Approval Application for Belgian Team (ubuntu-be)

Our mission statement, as taken from http://ubuntu-be.org and https://launchpad.net/people/ubuntu-be :

The ubuntu-be.org team wants to grow the local ecosystem of individuals, companies, non-profits and governmental and intergovernmental institutions working with Ubuntu Linux in and very close to Belgium. To achieve this, we follow a two-pronged approach:

1. In areas where location is key to success (example: install parties), ubuntu-be team members do the work.
2. In areas where language is key to success (examples: documentation, online support), we refer people to their respective language project (ubuntu-nl, ubuntu-fr, ubuntu-de, ubuntu-tr, ubuntu-ku, ...).

Ubuntu-be.org members publicise and coordinate their efforts with the different local, regional, language community and national levels involved in mind. Special attention goes to nl_be - fr_be coordination.

Key Details

• Date - 2006-10-12

• Team Contact - Jan Claeys <ubuntu@janc.be>

• Membership

  • 164 volunteers listed on http://map.ubuntu-be.org/ as of 2006-10-12

  • 184 people subscribed to the mailing list

• Mailing List - ubuntu-be on lists.ubuntu.com

• IRC - #ubuntu-be on Freenode

• Web - http://ubuntu-be.org/

Roadmap

• Support points map v2 development

  • Main contributors:
    • Pierre Buyle: backend
    • Toni Van Remortel: web frontend

    • MarkVanDenBorre: initial code, use cases, nagging at people to contribute

  • Use cases: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/BelgianTeam/SupportPointsSpec

  • Code: https://launchpad.net/people/mapdevs/+branch/support.points.map/dev

  • Test site: http://free.extreme-alternative.org/osfreeshops

• Presence on more computer fairs

  • http://wiki.ubuntu.com/BelgianTeam/ComputerFairs

  • More about the fairs at: http://www.dipro.be/1/index.htm or http://www.dipro.be/1/indexfr.htm

• FOSDEM 2007

  • No detailed plans yet, but we should be present for our 1 year birthday...

Experience

(This is not complete, but it's probably representative.)

• Ubuntu Belgium launch meeting at FOSDEM 2006 - 2006-02-25/26

  • Main contributors:

    • LionelDricot - original idea and gave a speech giving his views on what Ubuntu-be should become.

    • JanClaeys - contacted people from the Dutch-speaking community to attend

• Ubuntu 6.06 press release - 2006-06-01

  • Main contributors:

    • MarkVanDenBorre: NL press release, quotes from users, Department of Education of the Flemish Community Government, ...

    • Cedric Janssens: FR press release

  • The press release: http://ubuntu-be.org/index.php?page=pers

  • Media coverage:

    • http://www.nieuwsblad.be/Article/Detail.aspx?articleID=GI6T3PF2 (212000 ex., second newspaper in the country)

    • ... quite a few other news sources

• Map of distribution and support points - 2006-06-01 (official launch)

  • Those people offer CDs, some also offer to demo and/or install Ubuntu

  • Can be found at http://map.ubuntu-be.org/

  • For contributors and future development, see the roadmap

• Small kindergarten & primary school goes Ubuntu

  • Cédric Janssens gave a speech, after the school director and the IT responsible, in the presence of some local politicians

  • Press release in French on http://www.vivegnis.be/

• Presence at local computer fairs

  • More about the fairs at: http://www.dipro.be/1/index.htm or http://www.dipro.be/1/indexfr.htm

  • Fairs that we were present already:

    • Charleroi computer fair - 2006-09-24

    • Antwerp computer fair - 2006-10-07/08

  • Fairs that we are already sure Belgian Team will be present:

    • Leuven computer fair - 2006-10-15, photos at http://map.ubuntu-be.org/leuven20061015/

    • Liège computer fair - 2006-10-22

    • Oostende (Ostend) computer fair - 2006-10-29

  • More computer fair participation planned but not yet confirmed, see http://wiki.ubuntu.com/BelgianTeam/ComputerFairs

  • Many people contributed and will contribute

• Distribution of "Powered by Ubuntu" case stickers in belgium - since 2006-10-01 (after some struggling with Belgian customs, sigh)

  • See http://system76.com/index.php/cPath/53_64#belgium

• Interview with "Het Bedrijf" - 2006-10-02

  • By MarkVanDenBorre

  • About the magazine: http://www.upp.be/nl/infotitre.php?id=254&ed=185