“Thank you’s” for all the help
Marie-Renée, the Mayor of Aumessas, kindly let us settle in the room next to the Library, and spent a moment in our company. Three computers were lent to us for the presentation and the “praticals”, by Anita from Équi’Terra (fair trade in handicrafts), by Annie (creator of “AniMagerie-Callipyges”), and by CIRBEL (a university Research Center based in Montpellier).
The party lasted for over than three hours under the benign gaze of a Mozilla painted on a large canvas panel by Brigitte, and copied from a free image on the Web.
Many thanks to all for all the help!
The MozParty Goers
A dozen people from the two districts of Aumessas and Arrigas and a couple from the district of Mandagout — 20 kms further South — turned up for the MozParty. Villages and hamlets being rather far off from one another, small gatherings are rather the norm in this area.
Coming from variegated backgrounds, like most people living in the Cévennes, not all of them web surfers, the
participants aged between 35 and 70 shared a two-fold interest:
getting informed about free GNU/GPL software, and discovering alternatives to Micro$oft software which is neither good nor safe.
Patrick, the “Café de la Gare” owner, managed to steal out of his busy Sunday afternoon pub to attend the presentation.
Bernard, one of the Cévennes National Park wardens, Robert or Magalie freed themselves from their various duties for a couple of hours. Mr Lhomme, who is in charge of the Computer Club at the Bourilhou cultural centre in the nearest small town, apoligized for not being able to come, while Philippe and Pascale came back too late from the annual Paris meeting of a charity for the wellfare of horses.
Introduction
An account of the Journée du libre à Montpellier, focussing on three GNU/GPL projects described in , which could be of interest to all made up the introduction [1].
Slide Show
A slide show followed, being an overview of the software created by the Mozilla Fondation, and offering a brief explanation of what GNU/GPL software is all about.
The first page displayed an image of Mozilla as a big green lizard belching out fire on a crumbling IE icon. Below the image, the caption “Aumessachussetts” was a humorous hint at the Cévenol MozParty, and further afield at the part played by such an institution as the MIT (Massachussetts Institute of Technology) in the developement of GNU/GPL software, namely Linux.
Beware — the documents are in French :shock:. The slide show was made in OpenOffice.org, then exported into PDF format. Beware (again): you’d better not print the PDF document unless you do not mind emptying the colour cartridges of your printer.
A Mozilla.org show achieved with GNU/GPL software
The Mozilla.org show enabled us to display the high performance of some free software:
- OpenOffice.org (OOo) which is introduced in Conseils pour la sécurité de l’ordinateur. The slide show was made with this excellent office suite. A mini-Web site was created from the original slide show — a piece of cake, thanks to the “Export” function in OOo. The show was displayed on the three computers in the form of a slide show or of Web pages. OOo is compatible with Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, and other platforms.
- HTTrack. For the demonstration of Mozilla-Firefox “live” while no connection to the internet was possible, a copy of the Mozilla-Fan Web site was made with HTTrack. The software can copy a site for you to browse it off line just as if you were connected. French, mulitingual software for Windows and Linux.
- EasyPHP. For the demonstration of cookies and how to manage them in Mozilla-Firefox, I used EasyPHP, another French software. This software works on Windows only since Linux and Mac have other means to combine an Apache server, a MySQL database, PhpMyadmin, and PHP. Using it, you can create a local Web site as if your computer was an actual server and your site was really on line. So, you can build and test an entire site off the Web.
- SPIP. To build and update the Mozilla-Fan Web site locally and on line, I used a French, widely multilingual CMS (Content Management System—horrible phrase), which is a great help. Works on all platforms: Windows, Linux, Mac, etc. Requires an Apache server, a MYSQL database plus PHP.
So, apart from Windows alone, which all the present users complained bitterly about, everything was free, not necessarily like free beer but more importantly like freedom — freedom to use, copy, give, and even modify or sell.
Small Talk
There was small talk on technical subjects most of us were quite ignorant of, on the various OS (Mac, Windows, Unix, Linux) or on Wi-Fi. We are all waiting eagerly for the advent of ADSL or Wi-Fi in our remote and hilly area. Some of us have horrendously slow and temperamental dial-up connections.
The Mozilla and consorts Workshop
Anita, Paul, Annie, Alain and Brigitte then got down to work, installing Mozilla-Firefox and Mozilla-Thunderbird, learning how to adjust the settings, and getting an overview of the various functions.
What was missing was the possibility of browsing a few Web sites dealing with Mozilla in French, namely Mozilla, MozillaZine in French, Mozilla-Europe, and Geckozone (See links in ). I ought to have copied them with HTTrack. That way every one would have been able to get some real experience of Mozilla-Firefox, and get some more information. Well, I did not have enough time to be more imaginative.
Before Saying Goodbye
At last, as the night was now pitch black, it was time to go back home.
Paul went away with a CDRom on which we burnt the Mozilla.org products and some other free software, and he asked me to get him other free software for Mac OS X.
Alain asked me if I could give him a hand sometime with the installation and the settings of Mozilla-Firefox and Mozilla-Thunderbird on his computer — which is now free from spybots. At the same time, he invited Anita to come and get informed on solar energy, as he has set up everything on his own in his home while in the past he even built a windmill with a couple of friends, and erected it at the back of his garden.
Annie who has been using Mozilla for some time and is quite familiar with free software came with a pile of free CDroms for us. I borrowed DemoLinux, a Live CD which can be used to try Linux without installing it. She bought those CDroms very cheap on two French Web sites (see the links in ).
Fin du diaporama
Conclusion
So, that was a friendly evening full of shared experience and knowledge even if practise was not given full scope.
Finally, Michel had the bright idea of running downstairs to raise his glass of beer and cheer Mozilla while we — shame on us! — didn’t even manage to share a drink to honourably conclude this MozParty.
The regional newspaper, called Midi Libre, rejected an account similar to this one, arguing it was an advert and read like a tupperware party of old — Funnily enough, major national newspapers in France published articles full of praise for Mozilla.org.
What about a picture?
You must mean the picture I was supposed to upload to the Mozparty site and on this very page. Well, I’m afraid there was not enough light for Anita’s webcam — though of course Annie would have been able to edit the pitures after the event. Nevermind, we managed to make a picture later on with that webcam — which is quite fun and easy, though it cannot compare with a good Reflex camera. The picture was then duly uploaded to the MozParty Website.
Just two “Arrigassines” — female inhabitants of Arrigas are thus named, rhyming with sins :shock: — were rounded up for the picture, and they fooled around the Mozilla Party canvas panel like the well-known “Bécassine” character of an old French cartoon.
Arrigassines en Mozilla Pom-Pom Girls
A superb surprise was devised by the “Ankara Fox and Bird Night Party” goers but later only the left-overs could be viewed until the website vanished into thin air. So this is a precious archive!
Have a look at the pictures of the MozParties around the world on SpreadFirefox.com!
