On Monday 12 January 2004 08:50, adam@thebowery.co.uk wrote:
On Mon, Jan 12, 2004 at 12:04:10AM +0000, MJ Ray wrote:
On 2004-01-11 23:22:31 +0000 adam@thebowery.co.uk wrote:
On Sun, Jan 11, 2004 at 08:16:17PM +0000, Syd Hancock wrote:
I request that it be removed - or at least not publicly linked to - as quickly as possible before any harm is done to our reputation.
Agreed, I think it should go.
Without wishing to overly labour the subject, below is the response of the NPCUG secretary after seeing the page in question. This was written before the recent correspondence here appeared, and there remains no bad feeling on that side. It is an agreed view that both groups serve useful but different purposes and that each can benefit from the presence of the other. Most of the attendees at NPCUG evenings would be overwhelmed by the level of specialist knowledge evident at ALUG meetings, and ALUG would be unable to handle the number of members that usually attend NPCUG meetings without some kind of formal organisation.
My personal opinion is that each group should acknowledge the useful function provided by the other, possibly with some kind of link on their respective web sites. The page under discussion has its place once the controversial material has been edited out, though I'm not sure I feel able to do the necessary editing myself. (Does anyone want me to try?) There are certainly enough users of or dabblers in Linux at NPCUG for a link to ALUG to be worthwhile, and many people at ALUG will know someone who doesn't (currently) want Linux but who nevertheless would like to belong to a computer group, even one mainly populated by Windows users.
-- GT _______________________________________________ Comment by NPCUG follows: _______________________________________________ 1. NPCUG cannot possibly be compared to a group such as ALUG because we exist for totally differing reasons - ALUG is for specialists whilst NPCUG is designed to be for a wide ranging group of people from novices to semi-experts - in effect we are promoting computer usage within the community by helping people with less knowledge benefit from those that have.
2. We do actively encourage members to bring their own PC's and not only that we openly state that we are pleased to assist them at Group meetings with any problems.
3. We charge a membership fee not only to pay for our accommodation but also to enable us to provide facilities (equipment etc) to benefit the membership as a whole.
4. We will very shortly have internet usage at group meeetings.
5. We do have a presence on the Internet through our own website plus a Blog facility to enable all our members to communicate with one another if they wish.
6. Why move around venues if the members are quite happy in attending the one we have - after all they don't have to find out where they have got to go each month.
7. Discussion is not only encouraged 'late night' - members frequently ask questions throughout a presentation and we also have problem solving evenings regularly. _______________________________________________