From: henry@acs.ucalgary.ca ("Shawn Henry") Date: Wed, 13 Jul CALGARY FREE-NET ASSOCIATION - JULY 1ST UPDATE Introduction The Calgary Free-Net Association has been working since late last year to bring a Free-Net to Calgary. This update is the culmination of the behind the scenes work and the first step towards bringing the rest of the community into the fold. As of July 1st, 1994, the Calgary Free-Net Association will be taking applications for membership. The Calgary Free-Net Association is a non- profit association dedicated to developing and operating a community computer system containing local databases and access to the over 2 million databases on the Internet. The Association believes that this kind of information is vital to the development of CalgaryÕs local culture and for that reason will be offering access to this system for FREE. As will be outlined below, you can help the Association fulfil the goal of universal access to the Free-Net and the Internet, by becoming a member of the Association or through donations to the Association. Committee Updates Currently there are over 50 volunteers working within four different committees and subcommittees. The overarching framework of the Free-Net Association consists of a Steering Committee, which acts as a Board of Directors and controls the direction of the Free-Net Association and community computer project. Under the Steering Committee are three sub- committees, each working on a different aspect of the overall project. It is these committees that have been doing the legwork required to get this project off and running. Hardware/Software Committee: The H/S committee has just finished reviewing the Computer proposals submitted by a number of different computer vendors. The committee has selected a proposal submitted by IBM Canada and as such, the Free-Net Association has begun final negotiations with IBM Canada to firm up the deal. The proposal put forth by IBM represents a significant contribution on the part of IBM, a contribution that brings the Association one step closer to making the Free-Net a reality in Calgary. The H/S committee has also come to a decision about the kind of software the Free-Net will be running. The software will be based upon a hyper-text server package distributed free of charge on the Internet. The committee will be making the necessary additions to the software to allow for mail, on-line registration, etc. What makes the hyper-text server software so attractive is its expendability. In the first stage of the project, a browser program (lynx) will be installed on the Free-NetÕs main server computer. This software is based on an ASCII text format, a format that is offered by virtually all communications packages. In the second stage of the project, it is possible that the Free-Net will offer a more comprehensive access in the formof SLIP/PPP accounts to our users. These users will then be able to use the MOSAIC software (available free from various sites on the Internet), which is a GUI (graphical user interface) format. While the server software will not change, what the users will see when they accessing Free-Net will be vastly different. This flexibility is the key reason for the committeeÕs choice of server software. Information Resources Committee: The Information Resources Committee work over the last months has been focussed on: 1) establishing rules and regulations for both the users of the Free-Net and the groups and organizations who will be providing the information to the Free-Net; and 2) beginning to locate information that will be put on the Free-Net, on a local, national and international level. The committee has made a good deal of progress completing the rules and regulation documents as well as creating an information database of national and international information. That being said however, the Information Resources Committee is very interested in hearing from Calgarians regarding the kind of information they would like to see available on the Free-Net. The committee also wants to hear from Calgary-based organizations and businesses who would be interested in placing their information on the Calgary Free-Net. If you have suggestions or would be interested in placing your information on-line, contact Shawn Henry at 264- 9535. Funding Committee: The Funding Committee has been working on the logistics of paying for the project. Currently, the Funding Committee is working on three related projects: 1) obtaining federal charitable status (allowing us to issue tax- deductible receipts); 2) funding/membership drive; and 3) establishing a public relations sub-committee getting the word out to Calgarians. Thanks in part to the work of Kevin Vertefeuille, of McGregor Vertefeuille Chartered Accountants, the funding committeeÕs application for federal charitable status is well underway. Until this application is accepted by the federal government, the Free-Net Association cannot give out receipts for tax deduction purposes. However, because we are in the process of applying for charitable status, we also do not have to charge GST. In terms of the public relations sub-committee, the committee members have be meeting since mid-June to try and bring attention to the project. There has already been one article written on the Calgary Free-Net Project - Business in Calgary Magazine (July edition) - and we expect more to follow as we move closer to the start-up date. As well, if you know of conferences, meetings or groups that would be interested in having a Free- Net representative come and make a presentation, contact Lorne Darlington at 274-6927 or Shawn Henry at 264-9535. Lastly, the Funding/Membership drive has begun. The Free-Net Association will be requiring a good deal of financial support from the Calgary community to cover the costs of setting up and running the Free-Net. Memberships are $50 per year and members receive a membership card (to receive discounts on Free-Net merchandise and discounts from other local businesses), voting rights at the annual general meeting of the Free-Net Association and will be given access to the Free-Net computer system during the 30-60 day test period. As well, IBM Canada will be providing T-shirts to the first 300 members. The Association will be working to solicit other perks for members as the campaign continues. Donations are always welcome and the Free-Net Association will be doing everything they can to let the users of the Free-Net know who is responsible for letting them use the Free-Net for free. For corporate donors, there will be a special Òthanks be unto our donorsÓ message on the login (first) page. On the main menu, the second item will be the donors menu, where all donors, corporate and individual, will be listed. The Association feels confident that the Calgary community will pull together to make the Free-Net a reality. Donor Levels Organizations: Extraordinary: $100, 000 or more per year Platinum: $30,000 to $99,999 per year Gold: $20,000 to $29,999 per year Silver: $10,000 to $19,999 per year Bronze: $5,000 to $9,999 per year Friend of the Free-Net: $2,500 to $4,999 per year Free-Net Supporter: $1,000 to $2,499 per year Individuals: Extraordinary: $2,000 or more per year Platinum: $1,500 to $1,999 per year Gold: $1,000 to $1,499 per year Silver: $500 to $999 Bronze: $250 to $499 per year Friend of the Free-Net: $51 to $249 per year Free-Net Member: $50 per year Concluding Comments The Free-Net Association has been working very hard to bring this project to a successful conclusion. Assuming that all goes well, the Calgary Free-Net will be operational by late September/early October. Once the system is operational, there will be a trial period in which Free-Net Association members will be given sole access to the system. During this period, the Association will be looking for system errors, software problems, gateway difficulties, etc., and making the necessary corrections. This trial period will last between 30 - 60 days, after which the general public have access to the system. There is still a good deal of work to do before the system can be opened up to the public. Currently, the AssociationÕs committees are full, however, there will be a need for other volunteers as this project moves towards opening day. If you are interested in volunteering, fill out the section on the membership application for volunteers. Let us know what kind of work you would be interested in doing and when you are available. Your name will be placed in a database and you will be called when the Association is in need of help. In conclusion, Calgarians must remember that this computer system will be their computer system and as such, requires their participation to make it work. The Calgary Free-Net will give Calgary a presence on a global computer network and will provide Calgarians with access to some of the best databases in the world. It is a worthwhile project and one that the Calgary Free-Net Association hopes that you will get involved in. LetÕs work together to make the Calgary Free-Net the best community computer system on the Internet!