> > There seemed to be a great deal of interest in desktop Linux 10 to 15 > years ago. Local Linux events were well attendend. Apple was languishing > and a lot of smart people were trying to do what they could to avoid > Microsoft's apparent monopoly of everything. > 10 years ago you pretty much needed local Linux support because you were going to have some sort of install problem. If you were coming from Windows you might not have ISO burning software so even getting a CD might be difficult. If you got past install, you might need to compile a kernel to get support for some specific piece of hardware. Users coming into Linux now are likely to discover it online, discover support communities online and ask for help in distro-specific forums instead of joining a local LUG. But these days? Look around. It would appear desktop Linux is increasingly > becoming more and more obscure as people move on to their Macs, iPads, > iPhones and Android devices. > > Who runs Linux on the desktop these days? A few Unix graybeards (myself > included) and some stubborn idealists. All the cool kids have MacBook Pros. > > Ironically, in many ways, given the rise of the web and the corresponding > reduction in importance of the Windows based application ecosystem, it's > never been a better time to run Linux on the desktop. We've got a few high > quality web browers and email clients at our disposal. PC hardware to run > Linux on has never been more affordable. And Linux installs in a breeze. > I think Linux use has become more mainstream, and users aren't and don't have to be as vocal about it. I heard a discussion between non-technical people at church a while back about the merits of Mint vs. Ubuntu. Some of the people installing Linux today are the ones who 10 years ago would've been called on to remove adware from a relative's computer. 10 years ago, the local LUG (at least where I was) was also the primary place to go to for other technical help like scripting, web development, tech job hunts and other things that aren't strictly Linux related. The LUG was simply the watering hole for local tech savvy population. (REALLY Off topic material had to have "OT" in the subject line). If you're going to get into scripting today you might be better off joining a Python or Ruby mailing list rather than one focused on Linux. If Linux and tech users are headed to distro/topic specific support groups it does raise the question of what the purpose of a local LUG is. If it's just to hang out online and handle the occasional Linux related email, then the current state of the mailing list probably mostly fine. If we want to have a more defined purpose then Erik's proposed January meeting sound like an important chance to refocus the group. -- Michael Moore -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://mailman.mn-linux.org/pipermail/tclug-list/attachments/20131125/3722a907/attachment.html>