Reglue Needs Your Support
![](/var/linux_magazin/storage/images/online/blogs/off-the-beat-bruce-byfield-s-blog/318120-13-eng-US/Off-the-Beat-Bruce-Byfield-s-Blog.png)
Off the Beat: Bruce Byfield's Blog
Forget, for a moment, how open source seems to be the solution to business problems. Instead, return to basics and think of how free software helps to provide computers for the impoverished, and to reduce technological waste by extending the useful life of older hardware. These are among the ideals that attracted many of us to free software in the first place, and for years, Ken Starks and Recycled Electronics and Gnu/Linux Used for Education -- better known as Reglue -- have been on the front lines of such issues. Now, Reglue faces a significant shortfall in operating costs unless it can raise another $7000 in its current fundraising campaign in the next few days.
Why should you care? Well, consider that, without access to computers, many of your local citizens simply cannot afford free speech and equal opportunity. The Internet extends free speech in a way that was unimagined only a few decades ago, but first you need a computer or, at the very least, a mobile device. If you consider how the classified ads in newspapers have shrunk in the last decade, it is obvious that most job opportunities, public events and items for sale become invisible if you are not on the Internet. At best, your voice and opportunities are reduced to dim echoes of everybody else's.
That is especially true in education. Arguably, universities and schools became over-reliant on computers before they understood what they were doing, but the fact remains that students who have to share computers with their brothers and sisters, or, worse, compete for computer time in under-equipped and under-staffed libraries or labs have extra challenges that leave them at a disadvantage compared to more prosperous peers.
Nor is mere access the only problem. A phone might bring students access, but they are still at a disadvantage compared to someone with a twenty-three inch widescreen monitor.
But the point is: without an adequate computer, a modern person is a second-class citizen at best. Yet, according to Reglue, in the Austin Independent School District alone, "there are over 5000 Austin students who cannot afford a computer or Internet access."
As for recycling computer waste, consider the unnecessary toxic waste generated, and how, despite treaties intended to reduce the problems, it is shipped overseas to be recycled under conditions that have poisoned entire regions in Africa and Asia, where people extract mercury from hardware over open fires without any kind of safety protection.
The dirty little secret is that computers, for all of their potential, are also perhaps the greatest source of toxic waste today. Periodically, efforts are made to address these problems, but the main way to reduce the amount of toxic waste is to ensure that all computer hardware is kept from the landfills for as long as it is still functional.
These are two of the hidden, dark sides of computers -- aspects that most of us are unaware of, and that few of us do anything about. They are also two of the problems that organizations like Reglue oppose every day.
An Unexpected Shortfall
Since Reglue began in 2005, it has provided over 1600 used computers to disadvantaged computers, picking them up and refurbishing them them with free software At the same time, it has opened community education centers throughout Austin as a way of helping other people at a disadvantage. I have not worked with Reglue personally, since I live several thousand kilometers away, but I was involved for years with similar activities at Free Geek Vancouver, and believe me, it is the sort of work for which the adjective "Righteous" comes to mind -- even to an agnostic like me.
Ordinarily, with the help of volunteers, Reglue works wonders on what would be more accurate to call pocket change rather than a budget. However, Starks tells me that, "Reglue has had some nasty setbacks in 2016 with break-ins and unforeseen financial costs." Without immediate donations, he adds, "we are looking at suspending operations within the next 6 months, with a full close-down in 16 months."
What worries Starks is that, unlike in previous years, "The money just didn't come in time. Last year, we raised in excess of $10k in less than 90 days. To this date, we've not gotten 20% of what we need."
Starks is hoping to secure funding for 2018, but that still leaves the next ten months to struggle through. "We just don't have the cushion this year to carry us through, and it kills me to see a decade of work shut down by a lack of a couple of thousand dollars."
A donation in the next few days would go a long way towards helping Reglue bridge its funding gap. However, after the current fundraising campaign, donations can be made through Paypal or through the Donate button on Reglue's home page.
As I said, it's a matter of getting back to basics. If organizations like Reglue aren't what free software is about, then I don't know what is.
comments powered by DisqusSubscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
![Learn More](https://www.linux-magazine.com/var/linux_magazin/storage/images/media/linux-magazine-eng-us/images/misc/learn-more/834592-1-eng-US/Learn-More_medium.png)
News
-
NVIDIA Released Driver for Upcoming NVIDIA 560 GPU for Linux
Not only has NVIDIA released the driver for its upcoming CPU series, it's the first release that defaults to using open-source GPU kernel modules.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 24.07 Released
If you’re into rolling release Linux distributions, OpenMandriva ROME has a new snapshot with a new kernel.
-
Kernel 6.10 Available for General Usage
Linus Torvalds has released the 6.10 kernel and it includes significant performance increases for Intel Core hybrid systems and more.
-
TUXEDO Computers Releases InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen9 Laptop
Sporting either AMD or Intel CPUs, the TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro 14 is an extremely compact, lightweight, sturdy powerhouse.
-
Google Extends Support for Linux Kernels Used for Android
Because the LTS Linux kernel releases are so important to Android, Google has decided to extend the support period beyond that offered by the kernel development team.
-
Linux Mint 22 Stable Delayed
If you're anxious about getting your hands on the stable release of Linux Mint 22, it looks as if you're going to have to wait a bit longer.
-
Nitrux 3.5.1 Available for Install
The latest version of the immutable, systemd-free distribution includes an updated kernel and NVIDIA driver.
-
Debian 12.6 Released with Plenty of Bug Fixes and Updates
The sixth update to Debian "Bookworm" is all about security mitigations and making adjustments for some "serious problems."
-
Canonical Offers 12-Year LTS for Open Source Docker Images
Canonical is expanding its LTS offering to reach beyond the DEB packages with a new distro-less Docker image.
-
Plasma Desktop 6.1 Released with Several Enhancements
If you're a fan of Plasma Desktop, you should be excited about this new point release.