[ILUG] ICT Expo 2006

[Niall Walsh]

Hi all,

for the last number of years ILUG has had a presence at the ICT Expo in 
the RDS.   If we are to attend again this year we need your support.

Firstly the Expo provides an opportunity for ILUG to provide talks to 
the general Irish ICT audience so if you have a talk you would like to 
give ...

More importantly, ICT Expo is the most prominent place to "meet the 
ILUG" if we have a stand there.   This year we are asking you to help us 
raise everything we need to do this.   We have a pencilled in plan, to 
simply run the stand as an "Open Computing" area.   What we would 
envision is a number of blocks of identical 
desktop/workstation/thin-client machines, in turn split into a number of 
blocks of machines running different "Free" distributions.   Backing up 
these clients would be a again hopefully a couple of blocks of identical 
servers.  The idea is to demonstrate the community by collaboration and 
demonstration.    Rather then having a single hardware vendor, 4 or more 
would be nice (a couple for clients and a couple for servers).   Rather 
then having one distribution, again have say 4.  Instead of 
demonstrating servers which dictate to clients, show the servers 
treating all clients equally (any asterisk running voip provider want to 
provide free calls for example).   We would envision people giving talks 
being able to run demonstrations on our stand and for anyone to come and 
talk together away from any one provider under our roof.

For this to happen we don't just need the equipment, but we also need 
cash to buy the space and perhaps to pay expenses for any 
volunteer/non-profits we could invite to participate.   So do you know 
an organisation which might like to take part in this?  If so please ask 
them, and ask them to approach us asap with an offer of 
talks/hardware/furniture/services/cash!

The simple fact is that unless the offers of cash come in (individual 
donations more then welcome) we will not be attending so we will have to 
look for propositions which will help pay the bills first, but if you 
want to pitch for a non-profit please go ahead, we would not want the 
stand to only represent the commercial interests.

Awaiting replies, (please ensure you cc Paul O'Malley (087 6205222) on 
any replies as I am away for a week from Saturday).

Niall Walsh
087 6175864