Re: Are LUG's Hurting Linux?

[Jon 'maddog' Hall, Executive Director, Linux International]

Ken,

Let no one tell you different....LUGs are the backbone and lifeblood of Linux.

Over the years DECUS, the Sun User Group, HP's User Group, IBM's User Group were
worth millions of dollars of advertising.  More importantly, they allowed the
users of the software and computers to get together with the managers
and developers to help them figure out what to do next.

Linux has existed as a "bottom up" operating system.  Linux has entered into
corporate America from the users and systems administrators who pushed it into
their organizations.

I agree with Bruce Dawson (and others) though...it is time for the LUGs to
move to the next step (not to be confused with NextStep(TM), an operating
system by Steve Jobs).

While install fests and NUN nights are still useful, we should move the
level up one or two notches to "solution nights".  A "home network" night,
showing people how to set up their home network from DSL or cable input to
LAN (including firewalls, SAMBA servers, AppleTalk servers, etc.

Or a "business night", showing people how to set up a small home office,
complete with accounting software.

I think that part of the problem is that a lot of the leaders have been doing
Linux for four or five years now, so "there is nothing new".  Hmmm, they must
not have looked at SourceForge lately, because there have been 7,000 new
projects added since Christmas.

Now is the time to redouble efforts.  Drag two of your computer friends who
have not been exposed to Linux (the "great unwashed") to a NUN night.

Attack school libraries with you next older version of Linux (or perhaps one
or two of the 'freebee' disks).

Be in-your-face-offensive about Linux.  Wear penguin clothing and pins, not
only to Linux meetings, but to church.  I had two people in the Dunkin' Donuts
yesterday ask me about Linux, having seen my penguin.

FREE installation fests and FREE NUN nights don't indicate that Linux is hard
to install or use....simply that there are people who are so enthusiastic about
it that they devote their time and energy to promoting it.  There is a reason
why these LUGs don't exist to the same degree and enthusiasm for Microsoft
products.....Microsoft has nothing to be enthusiastic about, nothing which
drives their users to enthusiasm.

You know the drill....don't falter.

md

-- 
=============================================================================
Jon "maddog" Hall
Executive Director           Linux(R) International
email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]         80 Amherst St. 
Voice: +1.603.672.4557       Amherst, N.H. 03031-3032 U.S.A.
WWW: http://www.li.org

Board Member: Uniforum Association, USENIX Association

(R)Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in several countries.