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- Linux User Group HOWTO
- Kendall Grant Clark <mailto:kclark@cmpu.net>
- v1.6, 1 January 1998
-
- The Linux User Group HOWTO is a guide to founding, maintaining, and
- growing a Linux User Group.
-
- 1. Introduction
-
- 1.1. Purpose
-
- The Linux User Group HOWTO is meant to serve as a guide to founding,
- maintaining, and growing a Linux User Group.
-
- Linux is a freely-distributable implementation of Unix for personal
- computers, servers and workstations. It was developed on the i386 and
- now supports i486, Pentium, Pentium Pro, and Pentium II processors, as
- well as x86-clones from AMD, Cyrix, and others. It also supports many
- SPARC, DEC Alpha, PowerPC/PowerMac, Motorola 68x0 Mac/Amiga machines.
-
- 1.2. Other sources of information
-
- If you want to learn more about Linux, the Linux Documentation Project
- <http://sunsite.unc.edu/LDP/> is a good place to start.
-
- For general information about computer user groups, please see the
- Association of PC Users Groups <http://www.apcug.org/>.
-
- 2. What is a Linux User Group?
-
- 2.1. What is Linux?
-
- In order to appreciate and understand fully the significant role of
- LUGs in the Linux Movement, it is important to understand what makes
- Linux unique among computer operating systems.
-
- Linux as an operating system is very efficient and very powerful. But,
- Linux as an idea about how software ought to be developed is even more
- powerful. Linux is a free operating system: it is licensed under the
- GNU Public License. The source code is freely available to anyone who
- wants it and always will be. It is developed by a unstructured group
- of programmers from around the world, under the technical direction of
- Linus Torvalds and other key developers. Linux is a world-wide
- movement without any central structure, bureaucracy, or entity to
- control, coordinate, or otherwise direct its affairs. While this
- situation is a powerful part of the appeal and technical quality of
- Linux as an computer operating system, it can make for inefficient
- allocation of human resources, ineffective and even detrimental
- advocacy, public relations, user education and training.
-
- 2.2. How is Linux unique?
-
- This loose structure is not likely to change with regard to Linux as a
- software project. And it's a good thing, too. Linux works precisely
- because people are free to come and go as they please: free
- programmers are happy programmers are effective programmers.
-
- But this loose structure can make the average Linux user's life a
- little complicated--especially if that user isn't a programmer by
- profession or by vocation. Who does she call for support, training, or
- education? How does she know the kinds of uses for which Linux is
- well-suited?
-
- In large part local LUGs provide the answers to these kinds of
- question. This is why LUGs are a crucial part of the Linux Movement.
- Because there is no ``regional office'' of the Linux Corporation in
- your town or village or metropolis, the local LUG takes on many of the
- same roles that a regional office does for a large multi-national
- corporation..
-
- Linux is unique because it does not have, nor is it burdened by, a
- central structure or bureaucracy to allocate its resources, train its
- users, or provide support for its products. These jobs get done in a
- variety of ways: the Internet, consultants, VARs, support companies,
- colleges and universities. But, increasingly, in many places around
- the globe, they get done by a local LUG.
-
- 2.3. What is a user group?
-
- Computer user groups, at least in the United States, are not a new
- phenomenon; in fact, they played an important role in the history of
- the personal computer. The personal computer arose in large part to
- satisfy the demand of electronics, Ham Radio, and other hobbyist user
- groups, as well as trade shows and swap meets, for affordable,
- personal access to computing resources. Of course eventually giants
- like IBM discovered that the PC was a good and profitable thing, but
- the impetus for the PC came from the people, by the people, and for
- the people.
-
- In the United States, user groups have changed, and many for the
- worse, with the times. The financial woes of the largest user group
- ever, the Boston Computer Society <http://www.bcs.org/> have been
- well-reported; but all over the U.S. most of the big PC user groups
- have seen a decline in real membership. American user groups in their
- heyday concentrated on the production of newsletters, the maintenance
- of shareware and diskette libraries, meetings, social events, and,
- sometimes, even Bulletin Board Systems. With the advent of the
- Internet, however, many of the services that user groups once provided
- were transferred to things like CompuServe, AOL, and the Web.
-
- The rise of Linux, however, coincided with and was intensified by
- general public's ``discovery'' of the Internet. As the Internet grew
- more popular, so did Linux: the Internet brought new users,
- developers, and vendors to the Linux Movement.
-
- So just when traditional PC user groups were declining because of the
- Internet's popularity, this popularity propelled Linux forward,
- creating new demand for new user groups dedicated exclusively to
- Linux. To give just one indication of the ways in which a LUG is
- different than a traditional user group, I call the reader's attention
- to a curious fact: traditional user groups have had to maintain a
- fairly tight control over the kinds of software that its users copy
- and trade at its meetings. While illegal copying of commercial
- software certainly occurred at these meetings, it was officially
- discouraged and for good reason.
-
- At a LUG meeting, however, this entire mindset simply does not apply.
- Far from being the kind of thing that a LUG ought to discourage, the
- free copying of Linux itself ought to be one of the primary activities
- of a LUG. In fact there is anecdotal evidence that traditional user
- groups sometimes have a difficult time adapting to the fact that Linux
- can be freely copied as many times as one needs or wants.
-
- 2.4. Summary
-
- In order for the Linux Movement to continue to flourish, the
- proliferation and success of local LUGs, along with other factors, is
- an absolute requirement. Because of the unique status of Linux, the
- local LUG must provide some of the same functions that a ``regional
- office'' provides for large computer corporations like IBM, Microsoft,
- or Sun. LUGs can and must train, support, and educate Linux users,
- coordinate Linux consultants, advocate Linux as a computing solution,
- and even serve as a liason to local media outlets like newspapers and
- television.
-
- 3. What LUGs are there?
-
- Since this document is meant as a guide not only to maintaining and
- growing LUGs but also to founding them, it would be well before we go
- much further to determine what LUGs there are.
-
- 3.1. Lists of LUGs
-
- There are several lists of LUGs available on the Web. If you want to
- found a local LUG, one of the first things to do is to determine where
- the nearest LUG is. Your best bet may be to join a LUG that is already
- established in your area rather than founding a new one.
-
- As of the mid-1997, there are LUGs in all 50 states, the District of
- Columbia, and 26 other countries, including India, Russia, and most of
- Western and Eastern Europe.
-
- Note: the biggest untapped computing market on the planet, China, does
- not yet appear to have a LUG, and India, the second most populous
- country on the planet, has only a few.
-
- ╖ Finding Groups of Linux Users Everywhere
- <http://www.ssc.com/glue/groups/>
-
- ╖ LUG List Project <http://www.nllgg.nl/lugww/>
-
- It appears that the GLUE list is more comprehensive for American LUGs,
- while the LUG List Project offers more comprehensive international
- coverage.
-
- 3.2. Solidarity versus convenience
-
- While the lists of LUGs on the Web are well-maintained, it is likely
- that they do not list every LUG. In addition to consulting these
- lists, I suggest, if you are considering founding a LUG, that you post
- a short message asking about the existence of a local LUG to
- comp.os.linux.announce <news:comp.os.linux.announce>,
- comp.os.linux.misc <news:comp.os.linux.misc>, or an appropriate
- regional Usenet hierarchy. If there isn't a LUG already in your area,
- then posting mesages to these groups will alert potential members of
- your plans.
-
- If you plan to found a local LUG, you should carefully balance
- convenience against solidarity. In other words, if there is a LUG in
- your metropolitan area, but on the other side of the city, it may be
- better to start a new group for the sake of convenience. But it may be
- better to join the pre-existing group for the sake of unity and
- solidarity. Greater numbers almost always means greater power,
- influence, and efficiency. While it might be nice to have two groups
- of 100 members each, there are certain advantages to one group of 200
- members. Of course if you live in a small town or village, any group
- is better than no group at all.
-
- The point is that starting a LUG is an arduous undertaking, and one
- that ought to be entered into with all the relevant facts, and with
- some appreciation of the effect on other groups.
-
- 4. What does a LUG do?
-
- The goals of local LUGs are as varied as the locales in which they
- operate. There is no master plan for LUGs, nor is this document meant
- to supply one. Remember: Linux is free from bureaucracy and
- centralized control and so are local LUGs.
-
- It is possible, however, to identify a core set of goals for a local
- LUG:
-
- ╖ advocacy
-
- ╖ education
-
- ╖ support
-
- ╖ socializing
-
- Each local LUG will combine these and other goals in a unique way in
- order to satisfy the unique needs of its membership.
-
- 4.1. Linux advocacy
-
- The urge to advocate the use of Linux is as natural to computer users
- as is eating or sleeping. When you find something that works and works
- well, the natural urge is to tell as many people about it as you can.
- The role of LUGs in Linux advocacy cannot be overestimated, especially
- since the wide-scale commercial acceptance of Linux which it so richly
- deserves has not yet been achieved. While it is certainly beneficial
- to the Linux Movement each and every time a computer journalist writes
- a positive review of Linux, it is also beneficial every time satisfied
- Linux users tell their friends, colleagues, employees or employers
- about Linux.
-
- There is effective advocacy and there is ineffective carping: as Linux
- users, we must be constantly vigilant to advocate Linux in such a way
- as to reflect positively on both the product, its creators and
- developers, and our fellow users. The Linux Advocacy mini-HOWTO,
- available at the Linux Documentation Project, gives some helpful
- suggestions in this regard. Suffice it to say that advocacy is an
- important aspect of the mission of a local LUG.
-
- There may come a time when Linux advocacy is pretty much beside the
- point because Linux has more or less won the day, when the phrase ``No
- one ever got fired for using Linux'' becomes a reality. Until that
- time, however, the local LUG plays an indispensable role in promoting
- the use of Linux. It does so because its advocacy is free, well-
- intentioned, and backed up by organizational commitment. If a person
- comes to know about Linux through the efforts of a local LUG, then
- that person, as a new Linux user, is already ahead of the game: she is
- already aware of the existence of an organization that will help her
- install, configure, and even maintain Linux on whatever computers she
- is willing to dedicate to it.
-
- New Linux users who are already in contact with a local LUG are ahead
- of those whose interest in Linux has been piqued by a computer
- journalist, but who have no one to whom to turn to aid them in their
- quest to install, run, and learn Linux.
-
- It is, therefore, important for local LUGs to advocate Linux because
- their advocacy is effective, well-supported, and free.
-
- 4.2. Linux education
-
- Not only is it the business of a local LUG to advocate the use of
- Linux, it may also turn its efforts to training its member, as well as
- the computing public in its area, about Linux and associated
- components. In my own estimation, the goal of user education is the
- single most important goal a LUG may undertake. Of course, as I have
- already pointed out, LUGs are perfectly free to organize themselves
- and their activities around any of these, or other, goals. I believe,
- however, that LUGs can have the greatest impact on the Linux Movement
- by educating and training Linux users.
-
- Local LUGs may choose to undertake the goal of education simply
- because there is no other local entity from which a Linux user may
- receive technically-oriented education. While it is certainly the case
- that universities, colleges, and junior colleges are increassingly
- turning to Linux as a way to educate their students, both efficiently
- and cheaply, about Unix-like operating systems, some Linux users are
- either unable or unwilling to register for courses in order to learn
- Linux. For these users the local LUG is a valuable resource for
- enhancement or creation of advanced computer skills: Unix-like system
- administration, system programming, support and creation of Internet
- and Intranet technologies, etc.
-
- In an ironic twist, many local LUGs are even sharing the burden of
- worker training with large corporations. Every worker at Acme Corp
- that expands her computer skills by participating in a local LUG is
- one less worker Acme Corp has to train or pay to train. Even though
- using and administering a Linux PC at home isn't the same as
- administering a corporate data warehouse, call center, or similar
- high-availability facility, it is light years more complex, more
- rewarding, and more educational than using and administering a Windows
- 95 PC at home. As Linux itself advances toward things like journalling
- filesystems, high-availability, real-time capacity, and other high-end
- Unix features, the already blurry line between Linux and the ``real''
- Unixes will get even more indistinct.
-
- Not only is such education a form of worker training, but it will also
- serve, as information technology becomes an increasingly vital part of
- the global economy, as a kind of community service. In most
- metropolitan areas in the United States, for example, it is possible
- for a local LUG to take Linux into local schools, small businesses,
- community and social organizations, and other non-corporate
- environments. This accomplishes the task of Linux advocacy and also
- helps train the general public about Linux as a Unix-like operating
- system. As more and more of these kinds of organizations seek to
- establish an Internet presence or provide dial-in access to their
- workers, students, and constituents, the opportunities arise for local
- LUGs to participate in the life of their community by educating it
- about a free and freely-available operating system. This kind of
- community service allows the average Linux user to emulate the kind of
- generosity that has characterized Linux, and the free software
- community, from the very beginning. Most Linux users can't program
- like Linus Torvalds, but we can all all give our time and abilities to
- other Linux users, the Linux community, and the broader community in
- which work and live.
- Linux is a natural fit for these kinds of organization because
- deploying it doesn't commit them to expensive license, upgrade, or
- maintenance fees. Because Linux is also technically elegant and
- economical, it runs very well on the the kinds of disposable hardware
- that corporations typically cast off and that non-profit organizations
- are only too happy to use. As more and more people discover every day,
- that old 486 collecting dust in the closet can do real work if someone
- will install Linux on it.
-
- In addition, Linux education has a cumulative effect on the other
- goals of a local LUG, in particular the goal of Linux support
- discussed below. Better Linux education means better Linux support.
- The more people that a LUG can count on to reach its support goals,
- the easier support becomes and, therefore, the more of it can be done.
- The more new and inexperienced users a local LUG can support and
- eventually educate about Linux, the larger and more effective the LUG
- can become. In other words, if a LUG focuses solely on Linux support
- to the neglect of Linux education, the natural barriers to
- organizational growth will be more restrictive. If only two or three
- percent of the members of a LUG take upon themselves the task of
- supporting the others, the growth of the LUG will be stifled. One
- thing you can count on: if new and inexperienced users don't get the
- help with Linux they need from a local LUG, they won't participate in
- that LUG for very long. If a larger percentage of members support the
- others, the LUG will be able to grow much larger. Linux education is
- the key to this dynamic: education turns new Linux users into
- experienced ones.
-
- Free education about free Linux also highlights the degree to which
- Linux is part and parcel of the free software Community. So it seems
- appropriate that local LUGs focus not solely on Linux education but
- also education about all of the various software systems and
- technologies that run under Linux. These include, for instance, the
- GNU suite of programs and utilities, the Apache Web server, the
- XFree86 implementation of X Windows, TeX, LaTeX, etc. Fortunately the
- list of free software that runs under Linux is a long and diverse one.
-
- Finally, Linux is a self-documenting operating environment; in other
- words, if we don't write the documentation, nobody is going to do it
- for us. Toward that end, make sure that LUG members are well aware of
- the Linux Documentation Project <http://sunsite.unc.edu/LDP/>, which
- can be found at mirrors worldwide. Consider providing an LDP mirror
- for the local Linux community and for LUG members. Also make sure to
- publicize---through comp.os.linux.announce, the LDP, and other
- pertinent sources of Linux information---any relevant documentation
- that is developed by the LUG: technical presentations, tutorials,
- local FAQs, etc. There is a lot of Linux documentation produced in
- LUGs that doesn't benefit the worldwide Linux community because no one
- outside the LUG knows about it. Don't let the LUGs efforts in this
- regard go to waste: it is highly probable that if someone at one LUG
- had a question or problem with something, then people at other LUGs
- around the world will have the same questions and problems.
-
- 4.3. Linux support
-
- Of course for the desperate newbie the primary role of a local LUG is
- Linux support. But it is a mistake to suppose that Linux support only
- means technical support for new Linux users. It can and should mean
- much more.
-
- Local LUGs have the opportunity to support:
-
- ╖ users
-
- ╖ consultants
-
- ╖ businesses, non-profit organizations, and schools
-
- ╖ the Linux Movement
-
- 4.3.1. Users
-
- The most frequent complaint from new Linux users, once they have
- gotten Linux installed, is the steep learning curve which is not at
- all unique to Linux but is, rather, a characteristic of all modern
- Unixes. With the steepness of the learning curve, however, comes the
- power and flexibility of a complex operating system. A local LUG is
- often the only resource that a new Linux user has available to help
- flatten out the learning curve.
-
- But even if a new Linux user doesn't know it yet, she needs more than
- just technical support: Linux and the free software worlds are both
- rapidly moving targets. The local LUGs form an invaluable conduit of
- information about Linux and other free software products. Not only
- does Linux lack a central bureaucracy, but it also for the most part
- lacks the kind of journalistic infrastructure from which users of
- other computer systems benefit. The Linux Movement does have resources
- like Linux Journal <http://www.ssc.com/lj/> and Linux Gazette
- <http://www.ssc.com/lg/>, but many new Linux users are unaware of
- these resources. In addition, as monthly publications they are often
- already out of date about bugfixes, security problems, patches, new
- kernels, etc. This is where the local LUG as a source and conduit of
- timely information is so vital to new and experienced Linux users
- alike.
-
- For example, until a new Linux user knows that the newest kernels are
- available from ftp.kernel.org <ftp://ftp.kernel.org> or that the Linux
- Documentation Project usually has newer versions of Linux HOWTOs than
- a CD-based Linux distribution, it is up to the local LUG, as the
- primary support entity, to be a conduit of timely and useful
- information.
-
- In fact it may be just a bit misleading to focus on the support role
- that local LUGs provide to new users: intermediate and advanced users
- also benefit from the proliferation of timely and useful tips, facts,
- and secrets about Linux. Because of the complexity of Linux, even
- advanced users often learn new tricks or techniques simply by becoming
- involved in a local LUG. Sometimes they learn about software packages
- they didn't know existed, sometimes they just remember that arcane vi
- command sequence they've not used since college.
-
- 4.3.2. Consultants
-
- It is, I think, rather obvious to claim that local LUGs ought to be in
- the business of supporting new Linux users. After all, if they're not
- supposed to be doing that, what are they to do? It may not be as
- obvious that local LUGs can play an important role in supporting local
- Linux consultants. Whether they do Linux consulting full-time or only
- part-time, consultants can be an important part of a local LUG. How
- can the LUG support them?
-
- The answer to that question is just the answer to another question:
- what is it that Linux consultants want and need? They need someone for
- whom to consult. A local LUG provides the best way for those who offer
- Linux consulting to find those who need Linux consulting. The local
- LUG can informally broker connections between consulting suppliers and
- consulting consumers simply by getting all, or as many as possible, of
- the people interested in Linux in a local area together and talking
- with one another. How LUGs do that will occupy us below. What is
- important here is to point out that LUGs can and should play this role
- as well. The Linux Consultants HOWTO is an important document in this
- regard, but it is surely the case that only a fraction of the full-
- time and part-time Linux consultants worldwide are registered in the
- Consultants HOWTO.
-
- The relationship is mutually beneficial. Consultants aid LUGs by
- providing experienced leadership, both technically and
- organizationally, while LUGs aid consultants by putting them in
- contact with the kinds of people who need their services. New and
- inexperienced users gain benefit from both LUGs and consultants since
- their routine or simple requests for support are handled by LUGs
- gratis, and their complex needs and problems---the kind that obviously
- require the services of a paid consultant---can be handled by the
- consultants whom the local LUG helps them contact.
-
- The line between support requests that need a consultant and those
- that do not is sometimes indistinct; but in most cases the difference
- is clear. While a local LUG doesn't want to gain the reputation for
- pawning new users off unnecessarily on consultants--as this is simply
- rude and very anti-Linux behavior--there is no reason for LUGs not to
- help broker contacts between the users who need consulting services
- and the professionals who offer them.
-
- Please see Martin Michlmayr's Linux Consultants HOWTO
- <http://sunsite.unc.edu/LDP/HOWTO/Consultants-HOWTO.html> for an
- international list of Linux consultants.
-
- 4.3.3. Businesses, non-profit organizations, and schools
-
- LUGs also have the opportunity to support local businesses and
- organizations. This support has two aspects. First, LUGs can support
- businesses and organizations that want to use Linux as a part of their
- computing and IT efforts. Second, LUGs can support local businesses
- and organizations that develop for Linux, cater to Linux users,
- support or install Linux, etc.
-
- The kinds of support that LUGs can provide to local businesses that
- want to use Linux as a part of their computing operations isn't really
- all that different from the kinds of support LUGs give to individuals
- who want to run Linux at home. For example, compiling the Linux kernel
- doesn't really vary from home to business. Supporting businesses using
- Linux, however, may mean that a LUG needs to concentrate on commercial
- software that runs on Linux, rather than concentrating solely on free
- software. If Linux is going to continue to maintain its momentum as a
- viable computing alternative, then it's going to take software vendors
- who are willing to write for and port to Linux as a commercially-
- viable platform. If local LUGs can play a role in helping business
- users evaluate commercial Linux solutions, then more software vendors
- will be encouraged to consider Linux in their development and
- planning.
-
- This leads us directly to the second kind of support that a local LUG
- can give to local businesses. Local LUGs can serve as a clearing house
- for the kind of information that is available in very few other
- places. For example:
-
- ╖ Which local ISP is Linux-friendly?
-
- ╖ Are there any local hardware vendors that build Linux PCs?
-
- ╖ Does anyone sell Linux CDs locally?
-
- Maintaining and making this kind of information public not only helps
- the members of a local LUG, but it also helps Linux-friendly local
- businesses as well, and it encourages them to continue to be Linux-
- friendly. It may even, in some cases, help contribute to a competitive
- atmosphere in which other businesses are encouraged to become Linux-
- friendly too.
-
- 4.3.4. Free software development
-
- Finally, LUGs may also support the Linux Movement by soliciting and
- organizing charitable giving. Chris Browne <mailto:cbbrowne@hex.het>
- has thought about this issue as much as anyone I know, and he
- contributes the following.
-
- 4.3.4.1. Chris Browne on free software philanthropy
-
- A further involvement can be to encourage sponsorship of various
- Linux-related organizations in a financial way. With the multiple
- millions <http://counter.li.org> of Linux users, it would be entirely
- plausible for grateful users to individually contribute a little.
- Given millions of users, and the not unreasonable sum of a hundred
- dollars of ``gratefulness'' per Linux user ($100 being roughly the sum
- not spent this year upgrading a Microsoft OS), that could add up to
- hundreds of millions of dollars towards development of improved tools
- and applications for Linux.
-
- A users group can encourage members to contribute to various
- ``development projects.'' If it has some form of ``charitable tax
- exemption'' status, that can encourage members to contribute directly
- to the group, getting tax deductions as appropriate, with
- contributions flowing on to other organizations.
-
- It is appropriate, in any case, to encourage LUG members to direct
- contributions to organizations with projects and goals that they
- individually wish to support.
-
- This section lists possible candidates. None are explicitly being
- recommended here, but the list can represent useful ``food for
- thought.'' Many are registered as charities in the United States,
- thus making U.S. contributions tax deductible.
-
- Here are organizations with activities particularly directed towards
- development of software that works with Linux:
-
- ╖ Linux International Project Sponsorship Fund
- <http://www.li.org/About/Fund/Welcome.html>
-
- ╖ Debian/Software In the Public Interest
- <http://www.debian.org/donations.html>
-
- ╖ Free Software Foundation <http://www.fsf.org/help/donate.html>
-
- ╖ The XFree86 Project <http://www.xfree86.org/donations.html>
-
- Contributions to these organizations has the direct effect of
- supporting the creation of freely redistributable software usable with
- Linux. Dollar for dollar, such contributions almost certainly have
- greater effect on the Linux community as a whole than any other
- specific kind of spending.
-
- There are also organizations that are less directly associated with
- Linux that may nonetheless be worthy of assistance, such as:
-
- ╖ League for Programming Freedom <http://www.lpf.org>
-
- This is not a Linux-specific organization; they are involved in
- general advocacy activities that touch on people involved with
- software development. Involvement in this organization represents
- something closer to involvement in a ``political lobby'' group.
-
- There is somewhat of a ``USA bias;'' there are nonetheless
- international implications, and the international community as
- often follows the American lead in computing-related matters as
- vice-versa.
-
- ╖ The LaTeX3 Project Fund
-
- The TeX Users Group (TUG) <http://www.tug.org> is working on the
- ``next generation'' version of the LaTeX publishing system, known
- as LaTeX3. Linux is one of the platforms on which TeX and LaTeX
- are best supported.
-
- Donations for the project can be sent to:
-
- TeX Users Group
- P.O. Box 1239
- Three Rivers, CA 93271-1239
- USA
-
- or, for those in Europe,
-
- UK TUG
- 1 Eymore Close
- Selly Oaks
- Burmingham B29 4LB
- UK
-
- ╖ Project Gutenberg <http://www.promo.net/pg/lists/list.html>
-
- Their purpose is to make freely available in electronic form the
- texts of out-of-copyright books. This isn't directly a ``Linux
- thing,'' but it seems fairly worthy, and they actively encourage
- platform independence, which that their ``products'' are quite
- usable with Linux.
-
- 4.3.5. Linux Movement
-
- I have referred throughout this HOWTO to something I call the Linux
- Movement. There really is no better way to describe the international
- Linux phenomenon than to call it a movement: it isn't a bureaucracy,
- but it is organized; it isn't a corporation, but it is important to
- businesses all over the world. The best way for a local LUG to support
- the international Linux movement is to work to insure that the local
- Linux community is robust, vibrant, and growing. Linux is developed
- internationally, which is easy enough to see by reading
- /usr/src/linux/MAINTAINERS. But Linux is also used internationally.
- And this ever-expanding user base is the key to Linux's continued
- success. And that is where the local LUG plays an incalculably
- important role.
-
- The strength of the Linux Movement internationally is the simple fact
- that Linux offers unprecedented computing power and sophistication for
- its cost and for its freedom. The keys are value and independence from
- proprietary control. Every time a new person, group, business, or
- organization has the opportunity to be exposed to Linux's inherent
- value the Linux Movement grows in strength and numbers. Local LUGs can
- make that happen.
-
- 4.4. Linux socializing
-
- The last goal of a local LUG that I will mention here is socializing.
- In some ways this is the most difficult goal to discuss because it is
- not clear how many or to what degree LUGs engage in it. While it would
- be strange to have a local LUG that didn't engage in the other goals,
- there very well may be local LUGs somewhere in the world for which
- socialization isn't an important consideration.
-
- It seems, however, that whenever two or three Linux users get together
- fun, highjinks, and, often, beer are sure to follow. Linus Tovalds has
- always had one enduring goal for Linux: to have more fun. For hackers,
- kernel developers, and Linux users, there's nothing quite like
- downloading a new kernel, recompiling an old one, twittering with a
- window manager, or hacking some code. It is the sheer fun of Linux
- that keeps many LUGs together, and it is this kind of fun that leads
- many LUGs naturally to socializing.
-
- By ``socializing'' here I mean primarily sharing experiences, forming
- friendships, and mutually-shared admiration and respect. There is
- another meaning, however, one that social scientists call
- socialization. In any movement, institution, or human community, there
- is the need for some process or pattern of events in and by which, to
- put it in Linux terms, newbies are turned into hackers. In other
- words, socialization turns you from ``one of them'' to ``one of us''.
-
- For armed forces in the U.S. and in most countries, this process is
- called boot camp or basic training. This is the process whereby
- civilians are transformed into soldiers. The Linux movement has
- analogous requirements. It is important that new Linux users come to
- learn what it means to be a Linux user, what is expected of them as a
- member of an international community, the special vocabulary of the
- Linux movement, its unique requirements and opportunities. This may be
- as simple as how Linux users in a partcicular locale pronounce
- ``Linux''. It may be as profound as the ways in which Linux users
- should advocate, and the ways in which they should, more importantly,
- refrain from advocating Linux.
-
- Linux socialization, unlike `real world' socialization, can occur on
- mailing lists and Usenet, although the efficacy of the latter is
- constantly challenged precisely by poorly socialized users. In my
- view, socialization and socializing are both done best in the company
- of real, flesh-and-blood fellow human beings, and not by incorporeal
- voices on a mailing list or Usenet group.
-
- 5. Local LUG activities
-
- In the previous section I focused exclusively on what LUGs do and what
- they ought to be doing. In this section the focus shifts to practical
- strategies for accomplishing these goals.
-
- There are, despite the endless permutations of form, two basic things
- that local LUGs do: first, they meet together in physical space;
- second, they communicate with each other in cyberspace. Everything or
- nearly everything that LUGs do can be seen in terms of meetings and
- online resources.
-
- 5.1. Meetings
-
- As I said above, physical meetings are synonymous with LUGs and with
- most computer user groups. LUGs have these kinds of meetings:
-
- ╖ social
-
- ╖ technical presentations
-
- ╖ informal discussion groups
-
- ╖ user group business
-
- ╖ Linux installation
-
- ╖ configuration and bug-squashing
-
- What do LUGs do at these meetings?
-
- ╖ Install Linux for newbies and strangers
-
- ╖ Teach members about Linux
-
- ╖ Compare Linux to other operating systems
-
- ╖ Teach members about the software that runs on Linux
-
- ╖ Discuss the ways in which Linux can be advocated
-
- ╖ Discuss the importance of the Free Software Movement
-
- ╖ Discuss the business of the user group
-
- ╖ Eat, drink, and be merry
-
- 5.2. Online resources
-
- The commercial rise of the Internet coincided roughly with the rise of
- Linux, and the latter in large part owes something to the former. The
- Internet has always been an important asset for Linux development. It
- is no different for LUGs. Most LUGs have web pages if not whole Web
- sites. In fact, I am not sure how else to find a local LUG but to
- check the Web.
-
- It makes sense, then, for a local LUG to make use of whatever Internet
- technologies they can appropriate: Web sites, mailing lists, gopher,
- FTP, e-mail, WAIS, finger, news, etc. As the world of commerce is
- discovering, the Internet can be an effective way to advertise,
- inform, educate, and even sell. The other reason that LUGs make
- extensive use of Internet technologies is that it is the very essence
- of Linux to provide a stable and rich platform for the deployment of
- these technologies. So not only do LUGs benefit from, say, the
- establishment of a Web site because it advertizes their existence and
- helps organize their members, but in deploying these technologies, the
- members of the LUG are provided an opportunity to learn about this
- technology and see Linux at work.
-
- Some LUGs that use the Internet effectively:
-
- ╖ Atlanta Linux Enthusiasts <http://www.ale.org/>
-
- ╖ North Texas Linux Users Group <http://www.ntlug.org/>
-
- ╖ Boston Linux and Unix <http://www.blu.org/>
-
- ╖ Colorado Linux Users and Enthusiasts
- <http://spot.elfwerks.com/~clue/>
-
- ╖ BLUG - BHZ Linux Users Group (Brazil)
- <http://www.bhz.ampr.org/~linux/>
-
- ╖ Ottawa Carleton Linux Users Group <http://www.oclug.on.ca/>
-
- ╖ Provence Linux Users Group <http://www.pipo.com/plug/>
-
- ╖ Duesseldorf Linux Users Group <http://www.hsp.de/~dlug/>
-
- ╖ Israeli Linux Users Group <http://www.linux.org.il/>
-
- ╖ Tokyo Linux Users Group <http://www.twics.co.jp/~tlug/>
-
- ╖ Linux in Mexico <http://www.linux.org.mx/>
-
- ╖ Netherlands Linux Users Group (NLLGG) <http://www.nllgg.nl/>
-
- ╖ St. Petersburg Linux User Group
- <http://ethereal.ru/~mbravo/spblug/index.html>
-
- ╖ Linux User Group of Singapore <http://www.lugs.org.sg/>
-
- ╖ Victoria Linux User Group <http://www.linux.victoria.bc.ca/>
-
- ╖ Essex Linux User Group <http://www.epos.demon.co.uk/>
-
- ╖ Turkish Linux User Group <http://www.linux.org.tr/>
-
- ╖ Linux User Group of Rochester <http://www.lugor.org/>
-
- ╖ Korean Linux Users Group <http://www.linux-kr.org>
-
- Please let me know if your LUG uses the Internet in an important or
- interesting way; I'd like this list to include your group.
-
- 6. Practical suggestions
-
- Finally, I want to make some very practical, even mundane, suggestions
- for anyone wanting to found, maintain, or grow a LUG.
-
- 6.1. LUG support organizations
-
- There are several organizations that offer assistance to local LUGs.
-
- GLUE
- Groups of Linux Users Everywhere is a user group coordination
- and support program started by SSC, the same people who publish
- Linux Journal. The GLUE program <http://www.ssc.com/glue/> is an
- inexpensive way for a local LUG to provide some benefits to its
- membership.
-
- Linux Systems Labs
- LSL <http://www.lsl.com/> offers their Tri-Linux Disk set (Three
- Linux distributions on four CDs: Red Hat, Slackware, and Debian)
- to LUGs for resale at a considerable discount.
-
- Linux Mall User Group Program
- Sponsored by WorkGroup Solutions, the Linux Mall User Group
- Program <http://www.LinuxMall.com/usergrp.program.html> offers a
- range of benefits for participating User Groups. LUGs are also
- free to participate in Linux Mall's Referral Program
- <http://www.LinuxMall.com/mallrfr.html> as well.
-
- Cleveland Linux User's Group
- Owns the Internet domain, lug.net. They will provide your LUG an
- Internet domain name at lug.net: your-LUG-name-or-citylug.net.
- More information may be found at LUG.NET <http://www.lug.net/>
- or by e-mailing Jeff Garvas.
-
- Red Hat Software's User Group Program
- Assists LUGs to develop and grow. More information may be found
- at Red Hat Web site <http://www.redhat.com/redhat/rhug.html>
-
- 6.2. Founding a LUG
-
- ╖ Determine the nearest pre-existing LUG
-
- ╖ Announce your intentions on comp.os.linux.announce and on an
- appropriate regional hierarchy
-
- ╖ Announce your intention wherever computer users are in your area:
- bookstores, swap meets, cybercafes, colleges and universities,
- corporations, Internet service providers, etc.
-
- ╖ Find Linux-friendly businesses or institutions in your area that
- may be willing to help you form the LUG
-
- ╖ Form a mailing list or some means of communication between the
- people who express an interest in forming a LUG
-
- ╖ Ask key people specifically for help in spreading the word about
- your intention to form a LUG
-
- ╖ Solicit space on a Web server to put a few HTML pages together
- about the group
-
- ╖ Begin looking for a meeting place
-
- ╖ Schedule an initial meeting
-
- ╖ Discuss at the initial meeting the goals for the LUG
-
- 6.3. Maintaining and growing a LUG
-
- ╖ Make the barriers to LUG membership as low as possible
-
- ╖ Make the LUG's Web site a priority: keep all information current,
- make it easy to find details about meetings (who, what, and where),
- and make contact information and feedback mechanisms prominent
-
- ╖ Install Linux for anyone who wants it
-
- ╖ Post flyers, messages, or handbills wherever computer users are in
- your area
-
- ╖ Secure dedicated leadership
-
- ╖ Follow Linus's benevolent dictator model of leadership
-
- ╖ Take the big decisions to the members for a vote
-
- ╖ Start a mailing list devoted to technical support and ask the
- ``gurus'' to participate on it
-
- ╖ Schedule a mixture of advanced and basic, formal and informal,
- presentations
-
- ╖ Support the software development efforts of your members
-
- ╖ Find way to raise money without dues: for instance, selling Linux
- merchandise to your members and to others
-
- ╖ Consider securing formal legal standing for the group, such as
- incorporation or tax-exempt status
-
- ╖ Find out if your meeting place is restricting growth of the LUG
-
- ╖ Meet in conjunction with swap meets, computer shows, or other
- community events where computer users---i.e., potential Linux
- converts---are likely to gather
-
- ╖ Elect formal leadership for the LUG as soon as is practical: some
- helpful officers might include President, Treasurer, Secretary,
- Meeting Host (general announcements, speaker introductions, opening
- and closing remarks, etc.), Publicity Coordinator (handles Usenet
- and e-mail postings, local publicity), and Program Coordinator
- (organizes and schedules speakers at LUG meetings)
- ╖ Provide ways for members and others to give feedback about the
- direction, goals, and strategies of the LUG
-
- ╖ Support Linux and Free Software development efforts by donating Web
- space, a mailing list, or FTP site
-
- ╖ Establish an FTP site for relevant software
-
- ╖ Archive everything the LUG does for the Web site
-
- ╖ Solicit ``door prizes'' from Linux vendors, VARs, etc. to give away
- at meetings
-
- ╖ Give credit where credit is due
-
- ╖ Join SSC's GLUE (Groups of Linux Users Everywhere) but be aware
- they charge a membership fee
-
- ╖ Submit your LUG's information to all of the Lists of LUGs
-
- ╖ Publicize your meetings on appropriate Usenet groups and in local
- computer publications and newspapers
-
- ╖ Compose promotional materials, like Postscript files, for instance,
- that members can use to help publicize the LUG at workplaces,
- bookstores, computer stores, etc.
-
- ╖ Make sure you know what LUG members want the LUG to do
-
- ╖ Release press releases to local media outlets about any unusual LUG
- events like an Installation Fest, Net Day, etc.
-
- ╖ Use LUG resources and members to help local non-profit
- organizations and schools with their Information Technology needs
-
- ╖ Advocate the use of Linux zealously but responsibly
-
- ╖ Play to the strengths of LUG members
-
- ╖ Maintain good relations with Linux vendors, VARs, developers, etc.
-
- ╖ Identify and contact Linux consultants in your area
-
- ╖ Network with the leaders of other LUGs in your area, state, region,
- or country to share experiences, tricks, and resources
-
- ╖ Keep LUG members advised on the state of Linux software---new
- kernels, bugs, fixes, patches, security advisories---and the state
- of the Linux world at large---new ports, trademark and licensing
- issues, where Linus is living and working, etc.
-
- ╖ Notify the Linux Documentation Project---and other pertinent
- sources of Linux information---about the documentation that the LUG
- produces: technical presentations, tutorials, local HOWTOs, etc.
-
- 7. Legal and political issues
-
- 7.1. Legal issues
-
- 7.2. United States
-
- There is a strong case to be made for formal organization of local
- LUGs. I will not make that case here. If, however, you are interested
- in formally organizing your local LUG, then this section will
- introduce you to some of the relevant issues.
-
- Note: this section should not be construed as competent legal counsel.
- These issues require the expertise of competent legal counsel; you
- should, before acting on any of the statements made in this section,
- consult an attorney.
-
- There are at least two different legal statuses that a local LUG in
- the United States may attain:
-
- 1. incorporation as a non-profit entity
-
- 2. tax-exemption
-
- Although the relevant statutes differ from state to state, most states
- allow user groups to incorporate as non-profit entitites. The benefits
- of incorporation for a local LUG may include limitations of liability
- of LUG members and volunteers, as well as limitation or even exemption
- from state corporate franchise taxes.
-
- While you should consult competent legal counsel before incorporating
- your LUG as a non-profit entity, you can probably reduce your legal
- fees if you are acquainted with the relevant issues before consulting
- with an attorney. I recommend the Non-Lawyers Non-Profit Corporation
- Kit (ISBN 0-937434-35-3).
-
- As for the second status, tax-exemption, this is not a legal status so
- much as a judgment by the Internal Revenue Service. It is important
- for you to know that incorporation as a non-profit entity does not
- insure that the IRS will rule that your LUG is to be tax-exempt. It is
- possible to have a non-profit corporation that is not also tax-exempt.
-
- The IRS has a relatively simple document that explains the criteria
- and process for tax-exemption. It is Publication 557: Tax-Exempt
- Status for Your Organization. It is available as an Adobe Acrobat file
- from the IRS's Web site. I strongly recommend that you read this
- document before filing for incorporation as a non-profit entity. While
- becoming a non-profit corporation cannot insure that your LUG will be
- declared tax-exempt by the IRS, there are ways to incorporate that
- will prevent the IRS from declaring your LUG to be tax-exempt. Tax-
- Exempt Status for Your Organization clearly sets out the necessary
- conditions for your LUG to be declared tax-exempt.
-
- Finally, there are resources available on the Internet for non-profit
- and tax-exempt organizations. Some of the material is probably
- relevant to your local LUG.
-
- 7.3. Canada
-
- Thanks to Chris Browne for the following comments about the Canadian
- situation.
-
- The Canadian tax environment strongly parallels the US environment, in
- that the ``charitable organization'' status confers similar tax
- advantages for donors over mere ``not for profit'' status, while
- requiring that similar sorts of added paperwork be filed by the
- ``charity'' with the tax authorities in order to attain and maintain
- certified charity status.
- 7.4. Political issues
-
- Chris Browne <mailto:cbbrowne@hex.net> has the following to say about
- the kinds of inter-LUG political dynamics that often crop up.
-
- 7.4.1. People have different feelings about free software.
-
- Linux users are a diverse bunch. As soon as you try to put a lot of
- them together, there are some problem issues that can come up.There
- are those that are nearly political radicals that believe that all
- software, always, should be ``free.'' Because Caldera charges quite a
- lot of money for their distribution, and doesn't give all profits over
- to (pick favorite advocacy organization), they must be ``evil.''
- Ditto for Red Hat or S.u.S.E. Keep in mind that all three of these
- companies have made and continue to make significant contributions to
- free software.
-
- Others may figure that they can find some way to highly exploit the
- ``freeness'' of the Linux platform for their fun and profit. Be aware
- that many users of the BSD UNIX variants consider that their licenses
- that do permit companies to build ``privatized'' custom versions of
- their OSes are preferable to the ``enforced permanent freeness'' of
- the GPL as applied to Linux. Do not presume that all people promoting
- this sort of view are necessarily greedy leeches.
-
- If these people are put together in one place, disagreements can
- occur.
-
- Leaders should be clear on the following facts:
-
- ╖ There are a lot of opinions about the GPL and how it is supposed to
- work. It is easy to misunderstand both the GPL and alternative
- licensing schemes.
-
- ╖ Linux benefits from contributions from many places, and can support
- some freeloaders, particularly if this encourages more people to
- get involved, thus pulling in further contributors.
-
- ╖ Many significant contributions have been made to Linux by
- commercial enterprises. Examining the sources to the Linux kernel,
- and notable subsystems such as XFree86 and GCC show a surprising
- number of commercial contributors.
-
- ╖ Commercial does not always imply ``better,'' but it also does not
- always imply ``horrible.''
-
- The main principle can be extended well beyond this; computer ``holy
- wars'' have long been waged over the virtues of one system over
- another, whether that be (in modern day) between Linux, other UNIX
- variants, and Microsoft OSes, or between the ``IBM PC'' and the
- various Motorola 68000-based systems, or between the many 8 bit
- systems of the 1970s. Or of KDE versus GNOME.
-
- A wise LUG leader will seek to smooth over such differences, rather
- than inciting them. LUG leaders must have thick skins.
- There will be disagreements at some point as diverse views collide
- with one another, and leaders must be able to cope with this,
- resolving disagreements rather than contributing to the problem.
-
- 7.4.2. Nonprofit organizations and money don't mix terribly well.
-
- It is important to be quite careful in dealing with finances in a
- nonprofit organization of any sort. In businesses, where profitable
- flows of monies are the goal, people are not typically too worried
- about ``nagging details'' such as possible misspending of immaterial
- sums of money.
-
- The same cannot be said about nonprofit organizations. Some people
- are involved for reasons of principle, and can easily give minor
- problems inordinate attention. And the potential for wide
- participation at business meetings correspondingly expands the
- potential for inordinate attention to be drawn to things.
-
- As a result, it is probably preferable for there to not be a
- membership fee for a LUG, as that provides a specific thing for which
- people can reasonably demand accountability. Fees that are not
- collected cannot, by virtue of the fact that they don't exist, be
- misused.
-
- If there is a lot of money and/or other such resources floating
- around, it is important for the user group to be accountable to its
- members for it.
-
- In a vital, growing group, there should be more than one person
- involved. In troubled nonprofit organizations, financial information
- is often tightly held by someone who will not willingly relinquish
- control of funds. Ideally, there should be some rotation of duties
- in a LUG including that of control of the finances.
-
- Regular useful financial reports should be made available to those
- that wish them. A LUG that maintains an official ``charitable status''
- for tax purposes will have to file at least annual financial reports
- with the local tax authorities, which would represent a minimum
- financial disclosure for the purposes of the members.
-
- With the growth of Linux-based financial software, it should be
- readily possible to create reports on a regular basis. With the
- growth of the Internet, it should even be possible to publish these on
- the World Wide Web.
-
- 8. About this document
-
- 8.1. Terms of use
-
- Copyright (c) 1997 by Kendall Grant Clark. This document may be
- distributed under the terms set forth in the LDP license at
- http://sunsite.unc.edu/LDP/COPYRIGHT.html
- <http://sunsite.unc.edu/LDP/COPYRIGHT.html>.
-
- 8.2. New versions
-
- New versions of the Linux User Group HOWTO will be periodically
- uploaded to various Linux WWW and FTP sites, principally my homepage
- <http://www.cmpu.net/public/kclark/linux/> and the Linux Documentation
- Project <http://sunsite.unc.edu/LDP/>
-
- 8.3. Please contribute to this HOWTO
-
- I welcome questions about and feedback on this document. Please send
- them to me at kclark@cmpu.net. I am especially interested in hearing
- from leaders of LUGs from around the world. I would like to include
- real-life examples of the things described here. I would also like to
- include a section on LUGs outside the United States, since this HOWTO
- as it stands now is rather US-centric. Please let me know if your
- group does things that should be mentioned in this HOWTO.
-
- 8.4. Document history
-
- ╖ 1.0 released on 13 July 1997
-
- ╖ 1.1: expanded online resources section
-
- ╖ 1.3: added LUG Support Organizations and expanded the Legal and
- Organizational Issues section
-
- ╖ 1.3.1: general editing for clarity and conciseness
-
- ╖ 1.4: general editing, added new LUG resources
-
- ╖ 1.4.1: general editing for clarity
-
- ╖ 1.5: added some resources, some discussion of LUG documentation,
- also general editing
-
- ╖ 1.5.1: changed Web location for this document and author's email
- address.
-
- ╖ 1.5.2: new copyright and license
-
- ╖ 1.5.3: miscellaneous edits and minor re-organizations
-
- ╖ 1.6: added Chris Browne's material: Linux philanthropic donations
- and LUG political considerations
-
- 8.5. Acknowledgements
-
- I want to thank all the great people I met and worked with during
- 1996--1997 when I served as President of the North Texas Linux Users
- Group. They helped inspire me to use Linux full-time. The best thing
- about Linux really is the people you meet.
-
- I especially want to thank Chris Browne <mailto:cbbrowne@hex.net> for
- describing the situation with non-profit and charitable groups in
- Canada, his thoughts on financial donations as a way to participate in
- Linux and the free software movement, and his ideas about the kinds of
- political issues that may arise within LUGs.
-
- In addition, the following people have made helpful comments and
- suggestions:
- ╖ Hugo van der Kooij
-
- ╖ Greg Hankins
-
- ╖ Charles Lindahl
-
- ╖ Rick Moen
-
- ╖ Jeff Garvas
-
-