Free Geek Timeline

2000

• Formed initial board of directors
• Apr 13, Filed articles of incorporation in the state of Oregon [1]
• Apr 22, Earth Day at Pioneer Square in downtown Portland. First tabling event for Free Geek.
• Set up logo, website, and T-shirts
• Collected names at Earth Day event
• Created bylaws
• Applied for 501(c)(3) tax status with IRS
• Acquired space (rental, 5,000 sq ft)
• Sep 1, first day of business
• Developed network
• Dec, Established mailing lists for ASS, Education, Events, Hardware, Volunteer, News, Funding, Linux
• Dec, Developed first version of Freekbox
• Formed staff collective (3 people)

2001

• Feb 17, Four computer adopters participate in the first "Getting Started With Your FreekBox" class and leave with Freekbox 1 systems.
• Apr 14, Big Meeting, discussed structure of organization
• Aug 11, Received E-cheivement Award from the National Public Radio program E-town
• Sep 21, Waiting list for adoption shifts is over two months long
• Oct 25, All Volunteer Meeting
• Nov 10, Open House
• Dec, Expected funding falls through. Things look grim.

2002

This year saw the transition from (Mandrake based) Freekbox 1 to (Debian based) Freekbox II, the start of a quality control process, and the development of an imaging system

• Jan 12, All Volunteer Meeting (to discuss funding fall through ramifications). Decision to not sell of systems in the store.
• May, Staff expands to 4 people
• Jun, Community Council proposed
• Jun or Jul, First major corporate donation (100 or so Vectra Pentiums) allow us to catch up on FreekBox production. Freekbox 2 introduced.
• Jun 29, Geek Fair 2002
• Jul 26, Approved Sales Coordinator position at the first Community Council meeting [2]
• Aug, We begin selling systems in the store. Much discussion in the "Full Circle Back to Halt" thread. [3] The word "storebox" first used. [4]
• Aug 12, Proposed doubling of space via a lease (though already paying a storage fee for using the new space)
• Aug 13, Change hours of operation to 11 to 7 (was noon to 8)
• Aug 26, Council meeting. It is reported that folks in South Bend are interested in starting a Free Geek.
• Aug 26, We are running four build workshops per week
• Sep 24, Last "Getting Started" class for Freekbox 1.
• Sep 26, Possibility of doing consulting for City of Vancouver raised, but it may be related to prison labor (CREAM project) [5]
• Oct 2, Establishment of "social" email list [6]
• Oct 24, Staff members get paid $1,000 per month. Monthly expenses are around $9,000 per month. [7]
• Oct, Do we call volunteers "members", "workers", "volunteers", or what? Should everyone wear a badge of some sort? Discussion ensues. [8]
• Nov 21, Council Meeting: [9]
  • Freekbox II released "into the wild"
  • Problems associated with large grants going out of the country (Argentina/Ecuador) begin to get on our radar
• CREAM project proposal [10]
• Dec 19, Retreat planned [11]

2003

Discussed this year: laptops, propagating other Free Geeks, etc.

• Jan 15, Vagrant visits similar organization in Wisconsin [12]
• Jan 16, Free Geek Michiana posts to the council list at the mothership [13]
• Jan 16, First contact from ISP whiz to coho [14]
• Dec, Potato and fromage stunt pulled on Collab list.

2004

• Aug 6, Free Geek Principles proposed. [15]
• Aug 18, Principles approved at Free Geek Community Council [16]

2006

• Jul 28-29, Intergalactic meeting. [17]

2007

• Mar 6, IRC meetup [18]