Re: [guadec-list] Computer room

[Davyd Madeley <davyd madeley id au>]

On Wed, Apr 26, 2006 at 02:40:24PM +0200, Murray Cumming wrote:
> On Wed, 2006-04-26 at 14:00 +0200, Quim Gil wrote:
> > A question about the computer room. I guess it's really needed? 
> > 
> > The university has put a price on it and, well, I just want to know that
> > if we get it it will be needed and used. In principle The GUADEC
> > Committee is not going to assume this cost. But anyway, I'm asking just
> > to avoid the risk of creating an unnecessary cost for
> > Vilanova-Generalitat (or relocate it), 
> > 
> > Last year in Stuttgart there was that row of computers. Was this a loan
> > or...?
> 
> That was a loan from HP, I believe. They were HP thin clients running
> GNOME.
> 
> Lots of people have laptops, and they need a hacking room. I guess we do
> need some extra computers for the people who have no laptops but need to
> check their email.

On terminal rooms:

At linux.conf.au '03, we had a networking room with wireless
Internet and several 10 graphical workstations and 15 vt220
terminals. This room had power, network, tables and stools for
people to use their laptops. It was also well located in the venue
so it was quite busy all the time.

At later linux.conf.au's there has been a laptops area (tables and
chairs in '04, couches in '05/'06) with network and power available.
Public terminals were provided in a location some distance away,
usually in a campus computer lab. They were usually completely
empty. I suspect they were also running University standard images
(whereas I got the '03 ones running GNOME 2.0, which just wasn't in
a released distro at the time - from memory).

It was my opinion that the networking room/area in the middle of the
venue with half a dozen public access terminals is better than
having those terminals some distance across campus. If it's a room,
it also gives you a place to put 'the desk' where you can find
someone responsible.

Perhaps we could get Sun to provide some of those 17" integrated
Sunrays running off OpenSolaris with their latest GNOME builds? That
would be pretty nifty.

--d

-- 
Davyd Madeley

http://www.davyd.id.au/
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