[SC.LUG] Memory Lane, & Quo Vadis

[Richard Smedley]

Srdjan Todorovic wrote:
> (I'm no longer in Cheshire, but still seem to be on the mailing list :D )

No worries - but it must be another address forwarding
to GMail, as this one got caught in the sp4m trap.

> On 2 June 2010 22:18, Richard Smedley <smedley358 at btinternet.com> wrote:
>> Going through some old Linux Format magazines for a bibliography,
>> I came across the small feature on SC.LUG (p112, LXF 36, Jan 2003).
>> It was just after the talk by Anthony Holloway of Jodrell Bank
>> on their 180-CPU Beowulf cluster, given at the Trafford Arms in
>> Alderley Edge.
> 
> Hmm "Cobra" I believe. Walked around that machine about 4 years ago.
> Cool blue lights. Used for simulating astronomical phenomena (not sure
> just how much is non-classified information so I will not go into it).

I don't think much was secret - Anthony gave quite a
detailed explanation of the other 2 sites in Europe, &
how it was all co-ordinated :)

>> Who else was there? & who remembers the first meeting, 3 years
>> before that, gathered in a circle in the non-smoking room
>> at The Commercial in Wheelock?
> 
> Spookily enough, I had my first LUG meet, and also my first SCLUG meet
> there (but maybe in 2003/2004). I used to live close by.

Well, if your visiting old haunts, give us a shout &
we'll try and lay on another meeting =o)

>> I gather from the small SC.LUG turnout at Alsager that there's
>> not quite the same appetite for more meetings, so where next
>> for SC.LUG? Is there still a role for LUGs now that it's all
>> so easy?
> 
> The LUG I'm with (ALUG) is quite informal and we just go to the pub
> every month for a chat on technical and non-technical issues. I think
> some LUGs are now more a social event than technical help workshops
> (that's what mailing lists and IRC are for ;) ).

We had a few Macclesfield meetings some years ago, and that
seems to have spun off to E Cheshire LUG pub meets.
The Alsager GeekUp will continue as a simple pub meet
(SC.LUG members welcome).

Other LUGs seem to split between ppu meets, and tech talks,
but fewer are active than a decade ago, I believe.

I guess GNU/Linux is too easy to install and use for as
much LUG support to be needed, and many ppl go to
TweetUps, GeekUps, and user groups for Plone, WordPress,
Drupal, Python programming, etc, whereas 10 years ago
there were only LUGs & Perl Mongers groups.

  - Richard

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