Re: [Savannah-hackers] submission of GLeFAN : Gnu/Linux for Friends & Newbies - savannah.gnu.org

[Jaime E . Villate]

Hi,
Your project has been approved as a non-GNU project. I do not think this
project fits well with the GNU project, but even if I'm wrong, since you still
do not have any source code to be evaluated, you should postpone your
application for the GNU project.

Regards,
Jaime
 
On Sun, Dec 29, 2002 at 08:15:26PM -0500, address@hidden wrote:
> 
> A package was submitted to savannah.gnu.org
> This mail was sent to address@hidden, address@hidden
> 
> 
> George Wright <address@hidden> described the package as follows:
> License: gpl
> Other License: 
> Package: GLeFAN : Gnu/Linux for Friends & Newbies
> System name: lefan
> Type: GNU
> 
> Description:
> Installing Linux on a friend\'s machine
> 
> A number of people have asked about Linux, or have taken the plunge and 
> installed a version of GNU/Linux. Others  want a computer, but don\'t 
> currently have one, and although they might have friends *with* hardware to 
> spare, neither can afford the ~300ukp extra that running a Windows computer 
> adds to the TCO in the first year of ownership.
> This project intends to
> 
>    1. make this process easier
>    2. help create a tweakable ISO and know what you need to set up.
>    3. Answer some questions that maybe you don\'t need to be a newbie to ask
>    4. Examine how existing tools (Webmin, etc) could be tweaked to allow your 
> friend to make sensible (rm /* as root NOT) changes to their system)
> 
> Assumptions
> 
>    1. You are nearby! Whether you leave their system in such a way as to 
> allow you to ssh in and have root access, or you are physically close, this 
> needs some hand-holding
>    2. We want to optimise performance. This means (gasp) junking the XP-alike 
> approach that RH and Mandrake take, and going for a compiled/almost compiled 
> distro. RH8 on my Athlon XP2200 w/ half a gig of RAM ran like a dog. Win 98 
> ran faster. This is NOT a good introduction
>    3. The above caveat aside, we are not interested in a \'proper\' UNIX 
> desktopm. CDE or variants doesn\'t cut it. For the purposes of this, we are 
> going to look at a) Gnome b) KDE c) XFCE d)IceWm
>    4. Full Word compatability - both ways. This might be with open office 
> [free beer and speech] or with the Cross Over plugin[non free both beer and 
> speech]
>    5. As point 4) above might suggest, we are less interested in the Free 
> Software than we are the performance and the ease-of-use. I *know* they are 
> inseparable for old-time-hackers, but look - no-one that uses Word on a day 
> to day basis through choice wishes that they could hack the source code, they 
> just don\'t want to have to shell out 200 quid for the \'joy\' of upgrading 
> it, or lash out a grand on a new computer because their old one doesn\'t play 
> nice with XP.
>    6. The support of your friend. Unless you\'re going to do this without 
> their consent, you need them to be a bit patient whilst they work through the 
> differences that their new computer displays.
> 
> Outcome
> We want to leave our friend with a free operating system that allows them to
> 
>    1. browse the Web ( Moz, Phoenix , etc)
>    2. Send/ Receive email (Evo, Sylpheed, Kmail)
>    3. Read/ write Word docs (open office orCross Over)
>    4. Read/ rip CDs/MPs
>    5. Know what to do when they want other stuff. So some sort of package 
> manager (WITH A GUI) is desirable
>    6. Promote free software, help people that are forced to use non-free 
> software at work/ school make the case that there IS another way
>    7. Promote more secure desktops, help reduce the amount of open mail 
> relays, allow people to feel safer when opening attachments, and reduce the 
> amount of money spent on \'upgrades\'
>    8. Reduce traffic to MS KBI
>    9. They end up singing Free the Software and write a version of EMacs that 
> runs on less than 256 Meg RAM :)
> 
> First steps
> Hardware
> 
>    1. x86 or PPC? I happen to have most of an Intel puta sitting around 
> (destined for Richard) and my dad has a 450MHZ Dell Dimension s-l-o-w-ly 
> running Win 98, so for the purpose of this project I\'m going to be using x86 
> hardware, but am very keen to examine other options
>    2. Extras? CD ROM almost essential, as is a sound card and some sort of 
> PPP/ Ethernet
> 
> OS?
> Well, we could wait for the HURD.....zz...zzzz...(sorry GNU people) or we 
> could go *BSD but I don\'t think it has the desktop ready stuff yet.
> 
> OS X looks nice, but so do the hardware prices.
> 
> So it has to be GNU/ Linux really
> Distro?
> 
>    1. Hard this one....
> 
> tbc
> Benchmarks
> It would be good to actually show that there is a demonstrable improvement in 
> performance from using Free Software. Some examples trip off the tongue. Spam 
> filtering software (like Spam Assassin) will obviously demonstrate 
> improvement from day 1. Other examples are harder to find. VI is not an 
> immediate improvement on homesite ;)
> So how do we show a \'better\' system? TCO is one example - uptime is 
> another. More work needed.
> 
> (Pronounced Le-Fan)
> 
> 
> Other Software Required:
> Will be all free software with (possible) installers for non-free software. 
> Currently looking at post-install scripts for GNU/ Linux distributions (eg 
> Debian, Gentoo) which autofetch/ semi-auto configure some software
> 
> Other Comments:
> At the moment contact is me, George Wright (glefanATNOSPAMfiddlesticks.com)