On Sat, 20 Oct 2018 13:07:19 +0200
Miroslav Skoric <skoric@???> wrote:

> On 10/17/2018 03:18 PM, terryc wrote:

I'm going to start off by saying I'm unable to help you with your
quest. In fact, my answers are basically like the local who is asked by
a tourist "How do you get to blah-blah from here" and receives the
reply "If i was yuou, I wouldn't get to there from here".

However, I realise my comments are based on my experiences in two PC
clubs and two LUGs over a few decades when the interest was fresh and
new and the environment is different now.

However, than you for your interest in promoting Devuan.

>
> It's a seniors club, 70-75 at average.

Err, how old do you think the people who developed the "Internet" are?
Don't assume they don't have capable minds. We live in a world they
built.

The follow up I didn't send is to suggest using one or two "Live-CDs",
which would allow them to dabble with minimum risk. As far as I know,
just about most Linux distros allow you to choose your desktop and many
off Live-CDs with various look and feel.

I don't think I can help you with the rest of your questions as I
learnt long ago to keep it simple and easy, but wish you good luck.

> As I said I have two machines there, one
> is wired to a big TV so they who sit in a last row can listen &
> watch.

Any chance of a second screen in mirror mode so you can sit and face
the audience while you talk? It will flow smoother?

>That one machine is Devuan Jessie 64-bit for now,
Oh, it is modern.

> I installed
> it just for test as I never used Devuan distro before. However, I am
> more experienced in Ubuntu, so I want to show them its desktop too.

As I said, which desktop? I trained my user-in-chief to
right click the blue screen, choose applications and so on. As far as I
know, all desktops will allow you to set up icons.

I just have better things to do than spend my time fixing muck ups from upgrades and
dealing with "the internet is down" when firefox has just shat itself
again and just needs a restart. And if they refuse to learn to walk the
tree, then they can wait while i have a second cuppa to find their lost
file.

Just do a simple light show (KISS) and work with the more
capable/interested and enable them to be teach the rest.

>Btw, those comps are dual-boot with Window$
> because they are also used for other things besides Linux promotion.

It seriously sounds as if your club should do some skip
diving/recycling/repurposing.

> There is no Internet in the club so I need exactly what software
> packages need to be downloaded elsewhere and brought to the site.

Do your resources extend to downloading/obtaining distribution CDs/DVDs
isos and burning a copy or 2, 3, ....? . That was basically how I did
it in the past(when the alternative was dial-up modem downloads). The
alternative is to download the needed packages onto usb stick and carry
out a foreign media install.

My whole approach would be to just to boot off a live-cd, say this is
"Linux" and under that I can do this "(show)]repeat n and try include
stuff they are interested/need in and pump;
minimal virus/worm/etc chance,
"free",
"better",
choice and so on.
Questions, Questions, Question.
If they get hung up on look and feel, boot on another live-cd.

Good luck.