Free Geek Timeline
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2000
- Formed initial board of directors
- Apr 13, Filed articles of incorporation in the state of Oregon
- 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 [1]
- Aug, We begin selling systems in the store. Much discussion in the "Full Circle Back to Halt" thread. [2] The word "storebox" first used. [3]
- 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) [4]
- Oct 2, Establishment of "social" email list [5]
- Oct 24, Staff members get paid $1,000 per month. Monthly expenses are around $9,000 per month. [6]
- Oct, Do we call volunteers "members", "workers", "volunteers", or what? Should everyone wear a badge of some sort? Discussion ensues. [7]
- Nov 21, Council Meeting: [8]
- 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 [9]
- Dec 19, Retreat planned [10]
2003
Discussed this year: laptops, propagating other Free Geeks, etc.
- Jan 15, Vagrant visits similar organization in Wisconsin [11]
- Jan 16, Free Geek Michiana posts to the council list at the mothership [12]
- Jan 16, First contact from ISP whiz to coho [13]
- Dec, Potato and fromage stunt pulled on Collab list.
2004
- Aug 6, Free Geek Principles proposed. [14]
- Aug 18, Principles approved at Free Geek Community Council [15]
2005
2006
- Jul 28-29, Intergalactic meeting. [16]
2007
- Mar 6, IRC meetup [17]