A lot has happened since my last post, first the good stuff I have helped 2 friends convert their laptops to linux. This is always fun, especially when stuff happens that is a total happy surprise, on one of the 2 machine the on board wifi which hadn't worked under Windows since my friend acquired it second hand fired up and started working under Dapper, cool. On the same laptop we got XGL going, this is perhaps the greatest tool I have seen for advocating Linux, people just love stuff that looks cool and Windows doesn't even come close.
Speaking of cool looking stuff I've recently been playing Tremulous, a new fully GPLed 3d multiplayer first person shooter, this game is very cool, dark and dangerous a very cool community is growing up around this great game. This is the type of game that will start bringing casual gamers to Linux. I believe it will be sometime before hardcore gamers can move to Linux full time. I also believe this isn't really a huge problem, most people aren't serious fulltime gamers, they're casual gamers who want to know they will be able to find a few cool games to play. Games like Tremulous are starting to make that happen.
I am beginning to feel the need to push my advocacy to a new level,
so I've been thinking about starting a learn desktop Linux class in my off time, I figure I'd need to acquire about a dozen cheap laptops and find a space I can rent a couple of nights a week I can teach about a dozen students a class maybe 2 nights a week. This would let me share Linux with many new people and give me a chance to stretch my training muscles. If anyone has done anything like this in their community I'd love to hear about your experiences.
Finally I am in the process of looking for a new position, if you're looking for someone with experience supporting Linux, Windows, mobile devices and networks and experience with corporate training please get in touch with me at tjoyce1971 at gmail dot com