Open Standards, or events or meetings which they have? They appear to offer a prime gateway for Free Software in charities and non- profits, and there is at least one national mailing-list with more than 400 members. http://ukriders.lasa.org.uk/what-is-a-circuit-rider/ http://ukriders.lasa.org.uk/ Thanks, Sam. -- Sam Tuke British Team Coordinator Free Software Foundation Europe IM : samtuke(a)jabber.fsfe.org Contact the British team: uk(a)fsfeurope.org

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[Manchester] Help to write UK govt. guide for Free Software in the public sector
by Sam Tuke 18 May '11

18 May '11

Please help to write the Government's paper "Open Source Options for Government": http://etherpad.fsfe.org/zaKDgMacMd This paper will be used in the UK public sector to: a. Inform the design of new IT solutions b. Suggest opportunities for IT service or solution refreshes c. Challenge a proposed solution that does not use open source technology The Home Office has asked FSFE to contribute our expertise. Here we a have an opportunity to add compelling evidence for Free Software applications which could influence future UK public sector procurement decisions. In short, the better this paper is, the more likely it is that public money could be spent on using Free rather than proprietary software. FSFE's UK team has already done preliminary work on version 0.1 of the document, but more is needed, particularly details of real world deployments of applications which are already listed, and also Free Software alternatives to dominant proprietary systems in particular fields (medical record management, for example). It's authors at the home office have unfortunately chosen to use Google Docs as the drafting platform, and I don't want to encourage people to register with Google in order to make their contributions. Therefore I have created an FSFE hosted etherpad to collect your input at the address above.<http://etherpad.fsfe.org/zaKDgMacMd> I will later submit the contributions that are made on the etherpad to Tariq Rashid (Lead Architect at the Home Office) so that he can add them to the Google Document. Kind regards, Sam. -- Sam Tuke British Team Coordinator Free Software Foundation Europe IM :samtuke@jabber.fsfe.org Contact the British team:uk@fsfeurope.org

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