Re: [Fsfe-uk] GNU/Free Internet Cafe / Was : Free internet (technologically)

[Ramanan Selvaratnam]

Subhi S Hashwa wrote:

> Hello All,
>
> I got an email from Rama asking if we use free software in the
> Internet Cafe which I run.
Thanks Subhi.
I guess the email to <address@hidden> reaches you.

I found the [e-corner] through a web search after a hint on this list.

My main interest is to set up some computers for many uses and make them 
available to the public, possibly as an internet cafe like setup 
sometime soon.
It will have to be London.
[...]

> Its the user that dictates
> the software they want in enviroment such a my cafe.
>  
Not in the one I have dreamt up :-)
If the user insists on non free systems (s)he gets more information on 
why software should be free!

> Also when it comes to Multimedia etc people want to plug in a digital
> camera, not worry about drivers or which USB driver + Mass storage to
> use, etc,
This is valid point. I did not realise this growing need. Thanks.

> again its not 100% there yet. there is catching up to do. 
Well, I have seen better distro releases in the last month and I guess 
one could have atleast one machine on the network compiled with 
experimental features in Linux to boost the number of devices supported.

> We
> are also in no position to offer support and help on configuring linux
> to connect a digital camera, most people have limited amount of time
> which they want to get the task over and done in that period, they
> dont have time to learn about how linux works with usb devices :)
>  
...but is it not the case that when the device is supported through 
hotpluggable mechanisms it is faster to just mount and use the the files 
through the many capable file managers?

> As a simple answer, yes you can have an internet cafe fully running
> on linux with free GNU/BSD software. The question is , will people
> accept it ?
Even if they might have been conditioned, if KDE is around and with a 
lot of enthusiasm this is possbile. There is even an XP theme somewhere!

The people behind [rainbowcyber.co.uk] have a small internet cafe 
running largely free software among their many other fields of interest.
I also found that the folk at [nylxs.com] have something interesting 
along the lines of permanent public access to free machines.

Best wishes,

Ramanan