Team Ubuntu Singapore started out as a simple mailing list and a website maintained solely by a single person. Since then a sudden influx of new users has caused the group to grow rapidly. We have a thriving IRC channel, web site with forums, and regular meetings and events.
Currently we have a solid foundation for a large amount of users and are mainly informing and educating users about Ubuntu and FOSS in general. We run many events such as Ubuntu Talks, Software Freedom Day booths and Release Parties.
Team Ubuntu Singapore's goals are:
* Promote the use of Ubuntu to end-users, SMEs, government and educational institutions in Singapore.
* Participate in events and activities in the larger FOSS community in Singapore.
* Provide an educational resource to those seeking to adopt Ubuntu and FOSS applications.
* Sharing knowledge and providing seminars and hands-on experience, raise our members' proficiency with Ubuntu to a professional level.
Key Details
Date - (4 November 2008)
Team Contact - Maung Myat Thu @ Billy Aung Myint <billy@ubuntu.sg>
Membership - 72 as of 4th November 2008
Mailing List - ubuntu-sg https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-sg
IRC - #ubuntu-sg on Freenode
Launchpad Team - https://launchpad.net/~ubuntu-sg-team
Website - http://ubuntu.sg
Forum - http://ubuntu.sg/forums
Roadmap
A detailed discussion of our roadmap is taking place on the Team Ubuntu Singapore web site's forums. It can be accessed here. We propose the following activities:
- Regular General Meetings - hold a regular, full membership meeting every two months. These meetings will be used to conduct organization business, plan event participation, and conduct seminars to improve our members' technical proficiency in using and supporting Ubuntu.
- Ubuntu Clinic - held three or four times a year, this would be a half-day installfest and seminar for the general public. Not only would we provide installation assistance, but we would also introduce the participants to using Ubuntu (system tools such as Synaptic Package Manager, standard applications Open Office) and participating in the Ubuntu community (wiki, forums, launchpad).
Event Participation - help to organize, provide speakers for and provide exhibition booths for community events such as Software Freedom Day Singapore and Interesthink.
- Registered Society - Under Singapore law, an organization must become a registered society before it can legally handle money. Beyond the importance of having this ability, becoming a registered society boosts recognition of our organization.
Experience
Software Freedom Day at NTUOSS - Several of us attended the Software Freedom Day 2008 event at Nanyang Technological University on Wednesday, 17 September 3008. The event was organized by NTU Open Source Society. At this event we demonstrated Ubuntu on laptops to participants, as well as attending presentations.
Software Freedom Day at NUS - Two of us (Heidir and Chew EK) gave a presentation on Ubuntu and FOSS at the Software Freedom Day event held at National University of Singapore on Friday, 19 September, 2008. The presentation covered both the basic principles of FOSS, as well as Ubuntu. We gave out free CDs of Ubuntu 8.04 Desktop.
Some photos of the event are available on C David Rigby's Picasa page.
Software Freedom Day Singapore 2008 - Team Ubuntu Singapore (TUSG) was an exhibitor at Software Freedom Day Singapore 2008, held at the School of Information Systems of the Singapore Managment University on Saturday, 20 September 2008. We promoted Ubuntu and FOSS software in general, specifically targeting end users. We had two booths set up where we demonstrated FOSS applications and Ubuntu installations. This was especially important as we were the only community group present that was demonstrating a desktop GNU/Linux distribution. Note that Ubuntu-sg is listed as a partner in the right column of the home page of the Software Freedom Day Singapore site. Here are some pictures from the event:
Setting up, Setting up 2, Demonstrating Ubuntu to participants
(Photo credit: Yuen Kit Mun, Five Rings Photo.)
Ubuntu Welcome Talk - Following up to Software Freedom Day Singapore 2008, Team Ubuntu Singapore held a "Welcome to Ubuntu" presentation at Singapore Managment University on Saturday, 18 October 2008. Presentations included "Things to do after installing Ubuntu", "History of Computing", "Cool things in Ubuntu" and "How to Get Help" were held. In person user support was also offered.
Pictures of the event can be seen in Chew EK's Picasa web album.
Intrepid Release Party - TUSG held a party on the 1st of November to celebrate the release of Intrepid Ibex as well as holding a small installfest.
Pictures of the event are available here.
The Coffee Club - Numerous small, informal meetings continue to be held outside the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf at the Vivo City mall in Singapore. Most of these are for planning purposes and are attended by four to ten members interested in the particular topic. The most recent one was held on 27 December, 2008 to discuss the LoCo application.
New Singaporean Mirror - We also organized with a local Singaporean IT company a new Singaporean archive mirror as well as convincing the current sg.archive.ubuntu.com mirror to increase its bandwidth and reliability. A third mirror is planned.