Background

Reza Alemy, I am known to my friends and community as Rex since it is easier for them to pronounce. I have been an Ubuntu user since Dapper Drake, and decided to professionally enter the world of Ubuntu in September of 2009.

I have been a software engineer for 20+ years, and in the years of 2004-2006 I wrote an Oncology treatment planning system which run under Dapper, some snapshots of which are in the Novatrex site. In my path to becoming an expert in electronic health, I had to go through development, administration, and data management projects. I created my launchpad profile in October of 2009

Contributions to Ubuntu

Since October of 2009 I have been constantly volunteering more than 20 hours a week to Ubuntu Vancouver Local Community. the results of this work is summarized here:

• Running Business on Open Source: how to set up a complete software development software with Ubuntu Servers and Workstations (200+ pages)

• Ubuntu Vancouver Game Development Team: A group of Ubuntu Vancouver members that want to showcase game development solely on Ubuntu (50+ pages)

• Ubuntu Vancouver Ambassadors: a volunteer activity of appearing at local coffee shops sporting an "Ask me about Ubuntu" sign during winter Olympics that I continued to date. (12 sessions so far)

• I have been contributing as a Support Hero on the Support Saturday events, making presentations at Ubuntu General meetings, holding Tutorials on Game programming with Ubuntu, helping with logistics at General Meetings and Ubuntu Booth.

• I have actively participated in marketing strategies and member recruitment, and volunteering with Lab work for CDI projects.

Plans and Ideas

In the past months I have come to closely examine the ideas of the Ubuntu Vancouver Loco organizer, Randall Ross, and I find myself in complete agreement with them. Randall has succeeded in growing the community from a few dozen to a couple of hundred in a very short time, his approach has proven successful and I hope to act as an active and influential friend and colleague in pushing his strategy to realize its maximum potential.

The basics of the Idea, from my point of view, boils down to the fact that Ubuntu is a culture and more than an operating system. To share the gift of Ubuntu with everyone, we need to show people that they don't need to be administrators to make full use of Ubuntu. One of the biggest hurdles holding back people from using Ubuntu in my community is that they look at it as a "Linux" that requires you to know lots of "commands" and type them, maybe write a driver or two, and finally "compile the kernel". What if they put all their time and data into it and down the road suddenly find out that they can't connect their printer to it? This is of course a misconception especially with Ubuntu, but it is one that is gladly encouraged by the "experts" in the computer shops to whom normal folk go for computer advice.

We in the Ubuntu Vancouver Loco have decided to practically prove this wrong. we bring in the power of community to solve the problem of support. In a strong community where there are 12-15% system administrators and 2-5% low level programmers, the rest of the community can have all their administrative needs addressed by Support Saturdays and Bug Squishes that are organized regularly in short intervals. They don't need to learn what is under the hood if they don't want to. they can focus on being accountants, writers, artists, architects, whatever their normal is; and enjoy the community and the values of Ubuntu.

An Ubuntu Vancouver Loco member (an Ubuntu Vancouver-it) discourages flame wars, OS discussions, and technical jargon by shifting them to specialized forums and mailing lists, leaving the general list open to subjects satisfying a boolean "AND" between Ubuntu and Vancouver, adhering to and showcasing the Ubuntu codes of conduct, and concentrating on making the Ubuntu experience fun and rewarding for everyone. Loco Members lower the barrier of trying Ubuntu for other members, make the transition fun, and ensure that others will never feel alone or belittled. Each Ubuntu Vancouver-it engages everyone else no matter what their level or area of contribution is. An Ubuntu Vancouver Loco member is what he/she is, because of what we all are. I am proud to be a member of the Ubuntu Vancouver Loco.