[LUG]Re: Reviving LUG meets

[zleap via list <list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Gordon raises a good point here,  hence the 'other groups' page on the new site. 

What I liked about the old lug / tech meets was the face to face aspect,  having a virtual video chat is the closest we are going to get, at least in the short term.   But it will hopefully give us a chance to talk about specific topics,  do presentations for example.

I just want to make sure the tech works and know how it works.  I can upload files such as video or pdf presentations to the chat and then view within the chat, which is good.

Hopefully as a LUG we will still support grassroots users, maybe help people with the skills needed to run their own projects.

https://linuxupskillchallenge.org/

Hopefully we can find a way of being able to meet up, either at LUG meets or at other events where a group of us can agree to meet up and chat.   For a lot of people not knowing anyone is a real barrier.  Knowing people here who are going to things may help.  

The Tinkerers meeting shows this can work,  and we are building slowly.  If nothing else the lug list / chat helps us coordinate.

Lets see how we can take the LUG forward in 2025.

Paul

On 2025-09-29 09:05, Gordon Henderson wrote:

On Fri, 26 Sep 2025, Roland Tarver via list wrote:

I might go for the online option; given I live in Scotland now. That and
the fact I cannot comprehend Scottish lug members hahaha 😜😂 (juuust
kidding. Scott’s are ace!)

Aye, but urn't ye up in teuchter land? Nae wunder ye canny hear the lingo. So basically, away an' bile yer heed, pal! :-)

But dinnay fash; there is #scotlug on IRC but its very quiet these days. Seems to be based in Glasgow but they have not had any meet-ups for years now.

Scotland suffers the same issues as Devon/Cornwall - population density is essentially zero. Large areas of wilderness (far more in Scotland than D&C) and few cities. The cities do have a "buzz" about them with hackspaces and what not but unless you live there, there is not a lot going on.

Edinburgh hackspace (Now called Hacklab AIUI) costs £35 a month for membership too... It's over an hour from me and parking is rubbish. The train would work, but that's 1.5 hours (half hour drive to the station) then a bus-ride, so that plus the membership fees puts it firmly out of reach for me.

Personally I feel that by (re) creating a LUG specific thing you'll end up preaching to the converted. Highly unlikely to get new interest these days.

Anyway, 2025 is the year of Linux on the Desktop, isn't it? Some are claiming up to 6% although I feel that's a bit high.

If I could, I'd concentrate on regular Tech Meet/Jam/Hub/Space, "Mens Shed", whatever you want to call it these days. Then you can cover a broad spectrum. Downside is finding a location - and it's great the city folks to promote their rinky dinky little lab in the library but for anyone outside the city it's stupidly hard to get to. I really did enjoy the Paignton meet-ups. The shoreline cafe then the library, then the Plymouth meets. Sometimes it's nice to meet real live people esepcially when it seemed that the world turned against you.

And not everyone is interested in open source either - I've almost totally gone off the idea because when I was an open source developer & contributor "the community" abused my good will and refused to help me when I needed help. So now I'm just a user, not a contributor and if anyone wants my old projects (which I still maintain but not under any sort of OS license) they can pay for for them. (Which they do)

Cheers,

Gordon

 

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Paul Sutton
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