New Site: linux-directory.wikia.com

Discussion:

Ryan McCoskrie

2010-10-16 07:28:03 UTC

I just set up a wiki with hopes of creating a database of all Linux friendly
tech support and hardware companies organised by their location.

My goal for this site is that new users across the globe can be pointed to
when they want to find professional support or compatible hardware.
Not only will this make transition to Linux easier but it will also provide
some advertising for the companies involved.

I've already copied a couple of companies under the NZLUG's consultants list
to the new wiki but I really don't know if these businesses are appropriate
for the proverbial Aunt Tillie.

Any way, if anyone reading this feels it is worth their while to add them
selves please feel free to do so.

_______________________________________________
NZLUG mailing list ***@linux.net.nz
http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/nzlug

Mark Foster

2010-10-16 07:59:13 UTC

Permalink

Please don't see this as an attempt to burst your bubble - but did you consider using wiki.Linux.net.Nz ?
--
Mark Foster

Post by Ryan McCoskrie
I just set up a wiki with hopes of creating a database of all Linux friendly
tech support and hardware companies organised by their location.
My goal for this site is that new users across the globe can be pointed to
when they want to find professional support or compatible hardware.
Not only will this make transition to Linux easier but it will also provide
some advertising for the companies involved.
I've already copied a couple of companies under the NZLUG's consultants list
to the new wiki but I really don't know if these businesses are appropriate
for the proverbial Aunt Tillie.
Any way, if anyone reading this feels it is worth their while to add them
selves please feel free to do so.
_______________________________________________
http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/nzlug

_______________________________________________
NZLUG mailing list ***@linux.net.nz
http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/nzlug

steve

2010-10-16 08:50:10 UTC

Permalink

Post by Mark Foster
Please don't see this as an attempt to burst your bubble - but did you
consider using wiki.Linux.net.Nz ?

It's a bit out of date...

_______________________________________________
NZLUG mailing list ***@linux.net.nz
http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/nzlug

Ryan McCoskrie

2010-10-16 21:34:17 UTC

Permalink

Post by Mark Foster

Post by Ryan McCoskrie
I just set up a wiki with hopes of creating a database of all Linux
friendly tech support and hardware companies organised by their
location.
My goal for this site is that new users across the globe can be pointed
to when they want to find professional support or compatible hardware.
Not only will this make transition to Linux easier but it will also
provide some advertising for the companies involved.
I've already copied a couple of companies under the NZLUG's consultants
list to the new wiki but I really don't know if these businesses are
appropriate for the proverbial Aunt Tillie.
Any way, if anyone reading this feels it is worth their while to add them
selves please feel free to do so.

Please don't see this as an attempt to burst your bubble - but did you
consider using wiki.Linux.net.Nz ?

*Looks through company category* Okay those are two very different things.
What wiki.Linux.net.Nz has is largely historical information on tech related
companies while what I'm trying to create is an international "Yellow Pages"
of companies who go out their way to deal with Linux users.

_______________________________________________
NZLUG mailing list ***@linux.net.nz
http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/nzlug

Bruce Kingsbury

2010-10-16 21:55:42 UTC

Permalink

So were we, but nobody ever bothered to add anything.

I would prefer that people add to the already existing
http://wiki.linux.net.nz/BusinessDirectory rather than create YET
ANOTHER identical resource which is simply going to further divide
what little contributions we already get.

Post by Ryan McCoskrie

Post by Mark Foster

Post by Ryan McCoskrie
I just set up a wiki with hopes of creating a database of all Linux
friendly tech support and hardware companies organised by their
location.
My goal for this site is that new users across the globe can be pointed
to when they want to find professional support or compatible hardware.
Not only will this make transition to Linux easier but it will also
provide some advertising for the companies involved.
I've already copied a couple of companies under the NZLUG's consultants
list to the new wiki but I really don't know if these businesses are
appropriate for the proverbial Aunt Tillie.
Any way, if anyone reading this feels it is worth their while to add them
selves please feel free to do so.

Please don't see this as an attempt to burst your bubble - but did you
consider using wiki.Linux.net.Nz ?

*Looks through company category* Okay those are two very different things.
What wiki.Linux.net.Nz has is largely historical information on tech related
companies while what I'm trying to create is an international "Yellow Pages"
of companies who go out their way to deal with Linux users.
_______________________________________________
http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/nzlug

--
Disclaimer:
By sending an email to any of my addresses you are agreeing that:
   1. I am by definition, "the intended recipient"
   2. All information in the email is mine to do with as I see fit and
make such financial profit, political mileage, or good joke as it
lends itself to.
   3. I may take the contents as representing the views of your company.
   4. This overrides any disclaimer or statement of confidentiality
that may be included on your message.

_______________________________________________
NZLUG mailing list ***@linux.net.nz
http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/nzlug

Bruce Clement

2010-10-17 01:18:39 UTC

Permalink

Once again the great clobbering shop is wheeled out.

Someone comes up with an idea for a potentially useful website, in
this case a global directory, and does something about launching it
and the only response is "You should have added it to our dead local
site(1)" instead.

Imagine where we would have been if Linus hadn't bothered to release
his kernel in 1991 for us to play around with during the year or so
we'd be waiting for GNU HURD to be ready in 1992 or 1993? FOSS is
about a lot of things, and one of those things is choice. Thanks to
people who chose to offer an alternative we have the choice of using
{KDE/QT|Gnome}/{X.Open|xfree86}/{Busybox|GNU}/Linux, PC-BSD, FreeBSD,
OpenBSD, NetBSD, etc(2) or continuing to wait patiently for GNU/HURD
to be released

If you want people to contribute to the NZ Linux wiki, you need to be
updating it, promoting it and promoting its virtues. Leaping in and
saying people should support it when they've taken the initiative to
go and create something else is too late.

Otherwise when someone does launch something, let's get in behind them
if it interests you and ignore it if it doesn't. Personally I believe
that this effort is unlikely to succeed, but I'm glad to see it tried
as it's only by trying things that we find out which ones work and
which ones don't.

Bruce

(1) Looking at the history at
http://wiki.linux.net.nz/BusinessDirectory?action=PageHistory it seems
that the only change that's been made to that page in the past year is
moving Global Pix up 7 places in the list Source:
http://wiki.linux.net.nz/BusinessDirectory?versions[]=13&versions[]=11&action=diff

Post by Bruce Kingsbury
So were we, but nobody ever bothered to add anything.
I would prefer that people add to the already existing
http://wiki.linux.net.nz/BusinessDirectory rather than create YET
ANOTHER identical resource which is simply going to further divide
what little contributions we already get.

Post by Ryan McCoskrie

Post by Mark Foster

Post by Ryan McCoskrie
I just set up a wiki with hopes of creating a database of all Linux
friendly tech support and hardware companies organised by their
location.
My goal for this site is that new users across the globe can be pointed
to when they want to find professional support or compatible hardware.
Not only will this make transition to Linux easier but it will also
provide some advertising for the companies involved.
I've already copied a couple of companies under the NZLUG's consultants
list to the new wiki but I really don't know if these businesses are
appropriate for the proverbial Aunt Tillie.
Any way, if anyone reading this feels it is worth their while to add them
selves please feel free to do so.

Please don't see this as an attempt to burst your bubble - but did you
consider using wiki.Linux.net.Nz ?

*Looks through company category* Okay those are two very different things.
What wiki.Linux.net.Nz has is largely historical information on tech related
companies while what I'm trying to create is an international "Yellow Pages"
of companies who go out their way to deal with Linux users.
_______________________________________________
http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/nzlug

--
   1. I am by definition, "the intended recipient"
   2. All information in the email is mine to do with as I see fit and
make such financial profit, political mileage, or good joke as it
lends itself to.
   3. I may take the contents as representing the views of your company.
   4. This overrides any disclaimer or statement of confidentiality
that may be included on your message.
_______________________________________________
http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/nzlug

--
Bruce Clement

Home: http://www.clement.co.nz/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Bruce_Clement
Google Buzz: http://www.google.com/profiles/aotearoanz

"Before attempting to create something new, it is vital to have a good
appreciation of everything that already exists in this field." Mikhail
Kalashnikov

_______________________________________________
NZLUG mailing list ***@linux.net.nz
http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/nzlug

Mark Foster

2010-10-17 02:12:37 UTC

Permalink

Bruce, I find your tone frustrating. You've 'wheeled it out' several times lately between here and AuckLUG and it's becoming tiresome.

I greeted the observation that the wiki was out of date with both a laugh and a grimace. The whole point of the wiki is that it's community edited. If it's out of date why don't folks take ownership and fix it instead of reinventing the wheel?

I find it frustrating that despite considerable effort by Waikato LUG, at the behest of -this- group In Large part, the New Zealand Linux Wiki is grossly under utilized.

I agreed with the comment that a local, extant facility would be better updated than the creation of an internationally focussed list (which would quickly become unweildy, I expect).

Once again the success of the idea depends on the involvement of several folks and the longevity of the core contributors.

For my own part, I contribute a lot of my personal time and energies for NZLUG, AuckLUG and NZOSS. I cant however do everything and I should not get shot down for (continually) driving folks toward our in-house, locally hosted/supported and underutilized capabilities.

This is a great idea. I just wondered why one would choose not to use the NZ Linux Wiki.

I've been away for the weekend and so havnt had a chance to look beyond what my iPhone can show me. I can tell you that the list of consultants on www.Linux.net.NZ is only as good as what Nic and I know personally or are advised.

I strongly advise folks who are so inclined to make use of the Wiki. It does need fresh input and it's up to all of us.
--
Mark Foster

Post by Bruce Clement
Once again the great clobbering shop is wheeled out.
Someone comes up with an idea for a potentially useful website, in
this case a global directory, and does something about launching it
and the only response is "You should have added it to our dead local
site(1)" instead.
Imagine where we would have been if Linus hadn't bothered to release
his kernel in 1991 for us to play around with during the year or so
we'd be waiting for GNU HURD to be ready in 1992 or 1993? FOSS is
about a lot of things, and one of those things is choice. Thanks to
people who chose to offer an alternative we have the choice of using
{KDE/QT|Gnome}/{X.Open|xfree86}/{Busybox|GNU}/Linux, PC-BSD, FreeBSD,
OpenBSD, NetBSD, etc(2) or continuing to wait patiently for GNU/HURD
to be released
If you want people to contribute to the NZ Linux wiki, you need to be
updating it, promoting it and promoting its virtues. Leaping in and
saying people should support it when they've taken the initiative to
go and create something else is too late.
Otherwise when someone does launch something, let's get in behind them
if it interests you and ignore it if it doesn't. Personally I believe
that this effort is unlikely to succeed, but I'm glad to see it tried
as it's only by trying things that we find out which ones work and
which ones don't.
Bruce
(1) Looking at the history at
http://wiki.linux.net.nz/BusinessDirectory?action=PageHistory it seems
that the only change that's been made to that page in the past year is
http://wiki.linux.net.nz/BusinessDirectory?versions[]=13&versions[]=11&action=diff

Post by Ryan McCoskrie

Post by Mark Foster

Post by Ryan McCoskrie
I just set up a wiki with hopes of creating a database of all Linux
friendly tech support and hardware companies organised by their
location.
My goal for this site is that new users across the globe can be pointed
to when they want to find professional support or compatible hardware.
Not only will this make transition to Linux easier but it will also
provide some advertising for the companies involved.
I've already copied a couple of companies under the NZLUG's consultants
list to the new wiki but I really don't know if these businesses are
appropriate for the proverbial Aunt Tillie.
Any way, if anyone reading this feels it is worth their while to add them
selves please feel free to do so.

Please don't see this as an attempt to burst your bubble - but did you
consider using wiki.Linux.net.Nz ?

*Looks through company category* Okay those are two very different things.
What wiki.Linux.net.Nz has is largely historical information on tech related
companies while what I'm trying to create is an international "Yellow Pages"
of companies who go out their way to deal with Linux users.
_______________________________________________
http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/nzlug

--
1. I am by definition, "the intended recipient"
2. All information in the email is mine to do with as I see fit and
make such financial profit, political mileage, or good joke as it
lends itself to.
3. I may take the contents as representing the views of your company.
4. This overrides any disclaimer or statement of confidentiality
that may be included on your message.
_______________________________________________
http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/nzlug

--
Bruce Clement
Home: http://www.clement.co.nz/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Bruce_Clement
Google Buzz: http://www.google.com/profiles/aotearoanz
"Before attempting to create something new, it is vital to have a good
appreciation of everything that already exists in this field." Mikhail
Kalashnikov
_______________________________________________
http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/nzlug

_______________________________________________
NZLUG mailing list ***@linux.net.nz
http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/nzlug

Bruce Clement

2010-10-17 02:52:41 UTC

Permalink

Bruce, I find your tone frustrating. You've 'wheeled it out' several times lately between here and AuckLUG and it's becoming tiresome.

Mark,

I find the knocking of everyone who tries to start or improve
something more than tiresome & that's been wheeled out more than the
two recent occasions I've commented on.

I stand behind my earlier comment that when someone does launch
something, you should either get in behind them if it interests you
and ignore it if it doesn't.

We need positivity not negativity.
--
Bruce Clement

Home: http://www.clement.co.nz/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Bruce_Clement
Google Buzz: http://www.google.com/profiles/aotearoanz

"Before attempting to create something new, it is vital to have a good
appreciation of everything that already exists in this field." Mikhail
Kalashnikov

_______________________________________________
NZLUG mailing list ***@linux.net.nz
http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/nzlug

Nevyn

2010-10-17 03:52:55 UTC

Permalink

I approached something similar last year when doing the whole (now
dead) POINTS thing.

I had taken the list on Linux.net.nz and emailed the contacts to get a
description from them.

Anyway, if we're talking about efforts and the like - I would suggest
that if we are looking at different platforms and the like, then it
must have some point of differentiation. In this case I fail to see
how the wikia site is any better than the nzlug wiki site (in fact, I
found it just plain awful to navigate).

But there could be some value add around this. If you were to ask each
of those companies / consultants what services they provide and what
regions they work in, you'd have a lot of useful data rather than just
a name, where they're based and their phone number. So a searchable
database - "I need someone able to configure Moodle for me and their
location doesn't matter quite so much" as opposed to "I need desktop
support in Hamilton". How long would it take to fire something up
quickly in php?

As for the itching - cool it. It's not that productive. If there's a
better way of doing things, then point it out. If you don't like
people pointing out that there's potentially a better way of doing
things, take your own medicine - it's less productive moaning about
it. No one's forcing anyone to do anything else so they can heed that
bit of advice or choose not to. Their choice.

Regards,
Nevyn.

_______________________________________________
NZLUG mailing list ***@linux.net.nz
http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/nzlug

Cliff Pratt

2010-10-17 01:03:42 UTC

Permalink

Post by Ryan McCoskrie
I've already copied a couple of companies under the NZLUG's
consultants list to the new wiki but I really don't know if these
businesses are appropriate for the proverbial Aunt Tillie.

Did you ask them first?

Cheers,

Cliff

_______________________________________________
NZLUG mailing list ***@linux.net.nz
http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/nzlug