[dundee] Chrome://

[Arron M Finnon]

Well some interesting feedback there, i suppose it could be worth
clarifying some things first and then take it from there.

The Linux Society website, is in no way designed to compete with tayLUG
website, or the mailing list.  It is it's little brother, and that's the
truth of it.

The reality is that the Linux Society has a constitution to promote
Linux to new and experienced users a like, and promote the adoption of
open source software as a core replacement to proprietary software.
(that's the official blurb out of the way).

This is where the line is sometimes blurry between LS and the Taylug.
The LUG is there as a User Group, and the society is there to get people
to use Linux, and help support them in that (which is the partnership
bit between the LUG and LS).  This is a multi-headed task in fairness,
the one thing i can say as a society man, is not all society members use
the mailing list, all though i continue to tell them this is by far the
best way to get support, it doesn't happen (maybe the sear number of
emails, or the top heavy technical side that sometimes is seen all
though i have never been subject or witnessed it).  

We have to accept as a community at large that to attract new people to
Linux we need to use all the tools that are available.  All though the
mailing list is a great resources, it's not a one size fit's all, and if
people are use to using a forum to get technical assistance, then we
should be offering that in combination.  In saying that though i'm no
great believer in forums either.  In the same vein we have also recently
used a bebo site for promoting Linux in Dundee, most of you will
probably never see it, but as a group we see a hell of a lot of
potential new adopters of Linux and if a social networking site floats
your boat then it's there.  However with the explosion in the Linux
desktop market, and embedded devices, and cheap laptops are bring a new
breed of Linux users, 

This is on a personal note, i also think that some of the recent, how
would i best describe it, heated debates, may have been better suited on
a forum rather than having every single member of tayLUG dragged through
it.  However that's a personal view and in no way is meant to be
critical, the fact that we are all passionate about this cause we
knowingly call and love as Linux is the most important thing.

With regards to the wiki, my views on that are wiki's are as successful
as the users that use them.  I really would have to bow to Jason's
superior knowledge on this, has he has done research for the uni on it,
but if you only having a only a few people actively using them, then
they look and feel underused.  I think personally this is a more wait
and see with regards to if it would add benefit to the site, i think in
the future it will, but i think it rest on the more users using it.  i
like the ubuntu community documentation concept and that seems to work
well with forums.

I apologise for the long winded response, and hope that this helps to
explain the plans for the site.

Arron M Finnon
President
Abertay Linux Society
www.thelinuxsociety.org.uk