[luau] Think Tech Hawaii and Linux

[Dustin Cross]

Don,

VERY WELL STATED and GOOD JOB!

Dusty

P.S. - We support Open Source, Linux is just one part of that.  There is
also BSD, Apache, GCC, Xfree86, Open Office, etc.


> 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