Maryland Team Presentation to CMUG

[ChuckFrain]

What a great evening!

The Ubuntu Maryland LoCo Team was invited to the Central Maryland Users Group to give our “Why Ubutnu?” presentation.

Joel was our speaker. John was there with a demo machine that doubled as a repository and Craig had the monitor and networking gear to tie my presentation laptop together with John’s machine.

As their meeting was getting underway we did our configurations to get the computers networked together. Our gear worked without any major problems. We simply had to make the small config modifications that you always do when you’re setting machines to work together for the first time.

During the break after their group topics and discussion, we gave out our handouts and Gutsy Gibbon CDs. I connected in my laptop to the projector and got set up. After resuming Joel got up and did a wonderful job of talking and answering questions. It’s great that we have such a natural presenter as a part of our team.

After the talk we did some demos. We installed a game from the repo server, took a screen shot with the provided utility as that topic had come up in discussion by one of the CMUG members. Craig was able to display the ability to just launch a python engine by request and begin a project. Rather impressive considering he did it on my laptop, I’m not a programmer and it showed that Ubuntu does have much of what you want by default. We had other discussions, answered some general questions, and really pushed the boundaries of the host sites ‘must be out by 10pm rule’. Afterwards John and I joined some of the members for appetizers and drinks at Uno’s Pizzeria and discussed Ubuntu,Windows, and computing topics until about midnight.

We learned a few things, one of them being that if you want to use a Sprint EVDO card for internet access and a local wifi connection without internet, you have to set up the routing properly. We have to get our presentation signals down a little better for the next slide, time, etc. My laptop has to be better configured to use a second monitor/projector with a keystroke rather than a reboot.

We also discussed among ourselves scheduling the next Install Fest. Our plan right now is to have it in late January, probably the last weekend of the month. More on that later.

[rhoderickj]

Sounds like it was fun. I'm glad it went well. Joel, you rock. We're very lucky to have you as a part of the team.

What was the response like? Were people impressed or apathetic?

[ChuckFrain]

Overall I got the impression that people were impressed with the abilities and where Linux in general has come to today. I talked with several people who indicated that they were going to be giving the live CD a try at least and a few asking how to install.

[parma1]

I thought it went pretty well. Only one guy was clearly asleep (head back, mouth open!) but he asked me questions afterward. (Maybe a medical condition.)

Hey, I shouldn't have driven off so fast. I didn't realize people were going somewhere afterwards.

-J.

[rhoderickj]

Overall I got the impression that people were impressed with the abilities and where Linux in general has come to today. I talked with several people who indicated that they were going to be giving the live CD a try at least and a few asking how to install.

I received an e-mail today from one of the audience members. I'm not quite sure why it was sent to my e-mail address.

Josh

I was at the CMUG meeting at Florence Bain this week where 3 folks from your group presented Ubuntu and gave out CDs.

I installed it on a Windows machine - maybe 5 yrs old? - pentium 3, 512 megs ram where win98se could only boot to safemode and we have decided to buy a new computer. So nothing to lose.

The computer works GREAT under Ubuntu. (We'll still buy a new laptop).

I love Ubuntu and want to learn more about it and plan to come to your Dec 20 meeting.

Question - can I install Wordperfect 9 under Ubuntu? My husband must use it (and the WP files do not import with graphics imbedded into Open Office.) (of we'll be able to install WP on the new laptop - maybe a more recent version but just curious about whether it will work under Ubuntu.)

One of the speakers said some Windows software will work - maybe installed under ???? in Ubuntu.

Who would be the right person in your group to ask?

I'm sorry- I can't find where I wrote down the names of the 2 folks who presented. They did a great job! Wow and said there were folks in your group who could help answer questions.

THANKS

[parma1]

Ahh. I know who she is. Said they had resigned themselves to getting a laptop to replace their toasted machine.

Looks like our solution panned out for them.

Josh, suggest to her that she post to the forum. That way we can roll up our sleeves.

Chuck, we'd better start thinking about what our meetings have to offer newbies.

-J.

[ChuckFrain]

I'm glad that we got the positive feedback!

As for what our meetings have for newbies, we can always do a Q&A initially. Then as interest builds we can do mini-presentations on the questions that we get recurringly or on requested topics.