Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Re: [BLUG] BLUG meetings topics?

If anyone's ever migrated from a windows authentication environment to a linux samba environment, i'd be keenly interested in that too.

thanks!

----- Original Message -----
From: "Kelly McEvilly" <kellym@wbhcp.com>
To: "Bloomington LINUX Users Group" <blug@cs.indiana.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, February 2, 2010 8:09:04 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: Re: [BLUG] BLUG meetings topics?

I'm in! When and Where!

I have a mail server running on Redhat that I'd really like to be able to manage more effectively.

I have a 'test box' that runs CentOS that I play with.

Total Noob though...


----- Original Message -----
From: "Mark Krenz" <mark@slugbug.org>
To: "Bloomington LINUX Users Group" <blug@cs.indiana.edu>
Sent: Monday, February 1, 2010 10:12:22 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: Re: [BLUG] BLUG meetings topics?


Those are all well and good, but I think the first couple should get
right back to the basics. The first one can be an install session where
we can help anyone install Linux for anyone that wants too. The group
may have gotten too far away from people just getting starting with
Linux and we probably should get back to being focused more towards new
users.

While the more experienced users out there want something more
interesting to them, they can also just go find something by themselves.
They don't need as much help with Linux. They already know where to go
(sorry but its true). You'll still get the socialization you want.

I think an intro/install meeting would cover a lot of the stuff below
anyways as people ask questions about what apps to use, whether to use
Gnome or KDE, etc.

I don't think BLUG has had a real install fest since the 90s, which
seems crazy. We should try one again. So I think each meeting should
be less presentation driven and more focused on helping people
individually. Then we also could have more regular meetings, less worry
about who will present and more time for socializing. Plus people
outside the group would start to see exactly what to expect.

On Tue, Feb 02, 2010 at 01:44:02AM GMT, Steven Black [blacks@indiana.edu] said the following:
> On a similar note to talk about changing the meeting time, I think we
> should discuss what we want to talk about at the meetings.
>
> Do we want informational meetings? If so, what topics?
> + How do you do FOO using BAR?
> + How can you use FOO to replace the commercial/Windows-only BAR?
> + The trials and tribulations of migrating from FOO to BAR.
> + etc.
>
> Do we want reviews and/or demos of software? If so, how do we determine
> the software to review/demo?
> + Two+ people jointly review the FOO, BAR, and BAZ products to do FOOBAR.
> + Someone gives a presentation on the awesomeness of FOOBAR.
> + Recounting the awesomeness that was FOO-con, and why you should go
> + etc.
>
> Do we want to start having annual presentations on the state of FOOBAR
> software for Linux? If so, how do we determine which FOOBAR to use?
> + Graphics/3D software?
> + Office software?
> + FOOBAR-types of games
> + light-weight window managers?
> + etc.
>
> Do we want to have meetings where we plan group/community activities?
> + Install-fests?
> + CD hand-outs?
> + Bloomington Linuxfest? (A larger Indiana Linuxfest with CINLUG?)
> + Perhaps planning an annual Linux gaming night?
> + etc.
>
> Would folks be interested in changing the structure of the meeting so
> that people can get more out of it even if they're less interested in
> the core presentation?
> + Perhaps a more formal introduction with regular segments.
> - upcoming releases, software to watch, new distributions, etc.
> + (other ideas?)
>
> I'd like to see more people involved in each meeting, whether that's
> more joint presentations, small 5-10 minute regular segments of some
> sort, or if it is something more. Part of this is because many hands
> make light work, but part of it is that if there are four people which
> each contribute in some small way to the meeting, the speaker is
> guaranteed to have at least four people to listen to the presentation.
>
> I'd also like to advocate for annual presentations on particular
> software areas. Software changes quickly, and things can change fast
> while we're focussed on our day-jobs or other projects. Before we know
> it, there can be a great product that almost everyone is using, which
> we've never heard about.
>
> Cheers,
> Steven Black
>
> _______________________________________________
> BLUG mailing list
> BLUG@linuxfan.com
> http://mailman.cs.indiana.edu/mailman/listinfo/blug
>

--
Mark Krenz
Bloomington Linux Users Group
http://www.bloomingtonlinux.org/
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