[Wiltshire] Wiltshire Digest, Vol 97, Issue 4 (swindon meetings).

[John Larkworthy]

Hi Scott,

Some years ago there was an attempt to establish regular meetings in Salisbury. 
This operated for about a year before the numbers dwindled and it stopped. 


I am convinced that Wiltshire is a difficult county due to geography to 
establish meetings and activities. With 2 centres of population - Swindon and 
Salisbury, separated by the Plain, the county seems to function in 2 halves but 
neither half is capable of fully sustaining the LUG. 

As you have already realised the Swindon meetings seem to be coming to an end as 
some of the previously active members move on to other things.

The mailing list seems to have dried to a trickle of messages usually someone 
asking if anyone is going to the meeting on the second Monday in the month. 


I do not know if the IRC channel is more active as no-one is posting a summary 
or log of the IRC conversations. i cannot get access to the IRC channel so that 
one passes me by.

My personal feeling is that the LUG is beginning to become irrelevant with the 
latest distributions such as Ubuntu being easy to install and administer. 
Android becoming the de facto OS for phones and tablets. Do we need to provide 
support and guidance for people loading a Linux distribution onto old Windows 
hardware? 


I have not yet has a good answer to the question I asked years ago - "Why would 
I dump Windows (free on my new PC) for Linux?"

For myself the answer remains - I wouldn't, but I would dual boot with Linux as 
my primary operating system and use Windows to support the Sat-Nav or Mobile 
phone or other toys that assume the only OS in the world is MS Windows.

I would love someone to prove me wrong about the need for a Wiltshire LUG. I 
will continue attending the meeting every month for the time being but I am 
beginning to come to terms with the idea that the LUG has had it's time.

May your systems never crash.

John.