I think the primary obstacle to an in-person clinic right now is that FreeGeek is still mostly closed. At least, not hosting events, afaik.
On Wed, Sep 22, 2021 at 2:38 PM John Jason Jordan <[email protected]> wrote: > > On Wed, 22 Sep 2021 09:46:56 -0700 > Michael Dexter <[email protected]> dijo: > > >On 9/22/21 5:52 AM, Rich Shepard wrote: > >> In the late 1990s and early 2000s I attended PLUG meetings in the PSU > >> Library and the clinics at the schools. Both were where I learned a > >> lot about linux. > >> > >> Now the meetings are computer-specific and highly technical. I cannot > >> benefit from that information so I don't tune in. > > > >Let's make this actionable. > > > >What would an online clinic look like and who would want to facilitate > >it? Assuming you aren't seeking help with the chicken and egg issue of > >trying to get your A/V working to attend the meeting! > > The metro area is now over 60% vaccinated and schools are re-opening, > so I've been considering a query here if we might be able to revive the > in-person clinics. > > A virtual clinic is a possible alternative, but I can foresee some > difficulties. For example, quite often at the clinics we have someone > bring in a computer and want to install Linux on it. Usually the person > has already tried and failed. Usually we are successful, but getting > the job done often requires sitting in front of the screen. How can we > help when the person's computer doesn't have an OS yet? > > There are lots of other software problems that are hard to troubleshoot > without seeing the user's screen. I have used Zoom a few times, but I > don't know if there is a way to make my full screen viewable by others, > i.e., seeing error messages or terminal windows that are not part of > the browser window. > > I might add that we also frequently have hardware issues that require > screwdrivers and other tools to deal with. Does Zoom have a feature > where I can stick my hand through the Zoom tab in my browser and have > it come out on another user's screen, complete with a screwdriver? > > I'm not suggesting that a virtual clinic is not useful, but limitations > are something to consider.
