[nflug] From Red Hat to LUGs: greetings, updates, requests

Wed Feb 22 08:56:09 EST 2006

Hi.  I just got this on another LUG.

Joe

Hi.  My name is Greg DeKoenigsberg.  I work for Red Hat.  I've got some
news for you, and I've also got a favor to ask.

Right up front, let me apologize for the spammy nature of this note.  If
you're getting this email, it's because you're listed as a contact person
for a North American LUG at www.linux.org, so one might presume that you'd
be interested in this sort of stuff -- but I understand that it ain't
necessarily so.  Therefore, if you object to receiving this note on
general principle, please let me know and I'll make sure you never get
another note like it.  (From us, anyway.)

If you are affiliated with the LUG in question, please do me the favor of
forwarding this to your membership.  If you're no longer affiliated with
the LUG in question, that's okay too -- I'd appreciate it if you could
forward this message to someone who is, if it isn't too much trouble.

On to the purpose of my note.  It's threefold:

1. I'd like to let you know about current goings-on in Fedora.
2. I'd like to let you know about the Red Hat Summit.
3. I'd like to ask for your input about a possible Fedora roadshow.

===

First, Fedora.  There's been a lot of work going on in the Fedora
community; some of it you might know about, and some of it you might not
know about.

We're getting ready to release Fedora Core 5 in the next couple of months.
It's been the culmination of a particularly long release cycle, as we
change the way that we do some things at a deep level.  Some of the more
visible features:

* Modular X, anaconda changes, more Xen code and some XGL-ish stuff;

* New GNOME, new OpenOffice, new Firefox and more, pulling all the latest
from upstream projects;

* New Mono-based applications, including Beagle, Tomboy and F-Spot.

We've also got a bunch of community initiatives going, and we're ramping
up even more:

* Fedora Extras.  The community-led Extras project, which launched
officially last February, is now maintaining over 3000 software packages
in yum repositories mirrored worldwide.  The number of available packages
continues to grow -- as does the number of contributors.  Learn more at
http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Extras.

* Fedora Documentation.  The Docs project is producing release notes,
HOWTOs and other crucial documentation to help Fedora users make the most
out of Fedora. All of the documentation is available under the OPL with no
restrictions.  Learn more at http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/DocsProject.

* Fedora Ambassadors.  As the open source story continues to grow
stronger, we're looking for more and more people to tell that story.  The
Ambassadors project provides people with the information and tools to
spread the story far and wide, from presentation decks to T-shirts to
Fedora DVDs.  Learn more at http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Ambassadors.

* Fedora Mentors.  It can be difficult to "get started" in the world of
open source development, and sometimes the most important thing is just to
know that someone will answer your stupid questions without giving you a
lot of heat.  The Mentors project seeks knowledgeable developers who can
give a couple of hours a week on IRC to help the newbies along.  Learn
more at http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Mentors.

With more projects coming online all the time, there's never been a better
chance to be involved in the future of Fedora.  For general information
about how to get involved, spend some time at http://fedoraproject.org.

===

Second, the Red Hat Summit.  This is basically a straight-up sales pitch:
come join us in Nashville from May 30 - June 2, 2006.  Specifically for
LUG members, the cost of attendance is $699, which includes a hotel room
for four nights, meals, and attendance at the Red Hat sessions and evening
entertainment events.  It's a unique opportunity to meet some of the real
luminaries of the open source world firsthand, and to talk with them about
their areas of deep knowledge.  For those of you who are accustomed to
attending these sorts of events, you will realize that this price is a
*very* good deal.  Lots of technical sessions, lots of fun. You can find
the full track list at http://www.redhat.com/promo/summit/tracks.

So why is the LUG deal so good?  The deal for regular business types is
basically $500 more.  The deep price break is because we want to see
community people there.  Despite the fact that we're making a little money
now, we can't afford to bring people to Nashville and put them up for
nothing -- but we can at least give some deep discounts to our friends.
That's you.

You are important, and if you can figure out how to make it there, we
definitely want you there.  Feel free to contact me for more information,
or go to the Summit site at http://www.redhat.com/promo/summit.

===

Third, I'd like to gauge your interest in a Fedora roadshow.

As I mentioned before, Fedora Core 5 is scheduled for release in late
March.  (Or maybe later -- you know how these things go.)  We're looking
to put together a tour sometime between FUDCon Boston 2006 (April 7th) and
the Red Hat Summit, and I'd like to hear if you'd be interested in having
a Fedora presentation at your LUG.

There's obviously a huge number of LUGs and a fairly limited number of
dates, and we'd have to figure out how to make such a tour work.
Therefore, if you are interested in a Fedora visit, here's what I'll need
to know:

* How many people do you generally get at your LUG?

* What meeting times/dates are available for you in April or May?  Are you
limited to the LUG meeting days, or would you be willing to call a special
session?

* What general Fedora-related topics might you want to hear about more
in-depth?

I'll be happy to field responses, and if we get enough interest, we'll
start planning a tour in earnest in the next couple of weeks.

===

So, that's it.  Thanks for reading through this whole long letter.  Feel
free to drop me a line at gdk at redhat.com if you have any questions.
Looking forward to hearing from you.

--g

---------------------------------------------------------------
Greg DeKoenigsberg || Fedora Foundation || fedoraproject.org
Be an Ambassador || http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Ambassadors
---------------------------------------------------------------
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