Meeting Details

• Date: Wednesday, March 5, 2008

• Location: IRC: #ubuntu-maryland on freenode.

• Time: 8:00pm - 9:00pm (Meeting may end earlier, but no later)

• Moderator: TBD

Agenda

The following is a tentative agenda for the meeting. The moderator will move the conversation from topic to topic. Each agenda item is followed by an estimated amount of time to be spent on the topic. The meeting will end with an open discussion which will allow all members to ask questions or discuss anything they wish.

• IRC Meeting Frequency, Time, improvements, etc. (10 minutes)

• Meeting minutes at physical meetings. (10 minutes)

• Team Reporting. (10 minutes)

• Install fest planning. (30 minutes)

• Open Discussion (open)

IRC Log

<rhoderickj> Okay folks, we're now starting this thang, so please quit down and obey my authori-tah
<nixternal> Patuxent River, Lexington Park, and California are all the towns I lived in down there
<rhoderickj> * quiet
* nixternal watches
<rhoderickj> We're trying something new this time: moderation
<rhoderickj> Some of the other chats got kinda out of control (I wont name any Craig names)
* cyounkins hides in a corner
<chuckf> hehe
<rhoderickj> So I figured the process would be a bit smoother if we tried some more organization
<cyounkins> i'm fine with the moderation :)
<rhoderickj> Cool. Then let's go ahead and get to our first order of business. The IRC chats themselves. We discussed this somewhat at the last meeting.
<rhoderickj> So we shouldn't have to spend very long on it. Does anyone have anything to add to what we discussed last week?
<cyounkins> we moved it back an hour. is this going to be better for people?
<chuckf> overall I think so
<aptenix> better for me!
<rhoderickj> It's certainly a bit better for me.
<rhoderickj> No objections?
<rhoderickj> to the time?
<chuckf> do we want to have one fixed meeting (tonight) and then one random one each month?
<rhoderickj> chuckf: Personally, I think we should stick to a schedule.
<cyounkins> i agree..
<seele> (i agree)
<aptenix> agreed
<xphisherx> if our irc meetings are at 8pm i should be able to participate.
<chuckf> cool, just throwing it out there
<cyounkins> people also talked about email reminders for these.. please vote in the poll:http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=712264
<rhoderickj> We're currently having a chat on the first Wednesday of the month.
<rhoderickj> Yeah, what Craig said.
<rhoderickj> Do we want to keep this schedule, increase ,decrease it, etc?
<rhoderickj> Sorry. I was referring to the frequency of the IRC meetings.
<chuckf> I'd say keep it to one
<cyounkins> i think one irc meeting a month is good for now.
<aptenix> decrease no....increase...maybe.
<pdragon> one should be good unless we get somehow get super busy
* seele . o (If day of and 2 days prior tie up, does that mean the winner is 1 day before?)
<cyounkins> we could initiate need-based ones.
<xphisherx> i think irc meetings are good at once a month.. that way we can increase the face to face encounters, which i think would be more positive..
<cyounkins> I don't know seele
<rhoderickj> I agree. I think one is enough for now.
<seele> ah, it wasnt a serious question, more like one of those brain teaser jokes..
<rhoderickj> As for the reminders, we COULD send out one the day before AND the day of.
<rhoderickj> Or would that be too much mail?
<cyounkins> i think that would be annoying
<chuckf> how about three days ahead and day of?
<rhoderickj> Dude, I get so many messages about viagra that I wouldn't mind another purposeful e-mail, but hey... that's just me.
<xphisherx> i think 1 email the day of would be sufficient..
<aptenix> The way it worked today was good...besides..we all have calendars on some device somewhere
<cyounkins> i would think so.
<cyounkins> i don't need the reminders. i have gcal send me mail
<rhoderickj> Yeah, that's fine with me. This seemed to work out well today.
<xphisherx> unless we set up some kind of team calendar that can synch up to.. 1 email would be good.
<cyounkins> ah
<rhoderickj> Check the wiki for the team calendar link
<chuckf> xphisherx, that is coming
<cyounkins> actually we *do* have a team calendar
<cyounkins> though we haven't pushed it much
<aptenix> not a gcal one...was the point I think
<rhoderickj> http://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=n2gocqrob5ocrof30tbgap09ko%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=America/New_York
<aptenix> oh
<chuckf> which is good, as I've got the ubuntu-maryland.org domain under googleapps hosting
<aptenix> what do you know
<rhoderickj> Try that link
<chuckf> so we will have some flexiblity to move it to that if warranted
<rhoderickj> Does anyone have anything else to add before we move on?
<cyounkins> yeah chuckf we should get on that admin listing
<rhoderickj> Moving on to the second agenda item for tonight.
<cyounkins> Meeting minutes... http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=706839
<rhoderickj> Meeting minutes for the physical meetings. I posted a thread about this here: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=706839
<chuckf> cyounkins, we will
<aptenix> I think that is also good...just pull the log from pidgin and post?
<xphisherx> i guess not.. :)
<rhoderickj> aptenix: That works well for IRC meetings, but not for physical meetings.
<xphisherx> opps.. sorry wrong window.
<cyounkins> we already have the IRC meeting logs, we're talking about physical meeetings
<rhoderickj> Someone must transcribe.
<cyounkins> btw, I got a locobot in here if no one noticed
<rhoderickj> Personally, I think this is pretty important, but not critical.
<rhoderickj> locobot?
<cyounkins> it logs the channel.
<cyounkins> http://logs.ubuntu-eu.org/freenode/2008/03/06/%23ubuntu-us-md.html
<seele> transcribe physical meetings? meeting minutes isnt enough?
<rhoderickj> cyounkins: Oh, nice.
<rhoderickj> seele: Meeting minutes, yes.
<rhoderickj> seele: Not a word-for-word transcript
<cyounkins> he's not talking about transcribing, just notes on what was talked about, etc
<rhoderickj> First of all, does everyone agree that this is a good idea?
<chuckf> sure
<xphisherx> if we setup some kind of mic to an interface during our live meetings.. that would be good.. or possibly a video
<cyounkins> well, how about the people that don't attend the physical meetings, would anyone read the notes?
<chuckf> xphisherx, that's a bit much I think
<rhoderickj> xphisherx: That would be nice, but I think it's a little overpowered for our needs at the moment.
<xphisherx> true.. i was just throwing it out there..
<rhoderickj> cyounkins: I would read them, but I can't speak for anyone else.
<cyounkins> xphisherx, I like the idea, and I might work on something to do this through Skype or something.
<xphisherx> i do agree that keeping meeting minutes is a good idea
<cyounkins> anyone else?
<rhoderickj> Keep in mind, that the minutes don't have to be perfect, just a rough idea of what was discussed, agreed upon, any important points, etc.
<cyounkins> seele, aptenix ?
<seele> yeah sure
<seele> i mean.. if someone is going to volunteer and do it that's great
<aptenix> aptenix=Chris Gregan
<xphisherx> i guess the recordings may be too far.. but podcasting seems to work well with the public eye.
<aptenix> Im good
<rhoderickj> That's the tough part. Would someone like to volunteer?
<cyounkins> i'm the most logical person because i take a laptop and can usually make the meetings
<chuckf> I think that those that show up we can pick someone to take notes
<xphisherx> i would like to volunteer
<xphisherx> but there should be at least 3 people that would be dedicated for the position
<chuckf> xphisherx, these are the columbia meetings
<rhoderickj> xphisherx: Yeah, I thought you couldn't make the Columbia meetings?
<xphisherx> that way if they were to be absent.. their would be a back up.
<chuckf> when the frederick meetings start, you can have that one:))
<xphisherx> i don't know how fast the commute would be from germantown to columbia
<xphisherx> i will try to make as many meetings as possible.. during the weekdays is tough .. traffic wise.
<chuckf> and if you're there, you're welcome to it as I think craig wouldn't mind
<seele> how about we just get someone new to volunteer at each meeting? we just need to remember and ask "OK, who is writing notes tonight?"
<rhoderickj> Well, xphisherx, if you're there, feel free to volunteer to do it. Otherwise, Chuck, would you mind asking for volunteers before you start the meetings?
<rhoderickj> seele: Right on.
<cyounkins> i can most likely do it, though I'm not terribly excited about it
<chuckf> rhoderickj, that's about what will happen
<rhoderickj> When I took minutes the last time, I did it from memory.
<rhoderickj> But I've been doing that for years at work meetings. I recommend either doing it on a laptop.
<rhoderickj> Or jotting down major points on a notepad and elaborating when you get home.
<rhoderickj> Then, whoever takes the minutes can send them to me and I'll post them to the wiki.
<rhoderickj> After I correct all of your spelling and grammar, of course. :)
<xphisherx> if i'm there.. i'm fairly confident that i can do it.. I use to be able to type 100 words a minute.. now at days its probably around 40-50
<cyounkins> Right... yeah this can probably happen :-) write a note in the next wiki page for a meeting a reminder
<seele> rhoderickj: fyi, anyone with a wiki account can post them
<cyounkins> and we'll designate someone
<chuckf> xphisherx, we're not that fast
<rhoderickj> seele: Yes, but most of our members are afraid of the wiki.
<cyounkins> lol
<xphisherx> <--somewhat afraid.. unless you help..
<seele> oy vey
<rhoderickj> I welcome ANYONE to edit the wiki, but I'm always willing if no one else will.
<chuckf> seele, we all can edit the wiki, but Josh has a good flow to it
<rhoderickj> Thanks. Yeah, I have good flow.
<rhoderickj> lol
<rhoderickj> Okay, any other comments on the minutes before we move on?
<cyounkins> yes, josh is overall very good at the wiki :)
<xphisherx> since josh has the "good flow".. why don't we just send him the minutes and he can edit it?
<rhoderickj> xphisherx: That's the idea, I think.
<cyounkins> more work for him? possibly unnecessary
<cyounkins> let's move on
<rhoderickj> Agreed.
<rhoderickj> Team reporting. http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=706844
<rhoderickj> Is this something we should participate in?
<cyounkins> Now I really like this idea because it shows we are doing things, and could possibly recruit more members
<seele> rhoderickj: only when something happens
<cyounkins> but I am not willing to undertake the responsibility
<rhoderickj> Since we're a pretty tight knit group, I don't think this would be too much beyond what we're already doing with the wiki.
<seele> i'll do it, i sometimes do it for kubuntu
<seele> if someone emails stuff i've missed to the list at the end of each month
<rhoderickj> Should we just include our events?
<seele> but i dont think it's worth reporting IRC meetings, but maybe if we meet in person for physical meetings or something happens
<seele> rhoderickj: i think so yes
<rhoderickj> I noticed some teams include their meetings but I think that may be a bit overzealous
<chuckf> I think the main things we do are already recorded
<cyounkins> yeah. i don't think we should post physical or irc meetings
<chuckf> and our meetings typically occur around the 22nd now anyway
<chuckf> I think we need ot do the meetings for the simple fact we'll have something every month
<rhoderickj> Okay, great.
<chuckf> if it gets spotty it may seem that we're inconsistantly reporting
<rhoderickj> Maybe a simple note about the meeting and a link to the wiki page would suffice. Same for events.
<chuckf> that's good
<cyounkins> i don't agree chuck, not every team does something worthy of reporting every month
<seele> i really dont think its that big of a deal if you dont report every month
<chuckf> but what is 'worthy'? the fact that we communicate on a regular basis is good nuff for me
<rhoderickj> Right. I think it's more of an informal report of what's happening within the community.
<rhoderickj> Thanks for volunteering, seele. We all appreciate it.
<seele> sure, its not a big deal.. if something happens that i dont know about just let me know
<rhoderickj> Sure thing.
<rhoderickj> Alright, now on to our final topic, the install fest.
<cyounkins> woot
<rhoderickj> Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to attend.
<cyounkins> oh noes :(
<rhoderickj> But I'm going to try.
<cyounkins> https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MarylandTeam/Events/InstallFests/2008March08
<rhoderickj> Go ahead, Craig. You da boss.
<seele> (this is, btw, something worth reporting on..)
<rhoderickj> seele: Yep.
<cyounkins> advertising is pretty much finished at this point. we have flyers up in 2 libraries, a panera bread, and 11 newspapers tha Matt Burkhardt was kind enough to do
<chuckf> and I have a few libraries down this way posted
<cyounkins> just make sure you tell your geeky friends and spread it by word of mouth, even if they just want to come by and talk about linux
<cyounkins> chuckf, OK, can you tell me which ones?
<cyounkins> incoming huge link for map of advertising locations
<cyounkins> http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=106017942038319463394.000437bef4cedc41199d2&z=12
<chuckf> aspen hill and one other that I don't know the branch name of, near a friends house
<cyounkins> obviously, we didn't hit all the places I aimed to
<cyounkins> thanks chuck
<xphisherx> i'm not sure if this is off topic, but do we need to bring anything to the installfests? surge protectors/routers/switches?
<cyounkins> good question and the next topic: geear.
<chuckf> oh and I did a craigs list post last week
<cyounkins> i have many network cables and power cables. what I do need help with that everyone can pitch in is with monitors, kvms, keyboards, mice, switches, and surges
<rhoderickj> Also, try to label any gear you bring. It can get confusing trying to figure out who brought what.
<xphisherx> i'm sure i can bring a few surge protectors and switches.
<cyounkins> rhoderickj, could you change the AdvertisingLocations page to be for the next event, or some better organization to be able to reflect when posts have been made?
<chuckf> I should have a monitor and the regular gear I bring
<cyounkins> like, places we can post, places hit for install fest on march 8th
<cyounkins> but yes Josh is quite right, please label your gear. I'll be sending out an email requesting stuff soon
<rhoderickj> cyounkins: Sure.
<seele> will the location have a wireless and wired network?
<cyounkins> hmm.. i'm actually unsure where we stand on CDs. chuckf, have any from canonical?
<cyounkins> seele, Yes. my wireless router will be used
<chuckf> seele, yes
<seele> ok
<chuckf> cyounkins, I do have some left
<cyounkins> the wireless that was installed there was not so good
<cyounkins> chuckf, could you give me an approx count?
<chuckf> let me see
<cyounkins> they are 7.10?
<chuckf> I only have 7.04's
<chuckf> never got any 7.10's
<cyounkins> OK
<cyounkins> i put a reminder on my calendar to request 8.04 disks 2 weeks before the release
<cyounkins> so we can have them for any events
<cyounkins> any idea on how many disks we used last timee?
<chuckf> we'll check with john and see what we need burned after he let's us know what he can do
<chuckf> I think we had ~10 alts adn maybe that many regular
<cyounkins> right.
<cyounkins> OK, i will burn at least 1 for the more obscure stuff too. I already have all ISOs for xubuntu, kubuntu, etc.
<chuckf> I would say we should have 5 alts, 5 regular, and 2 kubuntu
<chuckf> to start anyway
<chuckf> then burn as needed
<chuckf> with HH on the way in less than a month we don't want to waste too many cds
<cyounkins> burning takes time away from installation, and I don't have a problem burning somee
<chuckf> er, two months sorry
<chuckf> cyounkins, let me know what the blanks cost and I'll reimburse youi
<cyounkins> oh that's not necessary. thanks though
<cyounkins> so this thing is open to the public at 10, and I really hope we can all get there by 9
<cyounkins> to do setup and such
<cyounkins> anyone feel like volunteering to bring some food or such? I think I have an unopened large soda bottle I can bring
<chuckf> I'll bring a couple 2 liters
<chuckf> and donuts
<chuckf> then we'll order up for lunch as we did last time
<cyounkins> woot donuts
<cyounkins> i'm unsure what else to say. any questions, other topics on the install fest?
<xphisherx> how's the parking there?
<cyounkins> no problem
<chuckf> nothing that I can think of
<rhoderickj> Oh
<rhoderickj> Will someone please take pictures
<rhoderickj> ?
<cyounkins> and by "nothing," Chuck means there is plenty of pictures
<cyounkins> wow. parking*
<cyounkins> yeah, we need some cameras. I think John will be coming but i'm unsurer
* cyounkins slams keyboard into wall
<chuckf> I'll try to remember my camera
<chuckf> it's on my desk right now
<rhoderickj> Alright, if there's nothing else, then this wraps up the scheduled part of our chat.
<chuckf> cool deal
<xphisherx> cool..
<xphisherx> i know it might be kind of late.. but i was wondering.. as far as marketing.
<chuckf> anyone know any good resources for a linux newbie who has a XO laptop?
<xphisherx> have we ever thought of using myspace/facebook for our team?
<chuckf> xphisherx, nope
<chuckf> we're actually building our own site
<chuckf> or rhoderickj and cyounkins are I should say
<cyounkins> xphisherx, I push it through facebook
<rhoderickj> It's mostly been Craig up until now. I'll have some time to work on it soon.
<rhoderickj> Hopefully.
<xphisherx> chuckf: i think we shouldn't just stop at a site
<chuckf> I've never been on facebook and myspace only for my neice and nephews
<xphisherx> if we take every avenue, we can expand.. much farther.
<cyounkins> yeah, i'm a youngin' so i post in facebook and try to gain some interest
<seele> chuckf: the olpc project has a pretty extensive wiki
<xphisherx> but thats the idea isn't it? to get them while their young.. (cig add)
<chuckf> seele, the guy said that it was too sparse for his needs
<seele> ah
<chuckf> xphisherx, I just don't htink it's ever been brought up as a targeted medium
<chuckf> xphisherx, my feeling is if it's on the web, it's there for all
<chuckf> facebook/myspace/etc need registration
<chuckf> and for me, I've too many logins already
<cyounkins> yes but he has a very valid point
<cyounkins> that's why I'm pushing through facebook, but I'm not going near myspace with a 10' pole, and most computer geeks feel the same way
<chuckf> I'm not saying it's not valid, just hasn't been address
<chuckf> ed
<cyounkins> he's addressing it
<seele> l8r guys
<xphisherx> i think it's something we can take advantage of.. its free so why not..
<chuckf> do you want to handle that?
<xphisherx> sure as long as we can agree on guidelines.. like the look of the site.. etc..
<cyounkins> are you referring to myspacee?
<chuckf> I don't know the options there so I can't really help
<xphisherx> i'd be down for any of them.. i guess we can always discuss that as a later topic.. i'm the kind of person with a million ideas per sec.. which may or may not be good ones.. but i throw them out there.. for everyone to decide..
<rhoderickj> Alright folks, I gotta go.
<chuckf> take care josh
<cyounkins> ok Josh. thanks for moderating - I think this went very very smoothly