[kwlug-disc] KWLUG, Voip, and beyond?

[unsolicited at swiz.ca]

On Fri, 11 Feb 2011 14:11:30 -0500, "Insurance Squared Inc."
<gcooke at insurancesquared.com> wrote:
> Personally (and yes, I'm volunteering to help with this if the lug is 
> going to back it, i.e. as 'put on by kwlug') I'd like to see a free 
> event, but with substantial involvement from vendors, i.e. local 
> linux/voip consultants, maybe some hardware vendors etc, with some small

> tables set up that people can walk buy and get whatever they need.  If 
> it's home stuff, then consumers can walk away with the hardware they 
> need and signed up with aprovider, if it's a small business then the 
> voip consultants are right there to start a contract.
> 
> I'd love to see a bunch of homeowners and small business vendors finally

> get this.  And it'd be great if it was free for a bunch of vendors to 
> come in and offer their wares.
> 
> But perhaps we need to discuss if the lug is going to be behind it?  And

> if so, who's going to lead?

It's your idea, you would have to lead and spearhead it.

IMO, what you are suggesting goes well beyond the auspices or sponsorship
of kwlug. That could be debated, but this seems more of a local
mini-onlinux for profit / commercial concerns. (And a whole lot of work to
get such vendors to participate to that level.) That's not to say kwlug
wouldn't participate. Not that I disagree with you that such an event
'would be nice.' Or is needed. I assume we have not seen such locally in
the past, repeatedly, is because there's no money in it to sustain it.

  Particularly, per Raul's comments - you are establishing a consumer /
vendor relationship here, the cost of which would indeed approach the cost
of Bell, or it's not worth the multiple vendor's time.
(CanadaComputers/LinkSys + unlimitel, etc.) Involve eyesurf and yak, and
you may well then have something. (I assume Kiwi will want and need to gain
office customers, not dozens of home users who will have problems and call
upon him for help, but not then pay, say, $75/hr for it - if he even wants
such customers. Not that Kiwi is prepared to sponsor purely on the basis of
customer acquisition - I expect he's merely looking for greater word of
mouth that he's such a great guy. As we all know already. (-: )

At the other end of the spectrum is what John and/or Raul have proposed,
which seems suitable for kwlug, wwitpro, working centre, and the like. But
it's a different beastie than what Glenn is thinking of above.

In the middle is where Paul is headed, which is, IMO, still a kwlug
sponsorable event, probably in concert with the Working Centre. Raul/John
may well scale up, I'm not sure the vendors would scale down (that far).

But I take your point - people able to walk out with a complete and
implemented solution would be useful to them. But I don't see it happening,
at the moment, unless you drive it.