On 2020-01-15 06:58, Josh Sled wrote:
All the trends that I think made VAGUE less-than-viable as a tech hub
have still continued. IMHO, BTV/VT needs a solidly pan-technology
entity
to have enough momentum to maintain a long-term presence, while also
having *some* explicit mission that is broad enough around which to
crystallize; "Unix Enthusiasm" isn't it.
I humbly submit that that could be rephrased to "Unix Enthusiasm isn't
all of it." While my links to Vermont have largely been severed, I have
to say that Makerspaces and the Raspberry Pi movement have really made a
splash over here in NH. Throw in the coding camps and other
STEM-aligned things (e.g., FIRST, Odyssey of the Mind), and there's a
lot of new ideas and traction among youngsters. However, I'd argue that
*nix is now seen as a means to a different end -- making a robot work,
serving as a media server, a security system, or what-have-you. The
Raspberry Pi has really changed the entire landscape for hobbyists, and
Linux itself is *everywhere*: my watch, my TV, my phone, cable box, WiFi
router... the list goes on and on.
In a sense, I'd say we computer hobbyists are victims of our own
success, but the folks I discussed, above, really have me optimistic
about the future.
$.02,
-Ken
