On Mon, Feb 23, 2004 at 03:18:48PM +0100, Jean-Christophe Babinet wrote: > Hello, How are you ? Very fine, thanks!! Now on a nice sabbatic month in UK after the university fatigues :) Finally I can get back to you on this message. > I had a look on the wiki for the goals of debian NP. I propose to add the > following goals : I've been sorting them a bit. Most of them are IMO practical goals, that is things that are required in order to fullfill some personal goal or work goal. Some quick definition: * Personal goal Goal that a person really has. It can be something as basic and extremely important as "don't feel silly", "don't make errors", "get your work done", "have fun", "don't bore too much". They are the most important goals: if a program is perfect, but makes users feel silly or bored, then other imperfect programs are preferred. * Work goal Goal related to the job of a person. It can be something like "Save the whales", "Raise funds", "Lobby local politicians", "Keep subscribers updated". They are the main goal the software is used for, and yet they are hygienic (that is, required for the job to be done but not sufficient alone for the job being done). If there is no personal goal, work goals alone won't justify using the software. * Practical goal Goals required to attain personal and work goals, like "write an e-mail" or "print a document". One would like to get done with practical goals as efficiently as possible, as they are not the main goals at stake. Practical goals are hygienic, too: they are required, but they alone can't justify things getting done. * False goal Goals that one gives for granted but may very well not matter at all. Some examples can be: "use memory efficiently", "save CPU cycles", "be easy to use", "use the latest technology". For example, you don't want a jet cockpit to be easy to use, but you want it extremely efficient. And you may not want to save CPU cycles and get a computer 90% idle and 99% dumb. This said, let's see the goals that I get out of this (and obviously, I may be mistaken): == Manage printers, local and networked == > 1) Manage that everybody can print on the printer TODO: instructions about connecting to CUPS to set it up TODO: identify a front-end to CUPS to manage the spooler == Share files == > 3) Manage that everybody can share the same base of documentation TODO: how to setup sharing of files (and possibly, also how to setup a distributed user database. I'd like ldap on this one, possibly integrating with LDAP address directories. What's the status?) == Backup informations == > 11) Manage a saveguard of the data TODO: a lot. From hardware to software. Need cheap hardware for backup, and nead comfortable software for restore. Incremental backups would be very cool. == Data acquisition == > 13) manage an antivirus, so that viruses coming in cannot be exported to > others > 14) manage the scanner can be used from all computers > 15) manage the numeric camera > 20) Manage NPO doesn't loose ANY data by moving from Microsoft to Linux or > Reciprocivly TODO: from scanning documents, possibly with OCR, to access USB storage devices, non-USB-storage-compatible digital cameras when possible, mount floppies, CDs, DVDs, access and convert files in many formats, clean up Windows virus crap == Data storage == TODO: acquired data need being indexed and stored. Here we want to create a digital library, maybe using floppies, CDs, DVDs. Maybe also integrating the library management with managing other existing documents like books. == Buy hardware == > 2) Manage information about the peripheric supported under Linux TODO: hardware compatibility lists, hardware buying suggestions == Hardware maintenance == > 18) Manage information about the state of the harddisks so that it can be TODO: hardware diagnostics: a working memtest86, SMART reporting and what else is available. == System maintenance == > 12) manage that the friend that helps the NPO can maintain the network > from home > 22) Manage NPO doesn't need an engineer to install a new machine on the > network > 23) Manage npo gets its programs updates easily TODO: a good way to handle security updates and feature updates. Stomping on funky debconf questions should be avoided, and they should be pre-answered even in case of updates == Provide online services == > 10) manage mailing lists > 19) Manage the NPO can make its website All of this needs a permanent internet connection, and I wouldn't require a small non-profit to have one. However, we start seeing many groups providing similar services for non-profits, like riseup.net or comodino.org. Maybe we could build a list of those, putting non-profits in contact with local realities they can cooperate with. Then there are other things that need a big more of thinking: > 4) Accounting > 5) Manage the possibility to export easily data from the accounting to > excel > 17) manage npo can organize its budget and monthly financial repport > changed before it brakes Here's the accounting goal that's on the Wiki already: we came out with GnuCash as it's the only thing we can think of now, but the needs and the existing software should be studied more. I have this dream of making a free-software-accountant mini-conf bringing together all people doing free accounting software hoping they can work on something together. In such a conference, I'd like to bring the needs of non-profits in some easily understandable paper somehow, so that they have a chance of being addressed. However, this is so far just a dream, and would need a big deal of preparation and money to come true. > 6) Manage diffusion lists Here I think is the "writing a letter to members" goal that is on the Wiki. I can see it shoud be tackled by integrating OpenOffice with some LDAP member database somehow, but so far I see nothing really coming. > 7) manage a common agenda This is a field I don't yet know much about. What I know is that that sometimes workgroup programs can complicate more than they can solve, and a calendar on the wall is more than enough for many small NGOs. When things grow big, sometimes there is a need for some specifig groupware software to support the activity of the specific kind of NGO. It also depends on the level of computer literacy, as some members could not want/be able to/care about/have the time to use a computer for everyday tasks. This is a field I don't yet know much about and I have much more doubts than ideas :) > 8) Manage the possibility to connect to the computers of the NPO from home This again depends on the kind of networking technology a NPO has or needs: sometimes you want to do it with a dialup access, sometimes you want to do it exporting the data to an external server, sometimes you want to run a service from the inside and use a permanent net connection to export it, sometimes you may want to do VPN on a permanent net connection. Sometimes you don't need it at all. I see this as something that also depends on how other services have been implemented. > 9) Manage the possibility to create npo's own newspaper This should be on the Wiki already as "Merge text and images to create flyers and booklets". > 16) manage npo can write letters This should be on the Wiki already as "Writing a request for fundings": > 21) Manage the linux is not very different to use than the present system > (migration) I can see this as a personal goal: "Don't change my habits too much" or, even better: "Don't make me feel ignorant again". It's possibly a temporary goal, but very important indeed. And very difficult to address. Migration is tricky, as it totally depends on what kind of system, software and, most imporant, habits one had before. > 24) manage an easy-to-use database This is probably too wide to be a goal by itself. > vision of the direction of evolution of our distribution. What we need is > a possibility to have a certain impact on projects that can improve the > tool we have pakaged. > On the other hand, what you need is a real help from the NPO sector. You > will not found the goals if there aren't some NPO's fully involved, with > the possibility to test the works continiously along the project. Agree. Agree. Agree! > This is why I propose to you and to the debian-NP team, the best > complementarity between us. Debian NP develops in parallel two projects, > one feeding the other. The first is the present one, "debian-NP-unstable" > and the second is the PraKsys distribution, that you could call > "debian-NP-stable". > What's your position about this ? I would love to integrate debian-NP, and > I need your help so that our team doesn't return back to the work we have > done one year ago... This is indeed a very good possibility of working together. I'd say we could meet, maybe after the brazilian confs. Or maybe even AT the brazilian confs, if someone from Praksys could have the possibility to participate! Ciao, Enrico -- GPG key: 1024D/797EBFAB 2000-12-05 Enrico Zini <enrico@debian.org>
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