On Tue, 2007-02-20 at 14:55 +0000, Tracy Dickerson wrote:
Do we have to do everything together? If so, why have separate names?
Heh I was going to ask the same thing, I guess I am still struggling to understand what IpLUG gains by having a separate name/website/library etc, what added flexibility does that offer the Ipswich side members which they cannot get from being members of ALUG ?
I could sort of understand splitting a LUG if the geographical area was _huge_ or if the membership numbers were so large that some members felt they wanted a bit more identity in a smaller group. But neither of those things are really the case with ALUG as far as I can tell, in fact I wish there were more active/new members.
The way ALUG is organised (as others pointed out) there is no hierarchy, some members are more active than others but everyone has the equal opportunity to become active, host meetings, run kit meets, offer to take over the running of the library etc etc. So if ALUG is not doing something (like holding meetings in your area) then the obvious thing to do is pick up those tasks and offer them for the whole.
Now people, play nice. This was only our first meeting. Do not lets spoil something that was good and fun and interesting with nasty fighting when there is nothing to fight about.
The last thing any of us wants is to turn this thread into an ALUG vs IpLUG flame war. I strongly encourage anybody who contributes anything towards OSS or the communities that surround it. If you really want to form a separate community around the Ipswich area then ultimately you have my blessing and I probably will want to attend the meets you organise. I just wish somebody could explain to me why it is necessary.
If there is an air of hostility I am sure it is not intended by any of the members here. People are probably just confused and getting more than a tiny whiff of a power struggle which is silly because there really is no power to struggle with. Other people (like me) wonder if there is some personal dispute between members which is prompting this split, those sort of feelings do have a habit of putting people on edge.
Sorry I couldn't make it to your meet, I really wanted to attend but I got sidetracked by work. I also like your idea of a code library (or on-line cheat book) I maintain one of those myself for internal use in my company, we keep it in two sections one is a client diary so others can see what I changed when I was last at a particular clients. The other section is close to what you are suggesting and is a tips and tricks section where we document problems to which we had to work hard to find solutions for. That way when we get "yes I have seen that before" syndrome there is the solution at hand.
Kind Regards Wayne