Grantbow

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Grant Bowman


About

I began using Unix in 1989 and have been using Linux since 1994 when I co-founded Silicon Valley Public Access Link (SV-PAL or www.svpal.org), a FreeNet for Santa Clara County that is still a self-sustaining not for profit ISP today. While running various distributions I have contributed bugs and patches to several open source software projects as I have "scratched my own itch." I am a retired Debian Developer because packaging is not a passion of mine. I was a full time employee with the US branch of SuSE from 1999 to 2001. From 2000 - 2002 I was a consultant working with Dr. Douglas Engelbart on his Open Hyperdocument System project.

Ubuntu Contributions

Summary: I have worked for over a year attending and organizing events in California including release parties, Linux User Groups and OSCON.

Detailed: Since June, 2008 I have been active with the California LoCo. I have represented Ubuntu at Lindependence in Felton, CA in June 2008 and numerous Linux user groups (LUGs) while handing out CDs, answering questions, participating on mail lists and in participating in LUG activities. Due to the density of Linux activity in northern California I feel it makes sense to work with and support LUG efforts. I helped organize and/or attended Jaunty launch parties and was a co-organizer of our OSCON booth. I have worked to improve our team's wiki presence. I have been working with the team to expand the ways we communicate to include identi.ca/twitter and Facebook with positive results.

In San Francisco I have been volunteering with the KIPP San Francisco Bay Academy public middle school and Creative Arts Charter Sschool (CACS) with Christian Einfeldt, Partimus and others preparing additional P4 and P3 Ubuntu and Xubuntu machines for use by students locally and in Mexico through http://www.kidsoncomputers.org/. I recently volunteered for the first time at St. Anthony's in the computer lab, assisting the San Francisco LUG in their ongoing vocational focused efforts.

Present & Future Goals

Events related to 9.10 Karmic Koala are already taking place. Development of a consistent Ubuntu presence in California is my first priority, helping junior volunteers feel comfortable stepping forward into the roles I currently fill. I am pursuing Ubuntu Membership. I am always looking for ways to help promote the adoption of Ubuntu and Linux more broadly in support of bug #1.

Testimonials

I had the privilege of meeting Grant at the Community Leadership Summit and OSCON earlier this year. Grant's enthusiasm for the Ubuntu project and the continued success of the California LoCo team as well as various Linux groups is contagious. Grant is able to convey the "Ubuntu Spirit" in a positive and productive way. Grant continues to look for future projects to promote the advocacy and support of Ubuntu. Definitely should be a member. -- akgraner 2009-08-28 21:20:09

I met Grant Bowman for the first time at OSCON 2009. He is a very cool guy with a great attitude. He was very engaged with his team and their goals and was quick to help others. During the conference I stayed with a friend at his Sister's house and during the Community Leadership Summit prior to OSCON, Bryan and I walked close to a mile or so to catch the Train, then a bus, and finally arrived at the San Jose Convention Center for the first two days. That last day of walking we had went to dinner with the California team and Grant, when leaving offered us a ride. While dropping us off he said on days that he was available he would come and pick us up to save us the walking and fare. I really appreciated it. I think he winded up picking us up the rest of the week. I believe that Grant is a dynamite advocate for ubuntu and would make a fine ubuntu member, I also believe he would give you the shirt off his back! He and all of the members of the California LoCo Team made the visiting loco's feel more than welcome. -- itnet7 2009-08-27 19:42:46

I met Grant at the Community Leadership Summit that took place prior to OSON 2009. He had volunteered to help organize the event and did a fantastic job. Grant was also involved in organizing the Ubuntu Loco booth at OSCON 2009 with the rest of the California LoCo team. The two days leading up the exhibit hall opening, he worked tirelessly to make sure the booth was prepared and that the team would have everything they needed.- GarethGreenaway

Grant is a credit to the Ubuntu community and Open Source movement in general. His sheer commitment to Ubuntu and Free Culture is stunning and he is a pleasure to work with. I absolutely support his appointment as an Ubuntu Member. JonoBacon

Grant has been instrumental in supporting two public middle schools in San Francisco with FOSS, as he mentions above. Specifically, Grant has almost single-handedly triaged more than 100 computers for use in the Creative Arts School classrooms and Ubuntu lab, as well as the KIPP San Francisco Bay Academy classrooms. Currently, there are about 80 Ubuntu GNU-Linux machines running in these two schools that would not have been operational but for Grant's support. In addition, Grant has provided sys admin support to me in assisting teachers and students at these two schools. I am a level-one sys admin, who occasionally needs the help from a more educated, experienced sys admin in order to keep the machines at these schools running, and Grant has been instrumental in helping me when I encountered problems that I was not able to solve through recourse to community resources on the Internet. Also, Grant has provided me and others with nicely presented live Ubuntu CDs. It might sound like a minor thing, but Grant's planting of Ubuntu CDs has meant that we have had Ubuntu CDs at the ready when we did not expect a need for live CDs, which has been helpful in providing Ubuntu environments for newbies whom I have encountered on the fly. And the Ubuntu CD cover that Grant provides makes a good impression on newbies. einfeldt

I first met Grant at a LUG meeting in Berkeley, CA. I found out very quickly that this was not a rare event; Grant is almost constantly attending meetings/events around the Bay/State area spreading information about the Ubuntu project, helping people use and get started with Ubuntu. This often begins with handing out CDs, Flyers, Ubuntu-LoCo cards but, more often than not, involves a personal commitment of time and effort to foster the growth of the Ubuntu community. What really sets Grant apart from many Linux/Ubuntu advocates is his professional manner and well thought-out approach to promoting and developing Ubuntu that reflects back positively on the project and community. When many free-software advocates slip into the realm of evangelism and desperation, it is refreshing to see someone like Grant pushing for a professional, practical and result oriented approach to extending Ubuntu's reach. jdeslip

I've had the pleasure of working with Grant as part of the Ubuntu California LoCo team. He is dedicated to outreach to LUGs and other users, manages to find homes for an extraordinary number of Ubuntu CDs, and has planned great events for the LoCo and LUGs in the Bay Area. His attitude and work are a credit to the California LoCo and the wider Ubuntu and Linux communities, and I strongly support his application. RobertWall

Grant is epic. To give a bit more detail, he's been a huge driving force in the California LoCo Team and has helped run several of our most successful events. Without him, I know that we wouldn't have nearly as much presence in Northern California, and the entire Ubuntu Community should feel honored to have the support and dedication of Grant. I completely support his appointment to an Ubuntu member. Yasumoto

Call me a conspiracy theorist, but I believe there are several Grant Bowmans roaming the San Francisco Bay Area, as it's impossible for someone to be as ubiquitous at the area's Linux/FOSS events as Grant is. All kidding aside, Grant not only attends every FOSS/Linux event in the area, in instances where help from the wider community is needed Grant is often one of the first to volunteer (as einfeldt outlines above regarding KIPP) -- a prime example of this is when Grant took the reins on behalf of Ubuntu during Lindependence 2008 in Felton, Calif. Grant's dedication and commitment are top-notch, and it is beyond an honor and privilege to have worked with Grant on Linux/FOSS projects in the past. Needless to say, I look forward to working with him in the future. Lcafiero

I first met Grant at a BUUG meeting at Cafe au coquelet in Berkeley. Although being a FOSS user for a quite a while, this was my first foray into user groups, ever and I had the most pleasant experience meeting this individual at my first ever user group meeting. Grant is as Down-to-earth as you can get. Being so knowledgeable and yet so modest, Grant never takes credit for things he has done. He has always given that credit back to the community, even though the community well knows he's the one who has deserved it the most. Grant was also there for me when I was most vulnerable, namely in a drunken fervour at OSCON. He is as good as a friend one can get and I don't I'll ever forget him, ever. He'll definitely be a valuable resource for the Ubuntu community as well as other communities for years to come. --Vivek Ayer

Grant has proven over and over again that he has the will and determination to initiate projects, and urge people on. He has spoken with various Bay Area LUGs about Ubuntu and worked hard to help them run successful events. As he learns to work more closely with the Ubuntu California LoCo and other communities he assists, he will be able to achieve bigger and better things, and his enthusiasm can swer as an inspiration to all. NathanHaines

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