4 ms·

I don't like the way this is framed - but to answer the question: because I did this sort of thing with a LUG and organizing community events when I was much yo

by carguy1983 14y ago

I don't like the way this is framed - but to answer the question: because I did this sort of thing with a LUG and organizing community events when I was much younger (it helped me get into college and get my first job) and quite frankly I've been there and done that. It gets extremely repetitive after 5+ years of giving. This open source thing has been happening for quite a long time now. Like decades. Also, it feels as though the battle has been 'won' now. Everybody uses Linux and open source; it is accepted in industry alongside commercial software. Others may disagree of course.

ryanbrunner 14y ago
Fair enough. I don't think it's necessarily for everyone. But in some cities, and for some people, it can be extremely valuable. A lot of cities do need help with their user groups, and it's a great way to get to know people in your community. There's a huge variety of things you could be doing if you're tired of the typical "hack night / pub night / talk night" format. Consider setting up a free tutorial to university students, or a teaching event for non-programmers.
gnosis 14y ago
"it feels as though the battle has been 'won' now. Everybody uses Linux and open source; it is accepted in industry alongside commercial software" Linux is definitely a mainstream OS on the server side. It still has a long way to go to making a dent on the desktop, however. And it's made some powerful enemies (like Microsoft), which want to see it wiped out -- and may still do so, using things like "trusted computing" (DRM) and UEFI, not to mention possible patent or copyright threats ala SCO (though that particular threat seems to have been abated, for now). The war is far from won, though some battles have been won. And it probably never will be won, even if free/open source software ever becomes dominant on the desktop -- because it could always lose that dominance. The price of freedom is eternal vigilance. That said, Linux users groups aren't really about fighting this war. They're mainly just about getting people who are already interested in Linux together to talk about interesting aspects of the OS and interesting software, and to help each other.

ryanbrunner 14y ago

Fair enough. I don't think it's necessarily for everyone. But in some cities, and for some people, it can be extremely valuable. A lot of cities do need help with their user groups, and it's a great way to get to know people in your community. There's a huge variety of things you could be doing if you're tired of the typical "hack night / pub night / talk night" format. Consider setting up a free tutorial to university students, or a teaching event for non-programmers.

gnosis 14y ago

"it feels as though the battle has been 'won' now. Everybody uses Linux and open source; it is accepted in industry alongside commercial software" Linux is definitely a mainstream OS on the server side. It still has a long way to go to making a dent on the desktop, however. And it's made some powerful enemies (like Microsoft), which want to see it wiped out -- and may still do so, using things like "trusted computing" (DRM) and UEFI, not to mention possible patent or copyright threats ala SCO (though that particular threat seems to have been abated, for now). The war is far from won, though some battles have been won. And it probably never will be won, even if free/open source software ever becomes dominant on the desktop -- because it could always lose that dominance. The price of freedom is eternal vigilance. That said, Linux users groups aren't really about fighting this war. They're mainly just about getting people who are already interested in Linux together to talk about interesting aspects of the OS and interesting software, and to help each other.