[klug] plug

[leo at ihug.co.nz]

hi folks
I am a linux user, and I have just moved into the area with
the serendipidous good luck of becoming Peter Dinnans
neighbour. Peter has wired me into the KLUG, and I encourage
those on the list to join us at the next meeting in order
that we all contribute to revitalise the group.

>From the few posts I have received it appears to me that the
group has a lack of defined focus, perhaps in the next
meeting we can create a definition or a clear purpose for
the group. I suggest that benefits we could focus on might
include;
* greater clout with vendors, with other linux groups, or
for lobbying govt.
* greater buying power as a group.
* more power as a resource for members; experienced users
help bring newbies up to speed, conversely newcomers bring
their own business skills to bear on the group.
* wider spread of experience and skill
* social outcomes
Once this is established and involvement grows then perhaps
the group might self organise more rather than requiring the
constant nurture of a few dedicated members.

In addition, perhaps at his next meeting it would be usefull
to call an amnesty on peoples feelings, so that folks can
declare what didnt work for them about the group before. I
have had involvement in many past groups, and very often I
have seen that a few overzealous or poorly formed members
can cause many to leave the group (this is very clear in
karate groups for example, where bruised white belts have a
knack of not returning).

I am an electronic engineer. I have spent several decades as
a software developer, but have now returned to my original
career working with electronic equipment. I use ubuntu linux
for my laptop and my music server in my home. I am
developing high end ribbon speakers for fame, riches and
pleasure.

I look forward to meeting the members in this group, and I
welcome the opportunity to participate with and contribute
to free thinkers like you.

best regards
Leo Ramakers

PS I too would like some help configuring a modem to work on
a laptop, I 'converted' a friend to Ubuntu but couldnt get
the winmodem to work. I then bought a used IBM PCMCIA modem
thinking it would work outright, without success. I dont
know if its the IBM device being non standard or that ubuntu
doesnt manage PCMCIA modems like I heard it should



> Hannah K - hannahk at arac.net.nz wrote:
>
> >Hi everyone,
> >
> >I must apologise for not coming along to the meeting.  I
> am very keen to >become involved, but as things worked out
> that last meeting was not >possible for me.  In general,
> however, the first Thursday of every month >should be
> fine.  Is the next meeting going ahead on the 5th of
> >  October?
> >
> Yes. As I have stated in the summary I made of the last
> meeting "This  movie to show on Thursday 5th October",
> meaning that is when the next  meeting is planned.
>
> >I won't really have a whole lot of knowledge to
> contribute as I am more >of an enthusiast than an expert.
> Something I would like to be able to >help with is
> promoting linux as an alternative to M$.   >
> >Also, a pressing issue for me is that I would like to see
> if the group >could help with the cursed winmodems.  I did
> an install on a friends AMD >laptop (Ubuntu) and all went
> well apart from the modem.  We tried >installing drivers
> from the linuxant website but came up with errors >when
> they were trying to install.  There was no reason given in
> the gui, >just "installation failed".
> >I guess the best thing would be to take her laptop to a
> meeting and see >if any of you more knowledgeable types
> >  could see what the problem is?
> >
>
> There are a lot of people in KLUG with plenty of
> experience at such  tasks. However, I cannot say whether
> those members would be showing at  the meetings or not.
> Steve has mentioned the low attendance of the  meetings,
> which is very true... the ones who have been showing of
> late  are open about being inexperienced but keen to learn
> more. The  ultra-savy members seem to be staying away or,
> as with Steve's case,  have had changes of circumstance
> making their attendance impractical.
>
> It might be a good idea if you post specific questions
> about your modem  (which version of Linux, make & model of
> the winmodem etc) on this board  to see if members can
> reply with solutions. The answer may require  drivers and
> things, and these could take time to find, so it's better
> not to leave the searching for the meeting itself.
>
> So, yes. There is a meeting planned for Thursday 5th
> October. It is to  beat 7:30pm. All going to plan, we will
> watch a movie about the history  of Linux called
> "Revolution-OS" ( see http://www.revolutionos.com ) The
> meetings are held at the West block of Thomas Kennedy
> Junior Academy,  which is on the corner of Mennin Road and
> Glen Rd, Raumati South. Map  available here:
> http://www.tinyurl.com/hpd3d Be aware that the meeting
> room in on the West (sea side) of Glen Rd, behind the blue
> fence (map  shows the other half of the school which is on
> the opposite side).
>
> The KLUG seems to have been hitting something of a
> critical state in  recent times with members having
> confused expectations of the roles of  the club and of
> people involved. This is manifesting in a variety of  ways
> , including people not being informed about whether there
> is a  meeting or not. Such issues badly need to be
> addressed, and I will  likely start the ball rolling in
> another post when I have a little time.
>
> In the meanwhile, please feel welcome to come to the next
> meeting.
>
> Lancer.
>
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