[luau] Think Tech Hawaii and Linux

[maddog]

Alvin,

I think you guys are misunderstanding the mission of ThinktechHawaii. We are
not for or against any tech nor do we take a position on any for of
technology over another. Thinktechhawaii is a group of businesspeople
promoting the tech industry. We are evangelists for growing a tech industry
in Hawaii. As for me personally, I could care less whether someone uses a
computer with Linux on it or Windoze or Unix or the Operating system some
high school kid built for the High Tech Quest Program. The fact that they
are using a computer to further their knowlege and possibly develop
something useful for the rest of the world is what I am interested in. I
think some of you guys are so deeply invloved in promoting Linux to the
world that you forget that what we (thinktechhawaii) are doing is trying to
educate the public on the benefits of having a "tech" industry here to
offset the bloodletting caused by a severe drop in the number of tourists
coming here. If there are no jobs, no one will own a computer, if there are
no computers who cares about Linux and Windows?

We are advocating the creation, nurturing and growing of a successful tech
community of which LUAU and any other tech oriented group is a part of. That
being said, you guys need to back off on the supposed attitude that you have
encountered when dealing with us. Having confrontation or somone on the
"inside" is not going to change the mission of ThinktechHawaii. Had you
taken the timeout to come to the show last night you would have seen that
the first person to stand up and ask a question of the Senator and
Representative was none other than Ho'ala Greevy and it was an open source
question.

Maybe I need to state this once again. I nor my fellow advisors endorse one
OS over another

 Linux in my opinion is a solid OS and the more I learn about it the more I
like it. It is important to be pationate about your beliefs and I think you
are a way more pationate group than the Windows group I founded which lasted
for 2 years. Your passion for Linux is the same passion I have for building
a tech industry of which Linux is a part but not the end all.

Let me give you an example of what we do. Biotech is a fast growing industry
here. We don't pick and choose products in the industry to showcase, we pick
people to come and talk about the industry as a whole. We have had the CEO
of Hawaii Biotech on the show, we have had the Dean of the Med School, w
have had Dr. Yanagamachi (green mice) on the show and we have had Venture
Capitalists from the mainland on all to talk about biotech..

We have yet to have someone from Microsoft on the show. So my point is that
we do shows on the industry as a whole not on a portion of it. This is a
major reason I would consider doing a show on HOSEF. HOSEF is taking donated
computers and refurbishing them and giving them to schools. A secondary part
of that show is the fact that they are installing Linux but it would not be
the focus, the focus is what they are doing for the schools.

I hope all of this focuses better on what we are about and what our mission
is. It is great you are all so passionate but Linux is too focussed of a
subject to do a show on. There is no industry built around Linux here so the
subject matter does not fit our focus. If we wanted to have as guests the
CEO's of Red Hat and Caldera then we could make a show especially if they
were going to pursue setting up a sales office here.

Thanks,
Don






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