[UCIMC-Tech] IMC public PCs Ubuntu-ified - and IMC communication

[Stuart Levy]

/A non-fictional fable about some things happening in the IMC follows, 
with lessons at the end./

About ten days ago, I'd asked imc-tech list + some makerspace people 
whether anyone had a plan for the (then-unusable) IMC public PCs - I was 
offering to install ubuntu on them if nobody did.   Nobody responded.   
I guessed that meant that nobody felt ownership of them.

Last weekend, I learned - thanks to Sophia! - that Barry Todd had been 
feeling responsible for them.   Barry and I traded notes, and one or the 
other of us would go install some usable software, either Ubuntu or 
Windows 7, on them in time for the bulk of this weekend's festivities.   
Great.

This afternoon, I had some time, and went over to the IMC.   A meeting 
was in progress next to the PCs, so I hung out and waited for that to 
end, about 40 minutes.

While I was there, Chris Ritzo came by, we chatted, he showed me some of 
the great stuff he's been doing toward WRFU streaming - even to the 
point of trying it out.   This is wonderful!

When the meeting ended, I went to check out the PCs, and found:

    (a) They were plugged into a switched outlet, which had been 
switched off at the breaker.
         So anyone pressing their On buttons would get nowhere.
         I moved them (/for the second time/) to a non-switched 
circuit.  (How should this be communicated?  See below.)

    (b) Someone had already installed Ubuntu on them, just this morning 
around 11am.   It works nicely.

    (c) Sophia had not heard of (b) and was not sure who would have done it.

*For better and worse,* this is typical of how things work at the IMC:

     - The IMC can a neat place to hang out.   By hanging out there, I 
met by chance with Chris, a valuable meeting as well as a pleasant one.
     - People see needs and fill them.  That what you'd hope for.
     - People too often DON'T TELL OTHERS WHAT IS HAPPENING OR WHY.

Because of this,
    I lost about 75 minutes I could have used better elsewhere.

    I don't know who set up Ubuntu.   I'm guessing it wasn't Barry, who 
would likely have installed Windows (as he previously had on the other 
similar machines in the office) and would likely have let me know he'd 
gone in to set them up.

    What if someone wants additional Ubuntu packages installed besides 
the default ones (a media editor, mplayer, cd burner, Chrome browser, 
...)?   Who has an admin password to the machines to make that 
possible?   Who would even know who might have it?   Should I just break 
in and create an admin account?

    This last is not a theoretical question.   I would like to install a 
CD/DVD-burner on at least one of those computers, and then let people 
know it's available.   This would involve hardware and probably 
software.   (Hardware?   Should I buy a CD writer drive, or is one lying 
around?)

*What I wish, for a start:*
    The imc-tech at lists.chambana.net list could be a good place to trade 
this sort of information.   Not just "such-and-such is broken, please 
help", but a place to log plans and actions.   I know Barry has been 
finding surprising changes made to things he's been feeling responsible 
for keeping up - not a good way to maintain morale.
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