[TriLUG] Trilug -- Current Status

[William Sutton via TriLUG]

I know TriLUG has been (at times) a 501(c)3.  I don't know that it still 
is at this point.  In my own memory, it lost that status and some very 
dedicated member(s) went to the trouble of getting it back.  I also recall 
at some point the observation that the bank account didn't have enough to 
order pizza for the meetings.

Depending on costs, I could probably contribute a little something to give 
back for 20-ish years of benefit, but I would need to know what those 
costs were, and what we were getting for the expenditure.

William Sutton

On Wed, 15 May 2024, Steve Litt via TriLUG wrote:

> William Sutton via TriLUG said on Thu, 9 May 2024 12:09:28 -0400 (EDT)
>
>> There's been a bit of discusion about this on libera IRC #trilug.  The 
>> general consensus, unfortunately, appears to be that TriLUG is dying. 
>
> I have a suggestion at the end, but first let me explain the basis for
> my suggestion...
>
> As far as I know, every single LUG has experienced considerable
> shrinkage. This isn't surprising given that in 1999 Linux was the new
> kid on the block, the only ethical character in the show, and the best
> weapon against Microsoft Monopolism. LUGs were also by far the
> most effective route to Linux knowledge and skill. Linux was a
> revolutionary political movement and a religion, even using
> "evangelizing" as the verb for bringing more people into the fold. LUGs
> were this religion's churches, and the political movements' local
> headquarters. Those were the days when LUG members competed for the
> right to volunteer or be officers.
>
> Anyone remember the Spring 1999 Linux Expo in Raleigh, North Carolina?
> It was a massive celebration. Almost as good was the last ALS (Atlanta
> Linux Showcase) held in Atlanta. The next one was in fabulously
> expensive San Francisco, if I remember correctly, and after that it
> withered on the vine. Remember the IPOs of Redhat and VA Linux, from
> back in the days when Redhat was an ethical player and the Debian
> constitution actually worked? Remember back in those days Linux was so
> talked about in the news that our parents asked us about it? Big,
> healthy LUGs formed in most major cities. These LUGs paid rent, had
> budgets and bank accounts, had governing bodies, and many were actually
> incorporated.
>
> Over the next 2 decades, Linux became a victim of its own success on
> the server. It's just another part of our infrastructure now.
>
> And it lost on the desktop, and didn't lose gracefully. To this day,
> most distros still bend over backwards to accommodate mythical
> converted Windows users, adding on levels and levels of training wheels
> that decrease DIYability desired by those who brought Linux to the
> party in the first place. And breathtaking levels of needless
> overcomplexification.
>
> So here's the bottom line: Today is just an OS, a piece of
> infrastructure, and for a few of us, mostly those in their 30's to 50's
> at Y2K, our desktop of choice. Those few *seriously* desire a LUG, but
> there aren't enough to support the volunteerism needed for running a
> 1999 style LUG organization, and certainly not enough to be responsible
> for an incorporated LUG. Not enough to pay for a physical venue, and
> no-cost venues for LUGs are getting harder to find.
>
>
> ========================== SUGGESTION ==========================
>
> So some LUGs vanish and some become online-only with no official
> organization. These online, no organization LUGs are easy to maintain:
> You need one volunteer to keep the mailing list (and please make a
> gofundme to pay that person for the cost of his or her web provider),
> one person to act as the Publicity Coordinator (that's me for GoLUG),
> and one very reliable person to assume ownership of the LUG domain name
> (and once again, Gofundme for the $20/year or whatever).
>
> Unwinding an organized LUG, especially an incorporated one, is tricky
> because what do you do with the bank account? If corporate, just do
> what the bylaws say: Typically give it to charity. If not corporate,
> I'd still give it to a charity. Or perhaps charity plus giving a couple
> hundred to the person willing to do the mailing list and maybe sixty to
> the person assuming ownership of the domain name. Or you can do what one
> corporate LUG I know of did, just let the bank fee it out of existence
> because the LUG couldn't locate enough board members to withdraw money
> from the bank. Or maybe pay a lawyer to minimize legal risk to current
> and former officers.
>
> Unwinding the organized LUG might or might not call for a new name and
> domain name.
>
> Once again, don't feel badly that attendance at your new, not
> organized, online only LUG is minimal. This is happening to all LUGs.
> Even the gigantic Atlanta LUG, ALE, is a shadow of their former selves,
> although they still have in-person meetings.
>
> By the way, as long as there's a vestige of Trilug, I'll be there!
>
> HTH,
>
> SteveT
>
> Steve Litt 
>
> Autumn 2023 featured book: Rapid Learning for the 21st Century
> http://www.troubleshooters.com/rl21
> -- 
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