An Open Letter To Felton California

Why We Are Here...

In a couple of weeks, the Good People of Felton California will be welcoming some visitors.

"We" are not an organized entity or company. We aren't a political faction or a sales force. We are a group of people that represent all parts of our country. People from as far away as Florida and Texas are coming to visit with you. The purpose of that visit has been talked about much so We wanted to take a minute and make some clarifications so as there will be no mis-understandings.

"We" are bringing you the future.

Four years ago, the company I owned was devastated by a virus attack via our computers. It shut down my entire network and turned tens of thousands of dollars of computer hardware into collective doorstops. It was then I realized the problem wasn't my "protection".

That was in place. I had paid thousands of dollars in licenses for antivirus protection. Protection that any 15 year old kid could circumvent in 10 minutes of unfocused hacking. No, "protection" wasn't the problem.

The problem was a system on my computer that allowed such attacks in the first place. The same system that I imagine resides on most of your computers right now. It was at that point in time that I discovered I didn't have to suffer the foolishness of anti-virus software or spyware tools any longer. There was a complete answer to that problem and that answer was Linux.

"We" are bringing Linux to Felton.

And please...leave your checkbooks and credit cards at home. No one is going to try to sell you anything. What we bring to you is yours for the taking. "We" don't want a dime of your money. Not one dime.

The people that are coming to see you represent a decade of computer software development. We are not software engineers (well, a couple of us are). Nor are we "experts" in the GNU Linux system. We are everyday Linux users who have found a new freedom in the way we use our computers and that freedom is profound. We are going to share that freedom with you and show you how easy it is to use in your everyday computing experience.

Linux doesn't cost anything, therefore there is no real reason to advertise it. Hence, you probably haven't heard a thing about it. Entire national, state and municipal governments have switched to Linux. Even the United States Army has switched mission-critical software away from Microsoft and has embraced Linux. The New York Stock Exchange made the switch over a year ago. With so many people taking part in "The Quiet Revolution", we thought it might be a good idea to bring Linux to an entire town.

This serves two purposes. It allows you to see the freedom available to you and it allows us to gain a bit of publicity for Linux. Many people have the notion that Linux is difficult to learn and operate. Nothing could be further from the truth. We have an 11 year old that is going to demonstrate just how easy Linux is.

We have aptly named this project "LINdependence 2008". Thank you Felton for allowing us to come into your square. We hope to bring you more than good will. Hopefully, in an important part of your lives, we hope to leave you with some peace of mind.

Ken Starks
HeliOS Solutions
Austin Texas