[seul-edu] Letter of invitation that I sent out

[Doug Loss <drloss@suscom.net>]

Here's the text of the letter that I just sent out:

Hello.  My name is Doug Loss, and I'm writing you on behalf of
Schoolforge, a new organization dedicated to putting Linux and other
free resources into schools and other academic institutions. We have
noticed your efforts to further the use of Linux, free software in
general, and other free resources in education.  By "free" we mean
of course open for everyone to inspect and modify to suit his or her
needs as well as available at little or no cost.  We are members of
groups with similar goals.  Up until now our projects have suffered
from low visibility, and this lack of visibility often meant that
our hard work was a waste, repeating the efforts of others, and
failing to build on their successes or to learn from their failures.

When Red Hat made a counter-proposal
<http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/011120/202744_1.html> to Microsoft's offer
of settling a private, class-action antitrust lawsuit by giving US
$1 billion to US schools (mostly as Windows software), we were
galvanized to try to take advantage of the sudden publicity this
gave the use of free software in education.

We have planned a coalition of groups working to increase the use of
free software and resources in education.  You'll find a description
of this coalition, called Schoolforge, below.  We currently have
numerous members, including Open Source Schools, K12Linux, SEUL/edu,
and RedHat.  We'd like to invite you to join the coalition and help
us advance our shared goals of providing free resources to our
schools.  To join Schoolforge, just reply to this message with the
name of your group and the contact person.  We'll add you to the
list.  If you'd like to take part in the discussions and work of
forming Schoolforge, go to <http://www.seul.org/edu/> and join the
mailing list.  That's where all the organizational work is taking
place.  We hope to welcome you on board!

About Schoolforge

What is Schoolforge? Schoolforge is a foundry. It is where you will
find the information, the tools and materials you need to "forge" or
make a school and all its parts. All free for the asking (or
download), and, in the future, international in content and
character, schoolforge is not a place or an organization, but a
cause, and a collection of people and projects dedicated to it:
bringing quality, affordable and dependable software and teaching
materials to the people who need them around the
world. As such, it is not a "service" so much as it is a community
focal point, which, as much as anything else, represents an
opportunity to get involved in one of its aspects.

Who is Schoolforge? The job we have set for ourselves is large, too
large for any one person, group or organization. Furthermore, there
already exist numerous individuals, companies and organizations and
schools working on it. Schoolforge and the work it does comprise all
of these efforts and provides them with a common entrace, by which
they can discover, meet and collaborate with those of similar goals,
and through which newcomers may discover each part or all of the
world of free and open source solutions for education.

What's in a Name? By using a name similar to the free and open
source software development site, Sourceforge, Schoolforge is
conceived of as a site where schools can be developed. "What?" I
hear you say, "You're going to build schools?" Not exactly. We're
going to build what goes into a school, particularly, the software
and other learning content that is needed by teachers and students
to get on with their work.

Where is Schoolforge? Schoolforge is at each of its supporters'
sites, links to which are provided on our front page. More of a
process than a location, schoolforge is also a new and
still-developing idea, which may take roots in many places in the
near future.

How does it work and how can I join? Schoolforge works via the
participating sites, their communities and communication methods,
and by a mailing list, which we invite you to join (not yet
operational; for now, use the seul-edu mailing list at
http://www.seul.org/edu/).

Comments and Questions?

How did Schoolforge form? There were several identifiable causes.
First, those working for free and open source solutions in education
began to see, during the past year, that the time had come when our
various efforts would either complement or compete with one another.
We decided that working together promised more hope than did
competition. Secondly, there is a shared sense among those in the
community that a clear message about free and open source solutions
is needed, and that clarity would be impossible without unity.
Third, RedHat's offer of free software to any school that applied,
which came up during Microsoft's proposed settlement of a
third-party class-action antitrust lawsuit, galvanized the community
into action. The establishment of the Schoolforge coalition is our
first step toward providing an alternative to schools. Its work will
be our next.

--
Doug Loss                 All I want is a warm bed
Data Network Coordinator  and a kind word and
Bloomsburg University     unlimited power.
dloss@bloomu.edu                Ashleigh Brilliant