🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Sep18.222301.3518@tic.com> rchilder@us.oracle.com  
(Richard Childers) writes:
> "Other than that, you're gonna have to get the hardware (the
>  software is free, but the licensing agreement is weird at best)
>  and then find some place to stick it."
> 
> This could also be donated. Used once-upon-a-time-state-of-the-art
> hardware exists. You wouldn't want a Sun 2, but there are Sun  
3/180s
> with 8- and 16-port serial cards that are probably gathering dust  
in
> data centers abd MIS departments throughout your local Silicon  
Valley.

I really don't think that something THAT small is going to be a valid  
platform for the Austin Free-Net.  I know that Youngstown runs theirs  
on a Sun 4/490 (or is it a 690)... anyway, you need quite a bit of  
horsepower to run the system and run it well.  Remember, you'll  
probably have to handle email, news, and everything else while trying  
to handle the users.  I would suggest that if you're interested, that  
IBM be pursued for equipment.  Perhaps they could donate a RS/6000  
(900 series prefered, since it's a server system, and a X console  
isn't necessary).  That would give you the horsepower and stability  
taht you're gonna need. A Sun 3 just doesn't cut it for 16 users any  
more.
 
I've had some experience trying to get equipment for non-profit  
organizations, and the problem isn't getting the word out, it's  
getting it to the right people who have the power to DO something.   
Getting an engineering interested probably isn't going to help.   
Getting the VP of marketing of IBM interested WOULD help.

Chris
--
| Chris Petrilli
| petrilli@nextover.pe.utexas.edu, petrilli@gnu.ai.mit.edu
| All opinions are my own, if they even belong to anyone.