[OSGeo-Discuss] Can we use a LiveDVD for workshops and labs at FOSS4G 2009?
graeme mcferren
gmcferren at csir.co.za
Mon Oct 20 01:55:11 PDT 2008
At FOSS4G2008 We ran Windows XP as a base install. This worked quite
well for the South African environment and for the particular
conference, which included a lot of folk who were less exposed to Linux.
I feel that this choice was determined by our audience in the end. Some
FOSS4G attendees were annoyed by the use of Win XP in this way, but it
was a pragmatic approach that worked, and also allowed certain FOSS4G
projects that are Windows based to gain exposure (like MapWindow, which
almost certainly increased its user base as a result of a strong
conference presence). We needed to introduce many people to FOSS4G, not
necessarily the whole FOSS universe out there. Perhaps the audience will
be different in Sydney, but the choice does need to be carefully weighed
up. We chose to offer a bridge into FOSS4G for the most people in a
relatively immature FOSS environment.
MS4W, OSGeo4W, PostGIS, Java, Tomcat, Firefox, Google Earth covered a
lot of bases and were all easy to install and work with on Win XP.
Regards
Graeme McFerren
On Mon, 2008-10-20 at 01:50 -0600, Daniel P. Ames wrote:
> For South Africa, we just needed Windows XP or Vista and Visual
> Basic .NET Express Edition (though C# or SharpDevelop would also
> work). Of course these have to be installed before hand - can't be run
> from a live CD (I'll look into what can be done from a Live CD with
> Windows and post back here.)
>
>
> In any case, I hate to be the Sarah Palin supporter at an Obama rally
> (or for that matter, an open source GIS guy at a Spanish ESRI
> conference!), but Windows is a bit of a pragmatic choice for us and
> for our target users. So thanks to those of you who haven't told us to
> hold our meetings outside the conference at the cafe or something :)
>
>
> Maybe time to move this thread to the Conference mailing list?
>
>
> - Dan
>
> On Sun, Oct 19, 2008 at 9:28 PM, Cameron Shorter
> <cameron.shorter at gmail.com> wrote:
> Thanks Daniel,
> It is good to know that there are projects which depend upon
> Windows.
>
> For MapWindws, (and any other windows based workshops), what
> should we install on our lab computers? Can we cover
> everything using OSGeo4W? Or should we use something
> different?
>
> Maybe we should set up the lab computers to dual boot with
> Windows + OSGeo4W / LiveDVD.
>
> Daniel P. Ames wrote:
> Hi folks. As you all know, there is a growing
> interest in open source for Windows. Especially with
> Microsoft's release of its developer tools in free
> "express" editions and the availability of such tools
> as SharpDevelop and Mono.
> MapWindow is .NET based and the bulk of our developers
> and users are strictly MS based. I don't think this
> makes them any less human, it just says that their
> threshold for open source is set such that a $90
> Windows operating system is considered acceptable but
> a $10000 GIS is not.
> We had a great turnout at the MapWindow lab and
> worshop in South Africa and got lots of "hey it's
> great to see .NET open source GIS here" comments. So,
> call us mudbloods, but it's an approach that we see
> has a huge added value for lots of folks. Bottom
> line, if having Windows on some lab computers doesn't
> add a huge expense, then we'd hope that Windows based
> labs and/or workshops would be encouraged.
>
> Indeed, consider the opportunities for demonstrating
> QGIS and GRASS and others on Windows to help convert
> Linux avoiders over to OSGeo.
>
> - Dan
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Dave Patton <davep at confluence.org>
> Sent: Sunday, October 19, 2008 3:02 PM
> To: OSGeo Discussions <discuss at lists.osgeo.org>
> Subject: Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] Can we use a LiveDVD for
> workshops and labs at FOSS4G 2009?
>
> On 2008/10/19 1:30 PM, Cameron Shorter wrote:
>
> I'm wondering whether it will be achievable
> and desirable to use a GeoFOSS LiveDVD as the
> only installed operating system at workshops
> and labs at FOSS4G 2009.
>
>
>
> So my questions to communities are:
>
> Do you and your project think you would commit
> to packaging your
> project into a debian based LiveDVD before
> FOSS4G in October 2009?
>
> For presenters, would you want to add tutorial
> material to the
> LiveDVD, which would mean using an Open
> licence like Creative
> Commons?
>
>
> I would start by asking a different question - does
> anyone
> foresee any issue with not having MS Windows available
> as
> an option for Workshops/Labs for FOSS4G 2009?
>
> We might not want to restrict the discussion to "OSGeo
> projects".
> What if a Sponsor, or Exhibitor, or 'some software
> company', or
> 'some non-OSGeo project' submitted a proposal to
> deliver a
> Workshop/Lab, and it merited consideration for
> inclusion in the
> conference, but it required MS Windows?
>
> Were there Workshops/Labs at FOSS4G 2008 that could
> not have
> been delivered without having MS Windows?
>
> If we assume that there was 'some need' for MS Windows
> for
> FOSS4G 2009, but that it wasn't needed for "all the
> PCs",
> how would people react to Workshops/Labs that required
> MS Windows also requiring a higher registration fee?
> (i.e. higher by the incremental cost of the license to
> use MS Windows on the PC for the Workshop/Lab)
>
>
> P.S.
> It helps if everyone uses the term "Instructors" when
> referring to Workshops/Labs, because "Presenter" makes
> people think of "Presentations", and sometimes that
> causes confusion.
>
>
>
>
> --
> Cameron Shorter
> Geospatial Systems Architect
> Tel: +61 (0)2 8570 5050
> Mob: +61 (0)419 142 254
>
> Think Globally, Fix Locally
> Geospatial Solutions enhanced with Open Standards and Open
> Source
> http://www.lisasoft.com
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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> Discuss at lists.osgeo.org
> http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
>
>
>
>
> --
> Daniel P. Ames PhD, PE
> Department of Geosciences
> Idaho State University - Idaho Falls
> amesdani at isu.edu
> www.MapWindow.org
> www.Hydromap.com
>
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> Discuss at lists.osgeo.org
> http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
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