[Lincs] Linux Format Article - 1st draft

[pete at ninjafriendly.com]

Hi All,

Article is below, comments, criticism and suggestions welcome - do your worst
:).  We'll discuss it properly tomorrow evening (8pm / IRC).

Cheers

Pete


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LF Article

Lincolnshire is big, flat and devoid of any public awareness of Linux.  We'll
change that.  Our aim, like most lugs, is to offer a friendly network of advice
and support while promoting the benefits of Linux to local businesses and
potential users.  Unlike a lot of other lugs, our members (currently ~50) are
spread over 2,275 sq miles.

LLUG was founded in 2001 by Chris Lingard, but has been largely inactive due to
the distances involved.  Sammi started the ball rolling again on 24th June by
asking on the mailing list if we existed.  Existential uncertainty encouraged
us to set up an IRC channel, revamp the website, work on real life meetings and
Chris made Marc Mc Guinness the chief penguin.

The first real-life meeting will be on Saturday 11th September, 5pm - 9pm at
Boston Squash Club.  We will have presentations on Linux (duh), open source
software, desktop security, Open Office, Mozilla, Knoppix, making an mp3/ogg
server, Kopete, and other topics, striking a balance that ensures we provide
for beginners and more advanced users.
We'll also discuss the direction of LLUG, provide help with configuration
problems and you can also find out who (or what) you've been IRCing.

To compensate for the size of Lincs we intend to change venues regularly to
ensure members have a fair chance of attending a local meeting.  

Plans for the next few months include using the second meeting as an install
party, a weekend of workshops together with a German LUG for meeting three and
exploring how we can present Linux to businesses.

Info:

Venue: 	Boston Squash Club, Rosebery Avenue, Boston, Lincolnshire, PE21 7QF
Website:	http://lincs.lug.org.uk
Mailing list: 	http://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/lincs
IRC: 		#llug on irc.oftc.net.  (Meetings on Tuesdays at 8pm.)