Dear All My name's Chris, I'm fairly new, and I've attended the last two of three LUG meetings. I'm a bit quiet, so don't worry if you haven't noticed me. I've used various Linux flavours over the past five years, and although I can't claim to be any sort of expert, I'm not too bad as a basic desktop user.
The reason I'm writing today, is to share some of my observations of the meetings, but also to ask a few questions about them. I apologise if these have already been addressed in previous meetings, but since I'm new, I hope you will forgive me asking again. Observations: Firstly, it's great to see so many passionate people together using Linux. It's also nice to see the meetings are inclusive enough to see Apples and Windows mixing together without provoking any flame wars. I particularly like that you're all a sociable bunch of guys, and clearly some of you are also good friends. I also like the fact that if you've got a problem, or want to try something new or unfamiliar, you're all willing to share your knowledge and help each other out. And so, for 2-3 hours each month we all sit around the table doing just that. But as far as I can see, it's ONLY that. So, now I want to ask some questions: 1. A few of you have mentioned that in the past, there have been talks or sessions where someone has spoken about a topic that is of interest to the group. Is this still something you do, or have all topics been thoroughly exhausted now? 2. Our website (www.peterborough-lug.org.uk) states that our aims are to "provide an informal forum for Linux users in and around Peterborough", "adopt a Pro-Linux attitude" and to "learn together and help each other get the most out of Linux", which pretty much confirms my above observations. However, the site seems a bit out-of-date. There are a couple of broken links, and some of the content (announcing Debian 4 "Etch", for example) is clearly in need of a refresh. I don't want to upset anyone over the look-and-feel of the site, but I wondered whether this could be a project we could all contribute towards? Who now maintains this site? It makes sense to keep it refreshed and remove any obsolete/out-of-date content. This was the first thing I noticed back in August/September when I was considering joining. Obviously, it didn't put me off (!), but if one of our stated aims is to have a pro-Linux attitude, then I would have thought keeping our site updated would certainly help attract new members. 3. Costs. This is a minor question, but one I thought I'd just raise. Tony Vroom is an excellent and knowledgeable host, and I can personally vouch for his coffee. However, it's never been brought up if I should help contribute towards using the facilities. Most clubs charge 50p or £1 just to cover any expenses. No-one's ever mentioned it. If it is totally free, then Tony is a super-generous person, but maybe I'm the only person who doesn't pay his subs?! What's the deal on this subject? That's it really. I just want to point out that I'm not attempting to "muscle in", or anything like that, but just wanted to see what everyone else thought. I'm conscious that you all have different interests in Linux, and may be entirely happy with the way things are. I don't want to spoil your happiness, but I thought it can't hurt just to ask. Thanks for reading, Chris.
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