[Scottish] The Future of the LUG (was: Re: Next Meeting)

Tue Dec 9 15:58:50 GMT 2003

Unfortunately I don't have access to IRC from work, and I'm not always free
in the evening :o( However, I will try and attend more.

I posted a topic with some suggestions for talks/topics for the next 6
months on the webpage. It went something like this:

Jan - Bring your favourite Linux Book
Feb - Debate - will Linux be ready for the desktop in 2004
Mar - Individual speaker
Apr - Easter pub event/quiz
May - Installing Linux on laptops (individual speaker)
Jun - Individual speaker

Tony has advised that he doesn't think that a debate is a good idea, so we
can change that one. But we've had two people offer talks - 1 on installing
and running Smootwall, the other on installing Linux for beginners. Plus
Tony has offered to do a beginners corner each month.

It would be nice to get all this confirmed soonish - can someone who
listens here and is on IRC regularly pass it on there, and maybe we can get
this all sorted before year-end, and not have to worry for 6 months!?!

Another alternative would be to specify an IRC meeting time so that all the
IRC bods, plus anyone else who has access but doesn't always sit on IRC
(like me) can attend and talk it over. Shouldn't take more than 30-60
minutes.

It would be good for different folks to offer to do a month - not
necessarily give a talk or anything, but just to take control, and make
sure it all happens smoothly - for instance, someone who has a Linux book,
who is happy to just bring it in January, and say "This is my favourite
Linux book because...." for 2 minutes would be a start.

I believe we have a really good thing in our LUG, but that we need to give
it a little TLC.

Ben Thorp

(PS - whats with the mailing list - keep getting funny reply-to addresses?)

                      William Anderson                                                                                                  
                      <neuro at well.com>                To:       scottish at mailman.lug.org.uk                                             
                      Sent by:                        cc:                                                                               
                      scottish-bounces at mailman        Subject:  [Scottish] The Future of the LUG (was: Re: Next Meeting)                
                      .lug.org.uk                                                                                                       

                      09-12-03 14:40                                                                                                    

Willie wrote:
> [snip]
> OK not everyone is near Glasgow and like it or not, whether we call
ourselves
> the Scottish LUG we are effectively the Glasgow LUG. Although by all
accounts
> a successful LAN party was held through in the mysterious east at the
> weekend.

Is it time perhaps to rename ourselves the Glasgow LUG?  Also, the Scottish

LUG could be reused as an umbrella organisation, perhaps uniting the other
LUGs in Scotland to form a larger community ... This could be an excellent
way of getting LUGs to work together in a variety of ways, maybe
encouraging other LUGs to be formed to cater for local communities where
there is no LUG (Inverness? Oban? Ayr? Orkneys?) and would allow ourselves
to refocus on the task of being a user group for Glasgow, and not the whole

of Scotland.

I personally have been humbled and astounded by the membership of our LUG,
both by the amount of knowledge we all have as a whole, and in the friendly

manner in which we (normally!) conduct ourselves.  But as a community, I
think it's fair to say we're not performing under the remit of embracing
Linux (and other Open Source / Free Software) communities in and around
Glasgow, and helping those who haven't the time or experience to get fully
into Linux.

To my knowledge, it's quite some time since an Install Day took place, and
as Willie says, all we're really doing these days is meeting at the
Counting House and drinking (not that that's a bad thing in and of
itself!), so I think we should all take the time to have a think about the
LUG, what each of us can contribute, and delurking if possible to have your

say, and have your contribution made.

Let's muck in! :)

> OK two suggestions -- non IRC folk, please consider joining in if at all
> possible.
> I suppose a mini HOWTO is called for here but for now....

excellent :)

> 1) get a client - mIRC is good for starters if you are just beginning cos
it
> is a Win prog and effectively free for 30 days - I won't presume to
suggest a
> Linux client but I'd be surprised if there isnt one installed by default
with
> your distro.

if not ...

      apt-get install xchat
(or) apt-get install bitchx
(or) apt-get install irssi

      http://rpmfind.net/linux/rpm2html/search.php?query=xchat
(or) http://rpmfind.net/linux/rpm2html/search.php?query=bitchx
(or) http://rpmfind.net/linux/rpm2html/search.php?query=irssi

      http://www.xchat.org/
(or) http://www.bitchx.com/
(or) http://irssi.org/

> 2) point it at eu.freenode.net  -- yes there  _are_  alternatives, this
will
> get you started.

connecting to irc.scotlug.org.uk would be a better bet, imo, as a) it
already points to freenode, and b) if we ever decide to move irc networks
(to escape the curse of the rehub-mad lilo), it's a clean move to make.

> 3) join #scotlug

/join #scotlug

:)

> 4) Have a lot of fun -- and dont be scared to jump in with the boots on
and
> ask for help, advice whatever.

Absolutely :)

--
_ __/|   ___  ___ __ _________ "When Microsoft Office is your only hammer,
\`O_o'  / _ \/ -_) // / __/ _ \ pretty much everything begins to look like
=(_ _)=/_//_/\__/\_,_/_/  \___/ a nail. Or a thumb." -- Rob Pegoraro
    U - Ack! Phttpt! Thhbbt!     neuro at well dot com  http://neuro.me.uk/

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