[CS-FSLUG] Commercial/Professional Linux Gurus?

[dmc]

Don Parris wrote:
> Are there any commercial/professional IT vendors on the list that work
> with churches?  Perhaps you run a computer shop or consulting
> business, and you support churches, either as part of your customer
> core, or on the side?  I ask because, in the absence of a
> knowledgeable individual or local LUG, it would be good to help
> churches find someone locally who can support them, should they have a
> desire to migrate to a libre software platform.  If you're willing and
> able, and would like to be listed with The Freely Project (USA) as a
> commercial support provider, please let me know.  Our goal is to help
> churches get gratis support, but in the absence of our ability to do
> that, we would like to have a network of partners in place that are
> willing to work with churches at reasonable prices.
> 
> I am also curious as to what the folks on the list would think about
> the idea of having TFP certify such vendors as a way of saying "we can
> verify this vendor's abilities".  Otherwise, we need a disclaimer to
> state that there is no way of knowing for sure aboutthe abilities of a
> given vendor.  I have some in-depth ideas on how that process could
> work.  However, I'm curious as to what people think about the idea in
> general.

I would suggest multiple tiers:

1.  Someone who is willing to make free information and download
resources available to a church representative and to explain why
Linux is better stewardship than MS Windows.  This may include
providing a iso LiveCD to said representative (of a distro with
which that person is comfortable).  Church implementation would
be left up to the church representative and his/her church
heirarchy.

2.  Someone who is willing, as a volunteer, to acquaint the
IT Committee at a church (Pastor/Elder-Deacon Board/IT Committee)
with more sophisticated Linux-based church management tools
and to make themself available for limited Q&A but to not
serve as a member of the IT committee or to provide significant
levels of time-consuming support.

3.  Same as #2 but willing to commit somewhat time-consuming
energies to walking the church through design and implementation.

4.  Same as #3 but for a fee.


-- 
Respectfully,

David Colburn, D.Min., M.A.Co.

Freelance Journalist/Writer,
Crisis, Family, & Individual Counselor,
Minister of Discipleship:
First Baptist Church of Spring Hill.

Echoes of Eden Blog: http://bibleseven.com/blog1/blog.html

       /\ /\
?(~~~{ @ @ }  Sent from
  (      *     Puppy Linux
  (        )
   ~~~~~~~~~  http://bibleseven.com
   / /   / /