[mdlug] are we dead yet?

[Ingles, Raymond]

> From: Michael Corral

> MDLUG is just a shadow of what it used to be. We used to have large
> meetings, not anymore. We used to have lots of traffic on the mail
> list, not anymore. Things change. MDLUG continues on mostly as a mail
> list, but the number of posts is down to a trickle, and usually from
> the same handful of "usual suspects". And it's not just MDLUG. The
> WLUG list is even more dead (sorry Jay:). And other LUGs across the
> country are experiencing the same thing. Someone in that slashdot
> article put the R.I.P. date somewhere in 2004. That sounds about
> right to me.

 But certainly if I had to choose between the situation then and now I'd
take today in a heartbeat. Back around 1995-1996, Linux's profile was
practically nonexistent outside the serious computing enthusiasts.
Information was available on newsgroups, or via specialty-press books.
LUGs were wonderful at that time to pool and distribute knowledge and
even just general news.

 Now Linux is serious business, and is commonly seen in the wider
culture. Finding information is vastly easier, and virtual communities
in general are 'mainstream'; having one (or several) for Linux too is
no big deal. I can live with LUGs going away, as fun and useful as they've
been, if the *need* for them goes away in such a positive manner.

 Consider how few people feel it necessary to join an auto club these
days. :->

 Sincerely,

 Ray Ingles                                             (313) 227-2317

 "To surrender to ignorance and call it God has always been premature,
          and it remains premature today." -Isaac Asimov
The contents of this e-mail are intended for the named addressee only. It contains information that may be confidential. Unless you are the named addressee or an authorized designee, you may not copy or use it, or disclose it to anyone else. If you received it in error please notify us immediately and then destroy it.