Subject: first impression
To: None <netbsd-advocacy@netbsd.org>
From: Jeremy C. Reed <reed@reedmedia.net>
List: netbsd-advocacy
Date: 01/20/2001 23:13:37
On Monday, I begin teaching a Beginning Linux Administration class for a
local community college. I'll be using NetBSD at my instructor workstation
for some of my examples and for some of my students hands-on work.

My class, I believe, consists of students that have never used Linux and
probably have no idea what Linux and BSD is. Most likely they are all
Mac OS/Win9x (GUI) people.

During my introduction, before I start the actual details of the class, I
want to quickly (five minutes) show some interesting or cool things that I
can do on my NetBSD system.

Some examples that I plan to do are: 
- show how I can easily switch between window managers
- use the GIMP (script-fu) to render some patterns or logos
- use vncviewer to connect to other systems
- run an X11 client on a remote server
- show abiword
- show konqueror [1]

Personally, what I like most is the power and capabilities of doing things
via a shell command line. But from my experiences with friends and family,
powerful command-line scripting demonstrations are not usually considered
interesting.

I am looking for some ideas to make a good first impression of BSD
to non-BSD people.

Can anyone share some great examples of software or tasks so I can impress
my students about BSD?

Any other suggestions and ideas?

Thanks,

   Jeremy C. Reed
   http://bsd.reedmedia.net/

[1] Thank you Nick Hudson! I am using the KDE2 pkgsrc from your site.
Currently, I am using konqueror running on my NetBSD system at school with
the X display pointing to a Xvnc server on my mom's remote Debian Linux
box and I am viewing it at home with vncviewer on my NetBSD workstation.
This first real impression of konqueror is great even though I am two
computers and three connections away!