[Linux-aus] LUGs

[Simon Lees]

On 6/29/23 10:52, Colin Fee via linux-aus wrote:
> 
> 
> On Thu, 29 Jun 2023 at 09:55, Ashley via linux-aus 
> <linux-aus at lists.linux.org.au <mailto:linux-aus at lists.linux.org.au>> wrote:
> 
> 
>     On 28/06/2023 10:13 pm, Russell Coker via linux-aus wrote:
>      > <snip>
>      > Linux is easy enough that the people who have less demanding
>     needs can figure
>      > most things out on their own (except printers, they still suck). 
>     If this is
>      > the cause of the decline of LUGs then it is evidence to suggest
>     that the
>      > majority of Linux users have less demanding needs.
>      >
>      > Should we try to have less of an emphasis on computer science in
>     LUGs if
>      > that's not what the users want?
>      >
>     I'm not sure about the other LUGs but I was a member of SLUG
>     starting in
>     the mid 90s. I think I started going to the meetings at the Sydney
>     Institute of Technology in about 1996. It was here that I learned a
>     great deal about Linux. My first successful install was in about '92 or
>     '93 with Yggdrasil Linux and kernel 0.99.
> 
>     SLUG introduced me to the much friendlier desktop versions and
>     taught me
>     about such things as bash scripting and getting things working. We
>     would
>     have in depth discussions about the use of various programs such as the
>     VIM and Emacs editors and, of course, other useful programs such as the
>     GIMP, Mutt and Mozilla.
> 
> 
> I wonder how the maturation on Linux distros, certainly wrt the more 
> popular distros, along with the proliferation of online help 
> communities/forums etc has contributed to the downturn of in person LUGs?

As someone who works on and provides support for community distro's i'm 
sure this plays a part. When I first installed Linux I still had a Dial 
Up connection and the only practical way was to buy a magazine with 
DVD's and it certainly wasn't the polished experience it can be today.

Having said that I know that parts of the openSUSE community still 
occasionally run install fests in some parts of the world, but often 
these are in places where internet connections aren't ideal or where 
there can be language barriers.

These days many people in the English speaking world tend to just jump 
on Discord, Matrix or one of our other platforms if they need any help.

Cheers

Simon