https://www.wplug.org/mediawiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=Centinel&feedformat=atomWPLUG - User contributions [en]2024-03-28T14:42:34ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.23.15//www.wplug.org/wiki/WPLUGBoardWPLUGBoard2016-01-20T00:19:13Z<p>Centinel: /* Upcoming WPLUG Board Meetings */ Added links to the pages I made for the next 3 upcoming board meetings.</p>
<hr />
<div>__NOTOC__<br />
<br />
The WPLUG Board of Directors consists of five elected members of WPLUG who oversee the operations of WPLUG and plan for its future growth. The current board was elected on Saturday, November 15, 2014.<br />
<br />
== Members == <br />
<br />
The members are:<br />
<br />
* Chair: [[User:Vance | Vance Kochenderfer]]<br />
* Vice-Chair: [[User:Jprostko | Joseph Prostko]]<br />
* Secretary: [[User:Patbarron | Patrick Barron]]<br />
* Treasurer: [[User:Terryg | Terry Golightly]]<br />
* Director-at-Large: [[User:Centinel | Justin Smith]]<br />
<br />
A list of [[WPLUGBoard/Duties|officer responsibilities]] exists to help keep straight who does what and when.<br />
<br />
== Upcoming WPLUG Board Meetings ==<br />
<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20160419|Tuesday, April 19, 2016]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20160315|Tuesday, March 15, 2016]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20160216|Tuesday, February 16, 2016]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20160119|Tuesday, January 19, 2016]]<br />
<br />
== Past WPLUG Board Meetings ==<br />
<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20151215|Tuesday, December 15, 2015]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20151119|Thursday, November 19, 2015]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20151015|Thursday, October 15, 2015]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20150923|Wednesday, September 23, 2015]] (special meeting)<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20150917|Thursday, September 17, 2015]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20150818|Tuesday, August 18, 2015]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20150721|Tuesday, July 21, 2015]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20150616|Tuesday, June 16, 2015]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20150519|Tuesday, May 19, 2015]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20150421|Tuesday, April 21, 2015]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20150317|Tuesday, March 17, 2015]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20150217|Tuesday, February 17, 2015]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20150120|Tuesday, January 20, 2015]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20141216|Tuesday, December 16, 2014]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20141125|Tuesday, November 25, 2014]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20141021|Tuesday, October 21, 2014]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20140916|Tuesday, September 16, 2014]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20140819|Tuesday, August 19, 2014]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20140715|Tuesday, July 15, 2014]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20140624|Tuesday, June 24, 2014]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20140520|Tuesday, May 20, 2014]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20140408|Tuesday, April 8, 2014]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20140318|Tuesday, March 18, 2014]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20140218|Tuesday, February 18, 2014]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20140121|Tuesday, January 21, 2014]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20131217|Tuesday, December 17, 2013]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20131119|Tuesday, November 19, 2013]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20131015|Tuesday, October 15, 2013]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20130917|Tuesday, September 17, 2013]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20130820|Tuesday, August 20, 2013]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20130716|Tuesday, July 16, 2013]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20130618|Tuesday, June 18, 2013]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20130521|Tuesday, May 21, 2013]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20130502|Thursday, May 2, 2013]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20130416|Tuesday, April 16, 2013]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20130319|Tuesday, March 19, 2013]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20130219|Tuesday, Februrary 19, 2013]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20130209|Saturday, February 9, 2013]] (special meeting)<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20130115|Tuesday, January 15, 2013]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20121230|Sunday, December 30, 2012]] (special meeting)<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20121204|Tuesday, December 4, 2012]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20121108|Thursday, November 8, 2012]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20121002|Tuesday, October 2, 2012]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20120904|Tuesday, September 4, 2012]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20120807|Tuesday, August 7, 2012]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20120703|Tuesday, July 3, 2012]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20120605|Tuesday, June 5, 2012]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20120501|Tuesday, May 1, 2012]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20120412|Thursday, April 12, 2012]] (special meeting)<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20120403|Tuesday, April 3, 2012]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20120306|Tuesday, March 6, 2012]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20120207|Tuesday, February 7, 2012]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20120103|Tuesday, January 3, 2012]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20111206|Tuesday, December 6, 2011]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20111101|Tuesday, November 1, 2011]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20111004|Tuesday, October 4, 2011]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20110830|Tuesday, August 30, 2011]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20110802|Tuesday, August 2, 2011]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20110628|Tuesday, June 28, 2011]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20110607|Tuesday, June 7, 2011]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20110503|Tuesday, May 3, 2011]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20110405|Tuesday, April 5, 2011]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20110303|Tuesday, March 3, 2011]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20110201|Tuesday, February 1, 2011]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20110104|Tuesday, January 4, 2011]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20101207|Tuesday, December 7, 2010]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20101001|Friday, October 1, 2010]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20100827|Friday, August 27, 2010]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20100709|Friday, July 9, 2010]]<br />
* June 2010<br />
* May 2010<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20100409|Friday, April 9, 2010]]<br />
* March 2010<br />
* February 2010<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20100122|Friday, January 22, 2010]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20091219|Saturday, December 19, 2009]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20091121|Saturday, November 21, 2009]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20090915|Thursday, October 15, 2009]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20090825|Tuesday, August 25, 2009]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20090709|Thursday, July 9, 2009]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20090602|Tuesday, June 2, 2009]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20090505|Tuesday, May 5, 2009]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20090331|Tuesday, March 31, 2009]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20090303|Tuesday, March 3, 2009]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20090203 | Tuesday, February 3, 2009]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20090106 | Tuesday, January 6, 2009]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20081209 | Tuesday, December 9, 2008]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20081110 | Monday, November 10, 2008]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20081027 | Monday, October 27, 2008]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20081004 | Tuesday, October 4, 2008]] (special meeting)<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20080916 | Tuesday, September 16, 2008]] (special meeting)<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20080908 | Monday, September 8, 2008]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20080811 | Monday, August 11, 2008]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20080714 | Monday, July 14, 2008]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20080609 | Monday, June 9, 2008]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20080512 | Monday, May 12, 2008]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20080407 | Monday, April 7, 2008]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20080310 | Monday, March 10, 2008]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20080204 | Monday, February 4, 2008]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20080114 | Monday, January 14, 2008]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20071210 | Monday, December 10, 2007]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20071119 | Monday, November 19, 2007]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20071029 | Monday, October 29, 2007]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20070910 | Monday, September 10, 2007]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20070813 | Monday, August 20, 2007]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20070709 | Monday, July 30, 2007]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20070611 | Monday, June 25, 2007]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20070514 | Monday, May 14, 2007]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20070402 | Monday, April 2, 2007]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20070312 | Monday, March 12, 2007]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20070212 | Monday, February 12, 2007]]<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20070122 | Monday, January 22, 2007]]<br />
* Monday, December 11, 2006<br />
* Monday, November 27, 2006<br />
* Monday, October 30, 2006<br />
<br />
== WPLUG Goals ==<br />
<br />
At the October 30, 2006 meeting the acting WPLUG board established a set of five, three and one year goals. We then pared each of these sets of goals to about five different concrete and actionable items. The goal of this plan is that the one year tasks always lead us in the direction of the three year tasks, which are the foundation for the five year tasks. The one year plan should be revisited as needed during the year, with the three and five year plan revisited annually.<br />
<br />
At the [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20071119 | November 19, 2007]] board meeting, the board decided to review the goals set one year earlier, and update them as necessary. The previous board's goals can be found at the [[WPLUG Board 2007 Goals]] and [[WPLUG Board 2008 Goals]] pages. A new [[WPLUG Board 2009 Goals]] page is under construction.</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20160419WPLUGBoard/Meeting-201604192016-01-20T00:16:31Z<p>Centinel: Created a page for the April board meeting.</p>
<hr />
<div>== Venue Info ==<br />
To be completed when a venue is decided.<br />
<br />
== Agenda ==<br />
* List your item here<br />
* List your item here<br />
<br />
== Minutes ==<br />
To be added after the meeting takes place.</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20160329WPLUGBoard/Meeting-201603292016-01-20T00:16:01Z<p>Centinel: Added a page for the March board meeting.</p>
<hr />
<div>== Venue Info ==<br />
To be completed when a venue is decided.<br />
<br />
== Agenda ==<br />
* List your item here<br />
* List your item here<br />
<br />
== Minutes ==<br />
To be added after the meeting takes place.</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20160216WPLUGBoard/Meeting-201602162016-01-20T00:13:02Z<p>Centinel: Created a page for the February board meeting.</p>
<hr />
<div>== Venue Info ==<br />
To be completed when a venue is decided.<br />
<br />
== Agenda ==<br />
* List your item here<br />
* List your item here<br />
<br />
== Minutes ==<br />
To be added after the meeting takes place.</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/Meeting-20151114Meeting-201511142015-10-26T19:51:42Z<p>Centinel: /* Justin Smith */</p>
<hr />
<div>WPLUG will have a General User Meeting and presentation on Saturday, November 14, 2015 starting at 3:00pm at [[HackPittsburgh]]. Elections for the Board of Directors will be held.<br />
<br />
== Schedule for the Day ==<br />
3:00pm - Doors open, set up<br/><br />
3:15pm - Business Meeting starts, election<br/><br />
3:30pm - Featured presentation<br/><br />
5:00pm - Meeting ends, everyone out.<br />
<br />
== Election ==<br />
At this meeting, we will elect the WPLUG Board of Directors for 2015-2016.<br />
<br />
Votes may be cast by mail or in person at the meeting. Your vote must be received before the polls close to be counted, so show up by 3:00pm to be sure you get to cast yours.<br />
<br />
The ballot for this election will be e-mailed to the membership and made available on the wiki. Blank ballots will also be available at the meeting. Detailed instructions for voting are given at [[Election Instructions]].<br />
<br />
Those who were nominated at the October 24, 2015 nominations meeting and have agreed to be candidates are (in alphabetical order):<br />
* Patrick Barron<br />
* Terry Golightly<br />
* Vance Kochenderfer<br />
* John Lewis<br />
* Joseph Prostko<br />
* Justin Smith<br />
<br />
=== Candidate Statements ===<br />
<br />
==== Patrick Barron ====<br />
<br />
To be added.<br />
<br />
==== Terry Golightly ====<br />
<br />
To be added.<br />
<br />
==== Vance Kochenderfer ====<br />
<br />
To be added.<br />
<br />
==== John Lewis ====<br />
<br />
To be added.<br />
<br />
==== Joseph Prostko ====<br />
<br />
To be added.<br />
<br />
==== Justin Smith ====<br />
<br />
I'm running because I want to make WPLUG a more welcoming organization. There are some in the Linux community who feel it's acceptable to express the same sort of condescending arrogance that popular figures such as Linus Torvalds espouse. It isn't. That attitude has damaged our reputation to such a degree that many of our long-term members/attendees now want little to do with us.<br />
<br />
While I think we can all appreciate some good-natured teasing, such as the Vim vs Emacs holy wars, we need people on the board who can invite participation from users of all walks of life, and I have a record of doing just that.<br />
<br />
The year before last, I was chairman of the board. I helped arrange for several meetings that were particularly successful, such as a talk about Blender at Pittsburgh Filmmakers that was widely attended - not just by WPLUG regulars, but by people who hadn't had prior exposure to open source software.<br />
<br />
I hope to be a positive influence by arranging for similar such events and encouraging WPLUG's participation in open source projects. I will work against any individuals who attempt to tear down our community.<br />
<br />
== Speaker/Presentation ==<br />
<br />
Description to be added.<br />
<br />
== Meeting Minutes ==<br />
<br />
To be added.<br />
<br />
== Meeting Staff ==<br />
If you would like to volunteer to assist with this meeting, please add your name to one or more of the [[MeetingChecklist|categories]] below.<br />
* Host: Your name here<br />
* Co-Host: Your name here<br />
* Setup: Your name here<br />
* Clean Up: Your name here<br />
<br />
== Carpooling ==<br />
<br />
* Your name/location here<br />
<br />
[[Category:Meetings]]<br />
[[Category:Minutes]]</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/Meeting-20141018Meeting-201410182014-10-08T16:05:37Z<p>Centinel: </p>
<hr />
<div>WPLUG will have a General User Meeting and presentation on Saturday, October 18, 2014, starting at 11:00 in Room 104 at [[Pittsburgh Filmmakers]]. Bring some money for lunch - we'll order out!<br />
<br />
We will be holding nominations for the WPLUG board of directors for the upcoming year.<br />
<br />
== Schedule for the Day ==<br />
<br />
11:00am - Doors open<br /><br />
11:30am - Business meeting<br /><br />
noon - Featured presentation<br /><br />
1:00pm - Meeting ends<br />
<br />
== Speaker/Presentation ==<br />
<br />
Name: Vance Kochenderfer<br />
<br />
Title: Intro to Copyright<br />
<br />
Free Software licenses rely on copyright law to function. But what is copyright? How does one obtain it, and what rights does it give you? Perhaps more importantly, what ''can't'' you do with material copyrighted by others?<br />
<br />
I'll review the basics of what copyright is and how it applies to creative works (including software). Also included will be discussion of the most common [http://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html Free Software licenses], how they operate, and how they get along (or not) with each other. Some time will be spent on [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ Creative Commons licensing] as well, which are used for many types of works.<br />
<br />
== Meeting Minutes ==<br />
<br />
To be added.<br />
<br />
== Meeting Staff ==<br />
If you would like to volunteer to assist with this meeting, please add your name to one or more of the [[MeetingChecklist|categories]] below.<br />
<br />
* Host: Justin Smith<br />
* Co-Host: Your name here<br />
* Refreshments: Your name here<br />
* Setup: Your name here, Your name here<br />
* Clean Up: Your name here, Your name here<br />
<br />
== Carpooling ==<br />
<br />
* Your name/location here<br />
* Your name/location here<br />
<br />
[[Category:Meetings]]<br />
[[Category:Minutes]]</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/Western_Pennsylvania_Linux_Users_GroupWestern Pennsylvania Linux Users Group2014-10-08T16:04:04Z<p>Centinel: Added time for the upcoming GUM.</p>
<hr />
<div>__NOTOC__<br />
<br />
Welcome to the Western Pennsylvania Linux Users Group&#8480;. We are a not-for-profit organization based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that provides collaboration resources, including mailing lists, presentations, installfests, and this wiki for Linux users of all backgrounds.<br />
<br />
See our [[WPLUG:About|about page]] for more background on us, Linux, and free/open source software.<br />
<br />
Just like an open source software project, we develop WPLUG in collaboration with the community: everyone is free to contribute. What does Western PA need out of WPLUG&#8480;? What do ''you'' need out of WPLUG? Join our [[MailingLists|mailing list]] and tell us!<br />
<br />
== Upcoming Meetings & Events ==<br />
<br />
* [[Meeting-20141018 | Saturday, October 18, 2014]] - 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. - General User Meeting and Board of Directors nominations at [[Pittsburgh Filmmakers]] - Topic: Intro to Copyright<br />
* November 2013 - Date, time, location TBD - WPLUG 2015 Board of Directors election<br />
<br />
Got something technology-related on your mind? Even if you're not a WPLUG member, we invite you to answer our [[CallforPresentations | Call for Presentations]] and talk about it at one of our meetings.<br />
<br />
See our [[UpcomingMeetings | future planning]] page for information about WPLUG's longer-term plans for meetings & events.<br />
<br />
== Upcoming Related Events ==<br />
<br />
* Saturday, October 11, 2014, 10:00am to 2:00pm - [[Media:Ecofestflyer2014.jpg | EcoFest]] at [[Wilkins School Community Center]] - electronics recycling and more<br />
* [[File:OLF2014badge.jpg|right|link=https://ohiolinux.org/]] Friday-Sunday, October 24-26, 2014 - [https://ohiolinux.org/ Ohio LinuxFest] in Columbus, Ohio<br />
* Saturday-Sunday, November 8-9, 2014 - [http://pghpw.org/ Pittsburgh Perl Workshop] at the Doubletree Hotel and Suites downtown<br />
<br />
E-mail [mailto:info@wplug.org info@wplug.org] to have your event posted here.<br />
<br />
* PROPOSED: [[TechEventCalendar]]<br />
<br />
The [[Past Related Events | past related events]] page has examples of what we've done in the past. Check out these [[WPLUG:About#Groups|other interesting organizations]] for more to do!<br />
<br />
== Past Meetings ==<br />
<br />
Every WPLUG meeting and event is recorded in our [[Past Meetings | past meetings page]]. If you're new to WPLUG, this will give you a better idea of what we do.<br />
<br />
== Getting Involved ==<br />
<br />
Things that WPLUG does which you can participate in.<br />
* [[Membership]] - Join the hottest Linux users group in Western PA!<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard | Board Information]] - List of members on the WPLUG Board of Directors; records of WPLUG board meetings.<br />
* [[Committees | Committee Information]] - List of WPLUG committees.<br />
* [[Commission to Reform WPLUG]] - An informal group created to help grow and revitalize WPLUG.<br />
* [[Past Activities]] - Activities which are no longer ongoing. Let us know if you're interested in re-activating any of these.<br />
<br />
== Online Resources ==<br />
<br />
WPLUG provides a variety of online resources to its members and the community at large. In fact, you're looking at one of them right now: the WPLUG wiki. We provide these resources as a way for our members to help each other, spread the word about Linux and other open source, and socialize.<br />
* [[MailingLists | Mailing Lists]] - The WPLUG mailing lists are a big part of our community; there are several hundred subscribers. We have lists for topics ranging from general announcements to jobs and classified ads.<br />
* [[IRC | Internet Relay Chat]] - A chat channel that we operate on the [http://www.freenode.net/ FreeNode] IRC network. At times, this can be a very good way to get information.<br />
* [[Membership#Member_Benefits | WPLUG members]] can get an @wplug.org e-mail address, and can also use our RSS aggregator (similar to Feedly, or the now-defunct Google Reader)<br />
* [https://twitter.com/wplug Twitter] - The official WPLUG Twitter account<br />
* [http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=150161 LinkedIn] - A professional networking group used by many WPLUG members.<br />
<br />
== Organizational Materials ==<br />
<br />
* [[ByLaws | Bylaws]] - WPLUG's governing rules.<br />
* [[Special Rules of Order]] - Supplementary rules that address gaps in the bylaws.<br />
* [[MeetingChecklist | Meeting Checklist]] - What needs to be done at WPLUG general user meetings. <br />
* [[Venues]] - Information on where WPLUG meets.<br />
* [[FinancialDocuments | Financial Documents]] - Forms to report expenses and request funding from WPLUG.<br />
* [[Election Instructions]] - How to vote in WPLUG's board elections.<br />
* [[HistoricalDocuments | Historical Documents]] - Organizational materials that are kept for future reference.<br />
* [[Inventory]] - Stuff that belongs to WPLUG: who has it and where.<br />
* [[TODO]] - Things that need to be done on the wiki.<br />
<br />
== Swag ==<br />
<br />
Order clothing and other cool stuff with the WPLUG logo from [http://cafepress.com/wplug CafePress]. [[Image:Wplugmug.jpg]]</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/Western_Pennsylvania_Linux_Users_GroupWestern Pennsylvania Linux Users Group2014-09-09T23:57:02Z<p>Centinel: Updated the meeting topic.</p>
<hr />
<div>__NOTOC__<br />
<br />
Welcome to the Western Pennsylvania Linux Users Group&#8480;. We are a not-for-profit organization based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that provides collaboration resources, including mailing lists, presentations, installfests, and this wiki for Linux users of all backgrounds.<br />
<br />
See our [[WPLUG:About|about page]] for more background on us, Linux, and free/open source software.<br />
<br />
Just like an open source software project, we develop WPLUG in collaboration with the community: everyone is free to contribute. What does Western PA need out of WPLUG&#8480;? What do ''you'' need out of WPLUG? Join our [[MailingLists|mailing list]] and tell us!<br />
<br />
== Upcoming Meetings & Events ==<br />
<br />
* [[Meeting-20140913 | Saturday, September 13, 2014]] - 2:00 to 4:00pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Topic: Android Xposed<br />
<br />
Got something technology-related on your mind? Even if you're not a WPLUG member, we invite you to answer our [[CallforPresentations | Call for Presentations]] and talk about it at one of our meetings.<br />
<br />
See our [[UpcomingMeetings | future planning]] page for information about WPLUG's longer-term plans for meetings & events.<br />
<br />
== Upcoming Related Events ==<br />
<br />
* [[File:OLF2014badge.jpg|right|link=https://ohiolinux.org/]] Friday-Sunday, October 24-26, 2014 - [https://ohiolinux.org/ Ohio LinuxFest] in Columbus, Ohio<br />
* Saturday-Sunday, November 8-9, 2014 - [http://pghpw.org/ Pittsburgh Perl Workshop] at the Doubletree Hotel and Suites downtown<br />
<br />
E-mail [mailto:info@wplug.org info@wplug.org] to have your event posted here.<br />
<br />
* PROPOSED: [[TechEventCalendar]]<br />
<br />
The [[Past Related Events | past related events]] page has examples of what we've done in the past. Check out these [[WPLUG:About#Groups|other interesting organizations]] for more to do!<br />
<br />
== Past Meetings ==<br />
<br />
Every WPLUG meeting and event is recorded in our [[Past Meetings | past meetings page]]. If you're new to WPLUG, this will give you a better idea of what we do.<br />
<br />
== Getting Involved ==<br />
<br />
Things that WPLUG does which you can participate in.<br />
* [[Membership]] - Join the hottest Linux users group in Western PA!<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard | Board Information]] - List of members on the WPLUG Board of Directors; records of WPLUG board meetings.<br />
* [[Committees | Committee Information]] - List of WPLUG committees.<br />
* [[Commission to Reform WPLUG]] - An informal group created to help grow and revitalize WPLUG.<br />
* [[Past Activities]] - Activities which are no longer ongoing. Let us know if you're interested in re-activating any of these.<br />
<br />
== Online Resources ==<br />
<br />
WPLUG provides a variety of online resources to its members and the community at large. In fact, you're looking at one of them right now: the WPLUG wiki. We provide these resources as a way for our members to help each other, spread the word about Linux and other open source, and socialize.<br />
* [[MailingLists | Mailing Lists]] - The WPLUG mailing lists are a big part of our community; there are several hundred subscribers. We have lists for topics ranging from general announcements to jobs and classified ads.<br />
* [[IRC | Internet Relay Chat]] - A chat channel that we operate on the [http://www.freenode.net/ FreeNode] IRC network. At times, this can be a very good way to get information.<br />
* [[Membership#Member_Benefits | WPLUG members]] can get an @wplug.org e-mail address, and can also use our RSS aggregator (similar to Feedly, or the now-defunct Google Reader)<br />
* [https://twitter.com/wplug Twitter] - The official WPLUG Twitter account<br />
* [http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=150161 LinkedIn] - A professional networking group used by many WPLUG members.<br />
<br />
== Organizational Materials ==<br />
<br />
* [[ByLaws | Bylaws]] - WPLUG's governing rules.<br />
* [[Special Rules of Order]] - Supplementary rules that address gaps in the bylaws.<br />
* [[MeetingChecklist | Meeting Checklist]] - What needs to be done at WPLUG general user meetings. <br />
* [[Venues]] - Information on where WPLUG meets.<br />
* [[FinancialDocuments | Financial Documents]] - Forms to report expenses and request funding from WPLUG.<br />
* [[Election Instructions]] - How to vote in WPLUG's board elections.<br />
* [[HistoricalDocuments | Historical Documents]] - Organizational materials that are kept for future reference.<br />
* [[Inventory]] - Stuff that belongs to WPLUG: who has it and where.<br />
* [[TODO]] - Things that need to be done on the wiki.<br />
<br />
== Swag ==<br />
<br />
Order clothing and other cool stuff with the WPLUG logo from [http://cafepress.com/wplug CafePress]. [[Image:Wplugmug.jpg]]</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/Meeting-20140913Meeting-201409132014-09-09T23:56:40Z<p>Centinel: Updated the meeting description.</p>
<hr />
<div>WPLUG will have a General User Meeting and presentation on Saturday, September 13, 2014, starting at 2:00pm at the [[Wilkins School Community Center]].<br />
<br />
== Schedule for the Day ==<br />
2:00pm - Doors open, set up<br/><br />
2:30pm - Featured Presentation<br/><br />
4:00pm - Meeting ends, everyone out. We are likely to go to [http://www.regentsquare.net/ds6pax.html D's 6pack] afterward.<br/><br />
<br />
== Speaker/Presentation ==<br />
<br />
Justin Smith - '''Android Xposed'''<br />
<br />
Android, the world's most popular smartphone operating system, is open source. Just as there are community-developed versions of Linux, there are many community-developed versions of Android available from online communities like [https://www.xda-developers.org XDA Developers]. Don't like the version of Android your phone came with? Replace it!<br />
<br />
Of course, if you don't know what you're doing, you could lose data or even render your phone inoperable. You may also lose access to specific apps that only work on stock versions of Android like T-Mobile Wi-Fi calling. What's an enthusiast to do? <br />
<br />
Android Xposed is a modification for Android that lets you tweak your Android phone ''without'' permanently modifying anything. You can mix and match Xposed "modules" to achieve different effects. If you don't want to use a module any more, you can deactivate it and your phone will be back to normal.<br />
<br />
I'll be giving a technical overview of what Android Xposed is and demonstrating a few of my favorite modules, including:<br />
<br />
* XPrivacy: Go beyond Google's "permission" system for apps by selectively allowing or denying Android API calls. <br />
* RootCloak: Fool Android apps into believing that your rooted phone is ''not'' rooted!<br />
* GravityBox: This powerful module gives you all the typical features of a community-developed version of Android - yet, like other modules, it's temporary and can be deactivated at will.<br />
<br />
== Meeting Minutes ==<br />
<br />
(TBA)<br />
<br />
== Meeting Staff ==<br />
If you would like to volunteer to assist with this meeting, please add your name to one or more of the [[MeetingChecklist|categories]] below.<br />
* Host: [[User:Centinel|Justin Smith]], Your name here<br />
* Co-Host: Your name here<br />
* Snacks/refreshments: Your name here<br />
* Setup: [[User:Patbarron|Pat Barron]], Your name here, Your name here<br />
* Clean Up: [[User:Patbarron|Pat Barron]], Your name here, Your name here<br />
<br />
== Carpooling ==<br />
<br />
* Your name/location here<br />
* Your name/location here<br />
<br />
[[Category:Meetings]]<br />
[[Category:Minutes]]</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/2014_Server_Migration2014 Server Migration2014-08-24T00:02:48Z<p>Centinel: Added Comodo SSL link</p>
<hr />
<div>This page is to collect information about our current configuration and options for switching to a new server going forward. Please feel free to edit to add missing information or correct errors.<br />
<br />
== Server selection ==<br />
<br />
On 2014-06-24, the WPLUG board decided to go with the $10/month [https://www.linode.com/pricing?r=30335eb136f2c5f7fa3429dce9f15bea836f81d3 Linode] plan, locating in their Atlanta datacenter. This plan will approximately halve our current costs and still provide sufficient resources.<br />
<br />
== OS selection ==<br />
<br />
The WPLUG server currently runs on CentOS 5. This is still supported, but it would make sense to choose a newer distro while we're doing the server switch.<br />
<br />
=== Service enumeration ===<br />
<br />
Services that are currently running on the WPLUG Linode server. These should include things that are user-facing only, not infrastructure.<br />
<br />
* E-mail (Postfix)<br />
* Mailing lists (Mailman)<br />
* Wiki (MediaWiki)<br />
* Blog (Wordpress)<br />
* Monkeybot IRC bot (infobot) - maybe consider different bot software that can import monkeybot's database?<br />
* RSS aggregator (Tiny Tiny RSS, tt-rss)<br />
<br />
Infrastructure software which supports the services above.<br />
<br />
* Web server (Apache) - it would be possible to use Nginx instead, but I (Vance) am not familiar with setting it up<br />
* PHP (Apache mod_php) for MediaWiki, Wordpress, and TT-RSS<br />
* Python for Mailman<br />
* Perl for Monkeybot<br />
* MySQL for MediaWiki, Wordpress, and TT-RSS - likely possible to use MariaDB instead, other DBMS [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Compatibility#Database not recommended] for use with MediaWiki<br />
* Greylisting daemon (Postgrey)<br />
* Fail2ban - could maybe use denyhosts instead<br />
* Aide - could be used for intrusion detection<br />
<br />
=== Support lifetime ===<br />
<br />
* CentOS 6 - [http://wiki.centos.org/FAQ/General#head-fe8a0be91ee3e7dea812e8694491e1dde5b75e6d 2020-11-30]<br />
* CentOS 7 - will probably match RHEL 7 support deadline of [https://access.redhat.com/site/support/policy/updates/errata/#Life_Cycle_Dates 2024-06-30]<br />
* Debian 7 "wheezy" - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debian#Security_updates one year after release of v. 8 "jessie"] ([http://ostatic.com/blog/early-plans-for-debian-8-0-jessie-emerge anticipated mid-2015]), possible [http://www.debian.org/News/2014/20140424.en.html unofficial long-term support] available after that<br />
* Ubuntu 14.04 LTS - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_(operating_system)#Releases 2019-04-17]<br />
<br />
=== Software availability ===<br />
<br />
This table is to track, for the different distros under consideration, whether the software we need is available within its repositories. We want to minimize the number of applications which have to be maintained manually.<br />
<br />
Key:<br />
* B: in distro's base repository<br />
* A: in an additional repository provided by the distro<br />
* T: in a third-party repository<br />
* ~: not available in any known repository<br />
* ?: availability unknown<br />
<br />
{| border="1"<br />
!<br />
!CentOS 6<br />
!CentOS 7<br />
!Debian 7<br />
!Ubuntu 14.04<br />
|-<br />
|postfix<br />
|B 2.6<br />
|B 2.10<br />
|B 2.9<br />
|B 2.11<br />
|-<br />
|mailman<br />
|B 2.1<br />
|B 2.1<br />
|B 2.1<br />
|B 2.1<br />
|-<br />
|postgrey<br />
|T 1.34<sup>rf, EPEL</sup><br />
|T 1.34<sup>EPEL</sup><br />
|B 1.34<br />
|A 1.34<br />
|-<br />
|mediawiki<br />
|T 1.19<sup>EPEL</sup><br />
|~<br />
|B 1.19<br />
|A 1.19<br />
|-<br />
|wordpress<br />
|T 3.9<sup>EPEL</sup><br />
|T 3.9<sup>EPEL</sup><br />
|B 3.6<br />
|A 3.8<br />
|-<br />
|infobot<br />
|~<br />
|~<br />
|? (not B or A)<br />
|~<br />
|-<br />
|tt-rss<br />
|~<br />
|~<br />
|? (not B or A)<br />
|A 1.11<br />
|-<br />
|apache<br />
|B 2.2 / A 2.4<br />
|B 2.4<br />
|B 2.2<br />
|B 2.4<br />
|-<br />
|nginx<br />
|A 1.4<br />
|?<br />
|B 1.2<br />
|B/A 1.4<br />
|-<br />
|php5<br />
|B 5.3 / A 5.4, 5.5<br />
|B 5.4, T 5.5.14<sup>Remi</sup><br />
|B 5.4<br />
|B 5.5<br />
|-<br />
|python2<br />
|B 2.6 / A 2.7<br />
|B 2.7.5<br />
|B 2.7<br />
|B 2.7<br />
|-<br />
|python3<br />
|A 3.3<br />
|?<br />
|B 3.2<br />
|B 3.4<br />
|-<br />
|perl5<br />
|B 5.10<br />
|B 5.16<br />
|B 5.14<br />
|B 5.18<br />
|-<br />
|mysql<br />
|B 5.1 / A 5.5<br />
|?<br />
|B 5.5<br />
|B 5.5 / A 5.6<br />
|-<br />
|mariadb<br />
|A 5.5<br />
|B 5.5<br />
|? (not B or A)<br />
|A 5.5<br />
|-<br />
|fail2ban<br />
|T 0.8.7<sup>rf</sup>, 0.8.11<sup>EPEL</sup><br />
|T 0.9<sup>EPEL</sup>, 0.8.7<sup>rf</sup><br />
|B 0.8.6<br />
|A 0.8.11<br />
|-<br />
|denyhosts<br />
|T 2.6<sup>rf, EPEL</sup><br />
|T 2.6<sup>rf</sup><br />
|B 2.6<br />
|[https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/trusty/amd64/denyhosts ~]<br />
|-<br />
|aide<br />
|B 0.14<br />
|B 0.15.1<br />
|?<br />
|0.16a2<br />
|}<br />
<br />
Third-party repositories:<br />
* EPEL - [http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/EPEL Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux]<br />
* rf - [http://repoforge.org/ RepoForge] (formerly RPMForge/Dag Wieers)<br />
* Remi - [http://dev.antoinesolutions.com/remi-repository Remi Repository]<br />
<br />
== Migration steps ==<br />
<br />
* <strike>Obtain [https://library.linode.com/networking/ipv6#sph_ipv6-address-pools IPv6 address pool] from Linode (support ticket needed)</strike><br />
** <strike>/etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth0 edited, reboot needed to apply - 2600:3c02:e000:0047::2/64 assigned</strike><br />
* <strike>Explore what software to use to help harden up the installation (fail2ban, etc.)</strike> ''Decided to use fail2ban-firewalld''<br />
* <strike>Deploy new CentOS 7 instance</strike><br />
* (optional) Set up [https://library.linode.com/remote-access#sph_adding-private-ip-addresses private IPv4 addresses] for transfer between old and new VPS (avoids bandwidth charges)<br />
* <strike>Set up SSH (edit sshd_config to tighten up security)</strike><br />
* <strike>Migrate current users to new server</strike><br />
* <strike>Ensure NTP is running, and set timezone to EDT</strike><br />
* <strike>Set up the firewall (either using firewalld, or else [https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/FirewallD?rd=FirewallD/#Using_static_firewall_rules_with_the_iptables_and_ip6tables_services installing iptables and using the old rules])</strike><br />
* <strike>Install Apache, and edit httpd.conf appropriately</strike><br />
* <strike>Install PHP, edit php.ini appropriately, and make sure all needed modules are installed</strike><br />
* <strike>Install MariaDB, add appropriate user(s)/permissions, and edit my.cnf appropriately</strike><br />
* <strike>Install/configure Postgrey</strike><br />
* <strike>Install/configure Postfix</strike><br />
* <strike>Install/configure Mailman</strike><br />
** <strike>archives copied over</strike><br />
* <strike>Install/configure monkeybot</strike><br />
* <strike>Install/configure Tiny Tiny RSS</strike><br />
* <strike>Migrate any other files that must be moved</strike><br />
* <strike>Export current MySQL and import into new MariaDB (be sure to dump/restore final DB before switchover...)</strike><br />
* <strike>Install/configure MediaWiki</strike><br />
* <strike>Set up repeating jobs (log rotation, etc.) via systemd/cron</strike><br />
** <strike>Copy over 'at' job to remind about domain registration expiration</strike><br />
** <strike>Migrate over monkeybot cron jobs</strike> ''Waiting to see if logrotate runs overnight, as we are not sure that run-parts is being run by anything on the new system.''<br />
** <strike>Configure log rotation</strike><br />
* <strike>Cut over DNS (or [https://library.linode.com/remote-access#sph_swapping-ip-addresses swap IPv4 addresses])</strike><br />
* Other steps not mentioned above<br />
<br />
=== Nice-to-haves ===<br />
<br />
We have an archive of static web pages from the pre-2007 server "penguin" - it would be nice to make this history available somehow.<br />
$9/year Comodo SSL certificate through Namecheap: [https://www.namecheap.com/security/ssl-certificates/comodo.aspx]<br />
<br />
=== Installation Notes ===<br />
[https://www.centos.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=47284 Installing fail2ban on CentOS 7]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Migration]]</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/Past_MeetingsPast Meetings2014-08-23T23:22:27Z<p>Centinel: /* 2014 */ Added past meetings entry for WPLUG pic-a-nic.</p>
<hr />
<div>== 2014 ==<br />
* [[Meeting-20140809 | Saturday, August 9th, 2014]] - 1:00pm to 6:00pm - 13th annual WPLUG Open-Source Picnic at North Park<br />
* [[Meeting-20140712 | July 12th, 2014 @ 2:00pm]] - General User Meeting at IBM Squirrel Hill, 1710 Murray Avenue, 3rd floor (above the Silk Elephant restaurant). Charles Butler will present on Distributed Version Control Systems and Git.<br />
* [[Meeting-20140617 | Tuesday, June 17, 2014]] - 7:00 to 9:00pm - Ice Cream Social at Klavon's<br />
* [[Meeting-20140519 | Monday, May 19, 2014]] - 6:00 to 7:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Pittsburgh Filmmakers|Pittsburgh Filmmakers]] - Topic: [http://blender.org Blender] in Media Production<br />
* [[Meeting-20140308 | Saturday, March 8, 2014]] - 1:30 to 3:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Topic: Automating orchestration in the cloud with Ubuntu Juju<br />
* [[Meeting-20140215 | Saturday, February 15, 2014]] - 2:00 to 4:00pm - get-together at [[Games n' At]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20140111 | Saturday, January 11, 2014]] - 1:30 to 4:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Topic: [http://www.gittip.com/ Gittip]<br />
<br />
== 2013 ==<br />
<br />
* Tuesday, December 17th, 2013 - WPLUG holiday party @ Eat 'n Park: 930 Butler St Pgh PA, 6:45 p.m.<br />
* [[Meeting-20131109|Saturday, November 9, 2013]] @ [[Wilkins School Community Center]], 1:30-3:30 p.m.: WPLUG board election + lightning presentations<br />
* [[Meeting-20131012 | Saturday, October 12, 2013]] - Software Freedom Day celebration + WPLUG Board of Directors 2014 nominations<br />
* [[Meeting-20130921|Saturday, September 21, 2013]] @ IBM Pittsburgh, 1:30-3:30 p.m.: Meet local Python developer Walter White + Ohio Linux Fest fallout<br />
* [[Meeting-20130810|Saturday, August 10, 2013]] @ North Park, 1:00-6:00 p.m.: The 12th annual WPLUG Open Source Picnic!<br />
* [[Meeting-20130713|Saturday, July 13, 2013]] @ 2:00-3:30 pm, [[IBM Pittsburgh]]: Security, privacy, and anonymity. The NSA surveillance scandal has taken the world by storm. How can free software help protect your personal information?<br />
* [[Meeting-20130615 | Saturday, June 15, 2013]] - 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. - General User Meeting, Topic: Taking Linux with You at [[IBM Pittsburgh]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20130518 | Saturday, May 18th, 2013]] - General User meeting and Raspberry Pi Demo/Workshop, [[Brookline_Library | Brookline Library]], 2:00pm<br />
* '''Saturday, April 20 @ 6-8:00 PM:''' [http://wplug.eventbrite.com/ Pittsburgh Geek Bowl]. Come play "poker bowling" with us for fabulous prizes! If that's not enough, how about a peek at Google Glass? WPLUG board member Justin Smith was one of 8,000 people accepted into Google's "Project Glass" last week, which will shape the future of wearable computing. Come learn about his proposal!<br />
* [[Meeting-20130209 | Saturday, February 9, 2013]] - General user meeting @ 2:00 p.m. in Wilkins School Community Center - final vote on amendment of Section 8.4 of the bylaws; Presentation: Build Your Own Certificate Authority Using xca; Presentation: The Rise and Fall of the WebOS Mobile Operating System; Open Source License Smackdown! <br />
* [[Meeting-20130112 | Saturday, January 12, 2013]] - 2:00pm - General User Meeting; business meeting followed by "Lightning Talks" (short, informal presentations)<br />
<br />
== 2012 ==<br />
* [[Meeting-20121208 | Saturday, December 8th, 2012]] - Installfest - Monroeville Public Library, 4000 Gateway Campus Boulevard Monroeville, PA 15146 from 12:30-4:30 PM<br />
* [[Meeting-20121110 | Saturday, November 10, 2012]] - General User Meeting and WPLUG Board election<br />
* Tuesday, October 30th, 2012 - [[Meeting-20121110#Meet_the_Candidates | Meet The Candidates]] session on [[IRC]] - 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM<br />
* [[Meeting-20121013 | Saturday, October 13, 2012]] - 1:30pm to 3:30pm - Nominations and General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Presentation Lightning Talks. You have something you are doing/interested in at work,home,play? Then maybe you could give us 10-15 minutes to tell us about it. Please email events@wplug.org with a summary of you talk.<br />
* [[Meeting-20120819 | Sunday, August 19, 2012]] - 1:00pm to 6:00pm - WPLUG Annual Summer Picnic - [[North Park]], Lakeshore Pavilion<br />
* [[Meeting-20120714 | Saturday, July 14, 2012]] - 1:30pm to 4:00pm - General User Meeting, Topic: Advanced SSH by [[User:Vance | Vance Kochenderfer]] at [[Wilkins School Community Center | WSCC ]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20120609 | Saturday, June 9, 2012]] - Installfest - 1:00pm to 4:30pm - [[Brookline Library]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20120512 | Saturday, May 12, 2012]] - 1:30pm to 3:30pm - General User Meeting, Featured presentation topic: iproute2 by John Lewis at [[Wilkins School Community Center | WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20120414 | Saturday, April 14, 2012]] - 1:30pm to 3:30pm - Presentation only, Topic: Introduction to Virtualization on Linux using KVM by [[User:Patbarron | Pat Barron]] at [[Wilkins School Community Center | WSCC ]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20120316 | Friday, March 16, 2012]] - 7:00pm - Installfest at [http://www.hackpittsburgh.org/about HackPittsburgh shop in Uptown]<br />
* [[Meeting-20120310 | Saturday, March 10, 2012]] - 1:30pm to 3:30pm - General User Meeting, Topic: Introduction to SSH by [[User:Vance | Vance Kochenderfer]] at [[Wilkins School Community Center | WSCC ]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20120211 | Saturday, February 11, 2012]] - 1:30pm to 5:30pm - InstallFest! and GUM at [[Wilkins_School_Community_Center|WSCC]]<br />
<br />
== 2011 ==<br />
* [[Meeting-20111203 | Saturday, December 3, 2011]] - 1:00pm to 5:00pm - Installfest at [[Northland _Library]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20111112 | Saturday November 12, 2011]] - 1:30pm to 3:30pm - Election and General User Meeting at [[Wilkins_School_Community_Center | WSCC]] Speaker: openSUSE Linux Guru Don Vosburg<br />
* Wednesday, October 26, 2011 - 7:00pm to 8:00pm - [[Meeting-20111112#Meet_the_Candidates| Meet the Candidates]] for the WPLUG Board of Directors on the [[IRC|IRC channel]] - come and ask questions so you can be informed for the election<br />
* [[Meeting-20111008 | Saturday, October 8, 2011]] - 1:30pm to 3:30pm - Nominations and General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Presentation: Mysql Replication in the Enterprise by Nick Schembri<br />
*[[Saturday September 17th 2011 Software Freedom Day]] Time: 9:00am - 5:00pm Where: The [http://pittsburghpublicmarket.org/ Pittsburgh Public Market]<br />
* [[Meeting-20110821| Sunday, August 21, 2011]] - 1pm to 6pm - Picnic at [[Snyder Park]] in Whitehall<br />
* [[Meeting-20110709 | Saturday, July 9, 2011]] - 1:30pm to 3:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20110611 | Saturday, June 11, 2011]] - 11:00am to 3:00pm - Installfest at [[Brookline Library]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20110521 |Saturday, May 21, 2011]] - 1:00pm to 3:00pm - Joint talk with Pittsburgh Cocoaheads on GNUStep at [[Brookline Library]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20110409 | Saturday, April 9, 2011]] - 1:30pm to 3:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20110312 | Saturday, March 12, 2011]] - 1:00pm to 4:30pm - Installfest at [[Monroeville Public Library]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20110307 | Monday, March 7, 2011]] - 6:30pm to 8:00pm - Field Trip at [[CMU Gates]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20110207 | Monday, February 7, 2011]] - 6:30pm to 8:00pm - Table Topics Meeting at [[Panera Centre|Panera on 5430 Centre Ave]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20110108 | Saturday, January 8, 2011]] - 1:30pm to 3:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
<br />
== 2010 ==<br />
<br />
* [[Meeting-20101211 | Saturday, December 11, 2010]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20101120 | Saturday, November 20, 2010]] - 1:30pm to 4:30pm - InstallFest at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20101113 | Saturday, November 13, 2010]] - 2pm to 5pm - General User Meeting/Elections at [[Panera Bread Galleria]]. Topic: Doubleheader - The Arduino Embedded Device by Robert Blackwell and Introduction to Objective-C by Mark Dalrymple.<br />
* Thursday, November 11, 2010 - 8p to 9p - "Meet the Candidates" IRC Session, freenode.net, #wplug channel<br />
* [[Meeting-20101023 | Saturday, October 23, 2010]] - 2pm to 3:30pm - General User Meeting/Nominations at the [[Wilkins School Community Center]]. Topic: [http://www.blender.org/ Blender] Film Festival - ''Elephants Dream'', ''Big Buck Bunny'', and the newly-released ''Sintel''.<br />
* [[Meeting-20100918 | Saturday, September 18, 2010]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - Nomination Meeting & General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20100829 | Sunday, August 29, 2010]] - 1pm to 5pm - 9th Annual Open Source Picnic at Snyder Park<br />
* [[Meeting-20100814 | Saturday, August 14, 2010]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Presentation: Seamonkey<br />
* [[Meeting-20100731|Saturday, July 31, 2010]] - 10am to 3pm - [[InstallFest]] at [[Northland Library]], McCandless Twp<br />
* [[Meeting-20100710|Saturday, July 10, 2010]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins_School_Community_Center|WSCC]] - Presentation: Extending OpenOffice<br />
* [[Meeting-20100612|Saturday, June 12, 2010]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins_School_Community_Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20100515 | Saturday, May 15, 2010]] - 9:30am to 2:30pm - Installfest at [[Monroeville Public Library]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20100508 | Saturday, May 8, 2010]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Topic: Tools for Network Booting and Cloning Systems<br />
* [[Meeting-20100410 | Saturday, April 10, 2010]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20100313 | Saturday, March 13, 2010]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Topic: Open Source in Medicine<br />
* [[Meeting-20100227 | Saturday, February 27, 2010]] - 10:30am to 3:30pm - InstallFest at [[Brookline Library]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20100213 | Saturday, February 13, 2010]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Topic: [http://reductivelabs.com/trac/puppet/ Puppet] infrastructure management<br />
* [[Meeting-20100109 | Saturday, January 9, 2010]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Topic: [http://drupal.org/ Drupal web CMS]<br />
<br />
== 2009 ==<br />
* [[Meeting-20091212 | Saturday, December 12, 2009]] - 10:30 am to 12:30 pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Topic: [http://www.haiku-os.org/ Haiku OS]<br />
* [[Meeting-20091121 | Saturday, November 21, 2009]] - 12p to 4:30p - InstallFest - [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20091031#Ask_the_Candidates|Wednesday, October 28]] - 8p to 9p - Meet the Candidates for the Board election - online forum on the [[IRC|WPLUG IRC channel]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20091031 | Saturday, October 31]] - 10:30a to 12:30p - General User Meeting and Elections at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20090919 | Saturday, September 19]] - 10:30a to 12:30p - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Presentation: What's new with KDE<br />
* [[Meeting-20090822 | Saturday, August 22]], 12p to 5p - Installfest - [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20090802 | Sunday, August 2]], 12p to 5p - Open Source Picnic at [[Snyder Park]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20090711 | Saturday, July 11]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Presentation: VoIP PBX for Small & Medium Businesses<br />
* [[Meeting-20090606 | Saturday, June 6]] - 10:30am to 3:30pm - Installfest at [[Brookline Library]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20090509 | Saturday, May 9]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20090404 | Saturday, April 4]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Topic: Seriously Free Software<br />
* [[Meeting-20090307 | Saturday, March 7]] - 10:30a-12:30p - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Topic: [http://www.openmoko.com/ Openmoko] project<br />
* [[Meeting-20090207 | Saturday, February 7]] - 10a-4p Installfest at [http://www.carnegielibrary.org/locations/brookline/ Brookline Library]<br />
* [[Meeting-20090117 | Saturday, January 17, 2009]] 11a-1p - General User Meeting - Favorite Open Source software for Windows - [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
<br />
== 2008 ==<br />
* [[Meeting-20081213 | Saturday, December 13, 2008]] 10am-noon - General User Meeting - Shell Scripting - [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20081122 | Saturday, November 22, 2008]], 10AM to noon - Membership Meeting: WPLUG [[Election-20081122|Board Election]] - [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-2008Elections | Saturday, October 4, 2008]] - Membership Meeting: [[Election-20081004|Elections]]<br />
*[[Meeting-20080920 | Saturday, September 20, 2008]] - [http://www.softwarefreedomday.org SoftwareFreedomDay]<br />
* [[Meeting-2008Nominations | Saturday, September 13, 2008]] - Membership Meeting: Board Nominations, General User Meeting - Speaker: Patrick Wagstrom<br />
* [[Meeting-200808 | Saturday, August 9, 2008]] - Installfest<br />
* [[Meeting-20080726 | Saturday, July 26, 2008]] - Special Event: Screening of [http://www.elephantsdream.org/ Elephants Dream] & [http://www.bigbuckbunny.org/ Big Buck Bunny] - Presentation: Roland Hess on [http://www.blender.org/ Blender] and the production of Elephants Dream<br />
* [[Meeting-20080712 | Saturday, July 12, 2008]] - General Users Meeting: Presentation/Speaker Ted Rodgers on new kernel items and Linux management.<br />
* [[Meeting-20080628 | Saturday, June 28, 2008]] - General Users Meeting Speaker: Jonathan Daniel of [http://www.wellspringsoftware.net Wellspring Software], Aspect-Oriented Programming<br />
* [[Meeting-20080619 | Thursday June 19, 2008]] Table Topics: "Please Won't You Be My Neighbor"<br />
* [[Meeting-20080518 | Sunday May 18, 2008 - Snyder Park, Whitehall]] - Annual Open Source Picnic<br />
* [[Meeting-20080423 | Wednesday April 23, 2008 - Venue: John Harvard's Brew House]] - Round Table Topic: What do you get for free?<br />
* [[Meeting-20080329 | Saturday March 29, 2008 - CMU Newell-Simon 3002]] - Presentation: "Uses of OpenLDAP" and "Two-Factor Authentication" - Brian Seklecki<br />
* [[Meeting-20080405 | Saturday April 5, 2008 - CMU Newell-Simon 1507]] - InstallFest<br />
* [[TTLinuxDesktop | February 26, 2008]] - Table Topics: Is 2008 the year of the Linux desktop?<br />
* [[Meeting-20080202 | February 2, 2008 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 1507]] - Installfest - Demo: OLPC Laptop and Kiddix Computing<br />
* [[Meeting-20080112 | January 12, 2008 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 3002]] - General User Meeting - Presentation: Gentoo Linux by Ted Rodgers<br />
<br />
== 2007 ==<br />
* [[Meeting-20071212 | December 12, 2007]] - [http://tinyurl.com/25xfpa Panera Bread Waterworks] - Topic(s): Distros and Applications<br />
* [[Meeting-20071208 | December 8, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 3002]] - Speaker: Neal Sofge of [http://www.rand.org/ RAND] Topic: [http://bricolage.cc/ Bricolage CMS]<br />
* [[Meeting-20071110 | November 10, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon 1109]] - InstallFest - Featured: [http://www.opensolaris.org/ OpenSolaris]<br />
* [[Meeting-20071020 | October 20, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 1507]] - Board Elections - General User Meeting: MythTV<br />
* [[SoftwareFreedomDay | September 15, 2007 - SoftwareFreedomDay 2007]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20070908 | September 8, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 3002]] - Board Nominations<br />
* [[Meeting-20070811 | August 11, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 1507]] - Installfest<br />
* [[2007OpenSourcePicnic | August 5, 2007 - Annual WPLUG Open Source Picnic]] at Snyder Park in Whitehall<br />
* [[Meeting-20070714 | July 14, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 3002]] - Linux on Mobile Devices - [http://www.sdgsystems.com SDG Systems]<br />
* [[Meeting-20070609 | June 9, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 3002]] - High Availability Web Services (also treasurer elections)<br />
* [[Meeting-20070512 | May 12, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 1507]] - Installfest<br />
* [[Meeting-20070414 | April 14, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 1507]] - General User Meeting - Presentation: "Rookie Mistakes" - Membership Meeting / Treasurer Nominations<br />
* [[Meeting-20070310 | March 10, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall]] - General User Meeting - Presentation: "How do I do that?" - Membership Meeting / Bi-Laws Amendment Vote<br />
* [[Meeting-20070210 | February 10, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 3305]] - Installfest<br />
* [[Meeting-20070113 | January 13, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 3002]] - General User Meeting and Lightning talks on editors<br />
<br />
== 2006 ==<br />
* [[Meeting-20061216 | Saturday, December 16, 2006 - 10:00am - 3002 Newell-Simon Hall, CMU]] - [[User:Wmoran | Bill Moran]] spoke about making backups with [http://www.bacula.org/ Bacula]<br />
* [[Meeting-20061118 | Saturday, November 18, 2006 - 10am-3pm - Carnegie Mellon Newell Simon Atrium]] - InstallFest!<br />
* [[Meeting-20061021 | Saturday, October 21, 2006 - 12:30pm - Squirrel Hill Library]] - Lightning Talks and Elections<br />
* Thursday, October 19, 2006- 6:30pm - Carnegie Mellon Wean Hall 5409 - Showing of [http://www.elephantsdream.org/ Elephant's Dream]<br />
* Saturday, September 16, 2006 - 12:30pm - Squirrel Hill Library - [[User:Pwagstro | Patrick Wagstrom]] - GNOME<br />
<br />
== 2005 ==<br />
Sat/Sun 22nd May 2005 CMU Installfest [[http://digitalfreaks.org/~lavalamp/cp/thumbnails.php?album=29 Photos]]</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/Western_Pennsylvania_Linux_Users_GroupWestern Pennsylvania Linux Users Group2014-08-23T23:21:53Z<p>Centinel: /* Upcoming Meetings & Events */ Removed old event listing.</p>
<hr />
<div>__NOTOC__<br />
<br />
Welcome to the Western Pennsylvania Linux Users Group&#8480;. We are a not-for-profit organization based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that provides collaboration resources, including mailing lists, presentations, installfests, and this wiki for Linux users of all backgrounds.<br />
<br />
See our [[WPLUG:About|about page]] for more background on us, Linux, and free/open source software.<br />
<br />
Just like an open source software project, we develop WPLUG in collaboration with the community: everyone is free to contribute. What does Western PA need out of WPLUG&#8480;? What do ''you'' need out of WPLUG? Join our [[MailingLists|mailing list]] and tell us!<br />
<br />
== Upcoming Meetings & Events ==<br />
<br />
Got something technology-related on your mind? Even if you're not a WPLUG member, we invite you to answer our [[CallforPresentations | Call for Presentations]] and talk about it at one of our meetings.<br />
<br />
See our [[UpcomingMeetings | future planning]] page for information about WPLUG's longer-term plans for meetings & events.<br />
<br />
== Upcoming Related Events ==<br />
<br />
* The [http://pghpw.org/ Pittsburgh Perl Workshop] is running a campaign to decide on holding an event this year - if 30 people [http://tilt.tc/mMkG buy a ticket] by September 1, it will be held on November 8 and 9. '''Sign up now and make sure it happens in 2014!'''<br />
<br />
E-mail [mailto:info@wplug.org info@wplug.org] to have your event posted here.<br />
<br />
* PROPOSED: [[TechEventCalendar]]<br />
<br />
The [[Past Related Events | past related events]] page has examples of what we've done in the past. Check out these [[WPLUG:About#Groups|other interesting organizations]] for more to do!<br />
<br />
== Past Meetings ==<br />
<br />
Every WPLUG meeting and event is recorded in our [[Past Meetings | past meetings page]]. If you're new to WPLUG, this will give you a better idea of what we do.<br />
<br />
== Getting Involved ==<br />
<br />
Things that WPLUG does which you can participate in.<br />
* [[Membership]] - Join the hottest Linux users group in Western PA!<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard | Board Information]] - List of members on the WPLUG Board of Directors; records of WPLUG board meetings.<br />
* [[Committees | Committee Information]] - List of WPLUG committees.<br />
* [[Commission to Reform WPLUG]] - An informal group created to help grow and revitalize WPLUG.<br />
* [[Past Activities]] - Activities which are no longer ongoing. Let us know if you're interested in re-activating any of these.<br />
<br />
== Online Resources ==<br />
<br />
WPLUG provides a variety of online resources to its members and the community at large. In fact, you're looking at one of them right now: the WPLUG wiki. We provide these resources as a way for our members to help each other, spread the word about Linux and other open source, and socialize.<br />
* [[MailingLists | Mailing Lists]] - The WPLUG mailing lists are a big part of our community; there are several hundred subscribers. We have lists for topics ranging from general announcements to jobs and classified ads.<br />
* [[IRC | Internet Relay Chat]] - A chat channel that we operate on the [http://www.freenode.net/ FreeNode] IRC network. At times, this can be a very good way to get information.<br />
* [[Membership#Member_Benefits | WPLUG members]] can get an @wplug.org e-mail address, and can also use our RSS aggregator (similar to Feedly, or the now-defunct Google Reader)<br />
* [https://twitter.com/wplug Twitter] - The official WPLUG Twitter account<br />
* [http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=150161 LinkedIn] - A professional networking group used by many WPLUG members.<br />
<br />
== Organizational Materials ==<br />
<br />
* [[ByLaws | Bylaws]] - WPLUG's governing rules.<br />
* [[Special Rules of Order]] - Supplementary rules that address gaps in the bylaws.<br />
* [[MeetingChecklist | Meeting Checklist]] - What needs to be done at WPLUG general user meetings. <br />
* [[Venues]] - Information on where WPLUG meets.<br />
* [[FinancialDocuments | Financial Documents]] - Forms to report expenses and request funding from WPLUG.<br />
* [[Election Instructions]] - How to vote in WPLUG's board elections.<br />
* [[HistoricalDocuments | Historical Documents]] - Organizational materials that are kept for future reference.<br />
* [[Inventory]] - Stuff that belongs to WPLUG: who has it and where.<br />
* [[TODO]] - Things that need to be done on the wiki.<br />
<br />
== Swag ==<br />
<br />
Order clothing and other cool stuff with the WPLUG logo from [http://cafepress.com/wplug CafePress]. [[Image:Wplugmug.jpg]]</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/2014_Server_Migration2014 Server Migration2014-08-23T16:53:28Z<p>Centinel: /* Migration steps */</p>
<hr />
<div>This page is to collect information about our current configuration and options for switching to a new server going forward. Please feel free to edit to add missing information or correct errors.<br />
<br />
== Server selection ==<br />
<br />
On 2014-06-24, the WPLUG board decided to go with the $10/month [https://www.linode.com/pricing?r=30335eb136f2c5f7fa3429dce9f15bea836f81d3 Linode] plan, locating in their Atlanta datacenter. This plan will approximately halve our current costs and still provide sufficient resources.<br />
<br />
== OS selection ==<br />
<br />
The WPLUG server currently runs on CentOS 5. This is still supported, but it would make sense to choose a newer distro while we're doing the server switch.<br />
<br />
=== Service enumeration ===<br />
<br />
Services that are currently running on the WPLUG Linode server. These should include things that are user-facing only, not infrastructure.<br />
<br />
* E-mail (Postfix)<br />
* Mailing lists (Mailman)<br />
* Wiki (MediaWiki)<br />
* Blog (Wordpress)<br />
* Monkeybot IRC bot (infobot) - maybe consider different bot software that can import monkeybot's database?<br />
* RSS aggregator (Tiny Tiny RSS, tt-rss)<br />
<br />
Infrastructure software which supports the services above.<br />
<br />
* Web server (Apache) - it would be possible to use Nginx instead, but I (Vance) am not familiar with setting it up<br />
* PHP (Apache mod_php) for MediaWiki, Wordpress, and TT-RSS<br />
* Python for Mailman<br />
* Perl for Monkeybot<br />
* MySQL for MediaWiki, Wordpress, and TT-RSS - likely possible to use MariaDB instead, other DBMS [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Compatibility#Database not recommended] for use with MediaWiki<br />
* Greylisting daemon (Postgrey)<br />
* Fail2ban - could maybe use denyhosts instead<br />
* Aide - could be used for intrusion detection<br />
<br />
=== Support lifetime ===<br />
<br />
* CentOS 6 - [http://wiki.centos.org/FAQ/General#head-fe8a0be91ee3e7dea812e8694491e1dde5b75e6d 2020-11-30]<br />
* CentOS 7 - will probably match RHEL 7 support deadline of [https://access.redhat.com/site/support/policy/updates/errata/#Life_Cycle_Dates 2024-06-30]<br />
* Debian 7 "wheezy" - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debian#Security_updates one year after release of v. 8 "jessie"] ([http://ostatic.com/blog/early-plans-for-debian-8-0-jessie-emerge anticipated mid-2015]), possible [http://www.debian.org/News/2014/20140424.en.html unofficial long-term support] available after that<br />
* Ubuntu 14.04 LTS - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_(operating_system)#Releases 2019-04-17]<br />
<br />
=== Software availability ===<br />
<br />
This table is to track, for the different distros under consideration, whether the software we need is available within its repositories. We want to minimize the number of applications which have to be maintained manually.<br />
<br />
Key:<br />
* B: in distro's base repository<br />
* A: in an additional repository provided by the distro<br />
* T: in a third-party repository<br />
* ~: not available in any known repository<br />
* ?: availability unknown<br />
<br />
{| border="1"<br />
!<br />
!CentOS 6<br />
!CentOS 7<br />
!Debian 7<br />
!Ubuntu 14.04<br />
|-<br />
|postfix<br />
|B 2.6<br />
|B 2.10<br />
|B 2.9<br />
|B 2.11<br />
|-<br />
|mailman<br />
|B 2.1<br />
|B 2.1<br />
|B 2.1<br />
|B 2.1<br />
|-<br />
|postgrey<br />
|T 1.34<sup>rf, EPEL</sup><br />
|T 1.34<sup>EPEL</sup><br />
|B 1.34<br />
|A 1.34<br />
|-<br />
|mediawiki<br />
|T 1.19<sup>EPEL</sup><br />
|~<br />
|B 1.19<br />
|A 1.19<br />
|-<br />
|wordpress<br />
|T 3.9<sup>EPEL</sup><br />
|T 3.9<sup>EPEL</sup><br />
|B 3.6<br />
|A 3.8<br />
|-<br />
|infobot<br />
|~<br />
|~<br />
|? (not B or A)<br />
|~<br />
|-<br />
|tt-rss<br />
|~<br />
|~<br />
|? (not B or A)<br />
|A 1.11<br />
|-<br />
|apache<br />
|B 2.2 / A 2.4<br />
|B 2.4<br />
|B 2.2<br />
|B 2.4<br />
|-<br />
|nginx<br />
|A 1.4<br />
|?<br />
|B 1.2<br />
|B/A 1.4<br />
|-<br />
|php5<br />
|B 5.3 / A 5.4, 5.5<br />
|B 5.4, T 5.5.14<sup>Remi</sup><br />
|B 5.4<br />
|B 5.5<br />
|-<br />
|python2<br />
|B 2.6 / A 2.7<br />
|B 2.7.5<br />
|B 2.7<br />
|B 2.7<br />
|-<br />
|python3<br />
|A 3.3<br />
|?<br />
|B 3.2<br />
|B 3.4<br />
|-<br />
|perl5<br />
|B 5.10<br />
|B 5.16<br />
|B 5.14<br />
|B 5.18<br />
|-<br />
|mysql<br />
|B 5.1 / A 5.5<br />
|?<br />
|B 5.5<br />
|B 5.5 / A 5.6<br />
|-<br />
|mariadb<br />
|A 5.5<br />
|B 5.5<br />
|? (not B or A)<br />
|A 5.5<br />
|-<br />
|fail2ban<br />
|T 0.8.7<sup>rf</sup>, 0.8.11<sup>EPEL</sup><br />
|T 0.9<sup>EPEL</sup>, 0.8.7<sup>rf</sup><br />
|B 0.8.6<br />
|A 0.8.11<br />
|-<br />
|denyhosts<br />
|T 2.6<sup>rf, EPEL</sup><br />
|T 2.6<sup>rf</sup><br />
|B 2.6<br />
|[https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/trusty/amd64/denyhosts ~]<br />
|-<br />
|aide<br />
|B 0.14<br />
|B 0.15.1<br />
|?<br />
|0.16a2<br />
|}<br />
<br />
Third-party repositories:<br />
* EPEL - [http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/EPEL Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux]<br />
* rf - [http://repoforge.org/ RepoForge] (formerly RPMForge/Dag Wieers)<br />
* Remi - [http://dev.antoinesolutions.com/remi-repository Remi Repository]<br />
<br />
== Migration steps ==<br />
<br />
* <strike>Obtain [https://library.linode.com/networking/ipv6#sph_ipv6-address-pools IPv6 address pool] from Linode (support ticket needed)</strike><br />
* Explore what software to use to help harden up the installation (fail2ban, etc.)<br />
* <strike>Deploy new CentOS 7 instance</strike><br />
* (optional) Set up [https://library.linode.com/remote-access#sph_adding-private-ip-addresses private IPv4 addresses] for transfer between old and new VPS (avoids bandwidth charges)<br />
* <strike>Set up SSH (edit sshd_config to tighten up security)</strike><br />
* <strike>Migrate current users to new server</strike><br />
* <strike>Ensure NTP is running, and set timezone to EDT</strike><br />
* <strike>Set up the firewall (either using firewalld, or else [https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/FirewallD?rd=FirewallD/#Using_static_firewall_rules_with_the_iptables_and_ip6tables_services installing iptables and using the old rules])</strike><br />
* <strike>Install Apache</strike>, and edit httpd.conf appropriately<br />
* <strike>Install PHP</strike>, edit php.ini appropriately, and make sure all needed modules are installed<br />
* <strike>Install MariaDB</strike>, add appropriate user(s)/permissions, and edit my.cnf appropriately<br />
* <strike>Install</strike>/configure Postfix<br />
* <strike>Install</strike>/configure Mailman<br />
** <strike>archives copied over</strike><br />
* Install/configure monkeybot<br />
* <strike>Install</strike>/configure Tiny Tiny RSS<br />
* Migrate any other files that must be moved<br />
* Export current MySQL and import into new MariaDB<br />
* <strike>Install</strike>/configure MediaWiki<br />
* Set up repeating jobs (log rotation, etc.) via systemd/cron<br />
* Cut over DNS (or [https://library.linode.com/remote-access#sph_swapping-ip-addresses swap IPv4 addresses])<br />
* Other steps not mentioned above<br />
<br />
=== Nice-to-haves ===<br />
<br />
We have an archive of static web pages from the pre-2007 server "penguin" - it would be nice to make this history available somehow.<br />
<br />
=== Installation Notes ===<br />
[https://www.centos.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=47284 Installing fail2ban on CentOS 7]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Migration]]</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/2014_Server_Migration2014 Server Migration2014-08-23T16:41:46Z<p>Centinel: /* Migration steps */</p>
<hr />
<div>This page is to collect information about our current configuration and options for switching to a new server going forward. Please feel free to edit to add missing information or correct errors.<br />
<br />
== Server selection ==<br />
<br />
On 2014-06-24, the WPLUG board decided to go with the $10/month [https://www.linode.com/pricing?r=30335eb136f2c5f7fa3429dce9f15bea836f81d3 Linode] plan, locating in their Atlanta datacenter. This plan will approximately halve our current costs and still provide sufficient resources.<br />
<br />
== OS selection ==<br />
<br />
The WPLUG server currently runs on CentOS 5. This is still supported, but it would make sense to choose a newer distro while we're doing the server switch.<br />
<br />
=== Service enumeration ===<br />
<br />
Services that are currently running on the WPLUG Linode server. These should include things that are user-facing only, not infrastructure.<br />
<br />
* E-mail (Postfix)<br />
* Mailing lists (Mailman)<br />
* Wiki (MediaWiki)<br />
* Blog (Wordpress)<br />
* Monkeybot IRC bot (infobot) - maybe consider different bot software that can import monkeybot's database?<br />
* RSS aggregator (Tiny Tiny RSS, tt-rss)<br />
<br />
Infrastructure software which supports the services above.<br />
<br />
* Web server (Apache) - it would be possible to use Nginx instead, but I (Vance) am not familiar with setting it up<br />
* PHP (Apache mod_php) for MediaWiki, Wordpress, and TT-RSS<br />
* Python for Mailman<br />
* Perl for Monkeybot<br />
* MySQL for MediaWiki, Wordpress, and TT-RSS - likely possible to use MariaDB instead, other DBMS [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Compatibility#Database not recommended] for use with MediaWiki<br />
* Greylisting daemon (Postgrey)<br />
* Fail2ban - could maybe use denyhosts instead<br />
* Aide - could be used for intrusion detection<br />
<br />
=== Support lifetime ===<br />
<br />
* CentOS 6 - [http://wiki.centos.org/FAQ/General#head-fe8a0be91ee3e7dea812e8694491e1dde5b75e6d 2020-11-30]<br />
* CentOS 7 - will probably match RHEL 7 support deadline of [https://access.redhat.com/site/support/policy/updates/errata/#Life_Cycle_Dates 2024-06-30]<br />
* Debian 7 "wheezy" - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debian#Security_updates one year after release of v. 8 "jessie"] ([http://ostatic.com/blog/early-plans-for-debian-8-0-jessie-emerge anticipated mid-2015]), possible [http://www.debian.org/News/2014/20140424.en.html unofficial long-term support] available after that<br />
* Ubuntu 14.04 LTS - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_(operating_system)#Releases 2019-04-17]<br />
<br />
=== Software availability ===<br />
<br />
This table is to track, for the different distros under consideration, whether the software we need is available within its repositories. We want to minimize the number of applications which have to be maintained manually.<br />
<br />
Key:<br />
* B: in distro's base repository<br />
* A: in an additional repository provided by the distro<br />
* T: in a third-party repository<br />
* ~: not available in any known repository<br />
* ?: availability unknown<br />
<br />
{| border="1"<br />
!<br />
!CentOS 6<br />
!CentOS 7<br />
!Debian 7<br />
!Ubuntu 14.04<br />
|-<br />
|postfix<br />
|B 2.6<br />
|B 2.10<br />
|B 2.9<br />
|B 2.11<br />
|-<br />
|mailman<br />
|B 2.1<br />
|B 2.1<br />
|B 2.1<br />
|B 2.1<br />
|-<br />
|postgrey<br />
|T 1.34<sup>rf, EPEL</sup><br />
|T 1.34<sup>EPEL</sup><br />
|B 1.34<br />
|A 1.34<br />
|-<br />
|mediawiki<br />
|T 1.19<sup>EPEL</sup><br />
|~<br />
|B 1.19<br />
|A 1.19<br />
|-<br />
|wordpress<br />
|T 3.9<sup>EPEL</sup><br />
|T 3.9<sup>EPEL</sup><br />
|B 3.6<br />
|A 3.8<br />
|-<br />
|infobot<br />
|~<br />
|~<br />
|? (not B or A)<br />
|~<br />
|-<br />
|tt-rss<br />
|~<br />
|~<br />
|? (not B or A)<br />
|A 1.11<br />
|-<br />
|apache<br />
|B 2.2 / A 2.4<br />
|B 2.4<br />
|B 2.2<br />
|B 2.4<br />
|-<br />
|nginx<br />
|A 1.4<br />
|?<br />
|B 1.2<br />
|B/A 1.4<br />
|-<br />
|php5<br />
|B 5.3 / A 5.4, 5.5<br />
|B 5.4, T 5.5.14<sup>Remi</sup><br />
|B 5.4<br />
|B 5.5<br />
|-<br />
|python2<br />
|B 2.6 / A 2.7<br />
|B 2.7.5<br />
|B 2.7<br />
|B 2.7<br />
|-<br />
|python3<br />
|A 3.3<br />
|?<br />
|B 3.2<br />
|B 3.4<br />
|-<br />
|perl5<br />
|B 5.10<br />
|B 5.16<br />
|B 5.14<br />
|B 5.18<br />
|-<br />
|mysql<br />
|B 5.1 / A 5.5<br />
|?<br />
|B 5.5<br />
|B 5.5 / A 5.6<br />
|-<br />
|mariadb<br />
|A 5.5<br />
|B 5.5<br />
|? (not B or A)<br />
|A 5.5<br />
|-<br />
|fail2ban<br />
|T 0.8.7<sup>rf</sup>, 0.8.11<sup>EPEL</sup><br />
|T 0.9<sup>EPEL</sup>, 0.8.7<sup>rf</sup><br />
|B 0.8.6<br />
|A 0.8.11<br />
|-<br />
|denyhosts<br />
|T 2.6<sup>rf, EPEL</sup><br />
|T 2.6<sup>rf</sup><br />
|B 2.6<br />
|[https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/trusty/amd64/denyhosts ~]<br />
|-<br />
|aide<br />
|B 0.14<br />
|B 0.15.1<br />
|?<br />
|0.16a2<br />
|}<br />
<br />
Third-party repositories:<br />
* EPEL - [http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/EPEL Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux]<br />
* rf - [http://repoforge.org/ RepoForge] (formerly RPMForge/Dag Wieers)<br />
* Remi - [http://dev.antoinesolutions.com/remi-repository Remi Repository]<br />
<br />
== Migration steps ==<br />
<br />
* Obtain [https://library.linode.com/networking/ipv6#sph_ipv6-address-pools IPv6 address pool] from Linode (support ticket needed)<br />
* Explore what software to use to help harden up the installation (fail2ban, etc.)<br />
* <strike>Deploy new CentOS 7 instance</strike><br />
* (optional) Set up [https://library.linode.com/remote-access#sph_adding-private-ip-addresses private IPv4 addresses] for transfer between old and new VPS (avoids bandwidth charges)<br />
* <strike>Set up SSH (edit sshd_config to tighten up security)</strike><br />
* <strike>Migrate current users to new server</strike><br />
* <strike>Ensure NTP is running, and set timezone to EDT</strike><br />
* <strike>Set up the firewall (either using firewalld, or else [https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/FirewallD?rd=FirewallD/#Using_static_firewall_rules_with_the_iptables_and_ip6tables_services installing iptables and using the old rules])</strike><br />
* <strike>Install Apache</strike>, and edit httpd.conf appropriately<br />
* <strike>Install PHP</strike>, edit php.ini appropriately, and make sure all needed modules are installed<br />
* <strike>Install MariaDB</strike>, add appropriate user(s)/permissions, and edit my.cnf appropriately<br />
* <strike>Install</strike>/configure Postfix<br />
* <strike>Install</strike>/configure Mailman<br />
* Install/configure monkeybot<br />
* <strike>Install</strike>/configure Tiny Tiny RSS<br />
* Migrate any other files that must be moved<br />
* Export current MySQL and import into new MariaDB<br />
* <strike>Install</strike>/configure MediaWiki<br />
* Set up repeating jobs (log rotation, etc.) via systemd/cron<br />
* Cut over DNS (or [https://library.linode.com/remote-access#sph_swapping-ip-addresses swap IPv4 addresses])<br />
* Other steps not mentioned above<br />
<br />
=== Nice-to-haves ===<br />
<br />
We have an archive of static web pages from the pre-2007 server "penguin" - it would be nice to make this history available somehow.<br />
<br />
=== Installation Notes ===<br />
[https://www.centos.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=47284 Installing fail2ban on CentOS 7]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Migration]]</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/2014_Server_Migration2014 Server Migration2014-08-23T16:39:51Z<p>Centinel: /* Migration steps */</p>
<hr />
<div>This page is to collect information about our current configuration and options for switching to a new server going forward. Please feel free to edit to add missing information or correct errors.<br />
<br />
== Server selection ==<br />
<br />
On 2014-06-24, the WPLUG board decided to go with the $10/month [https://www.linode.com/pricing?r=30335eb136f2c5f7fa3429dce9f15bea836f81d3 Linode] plan, locating in their Atlanta datacenter. This plan will approximately halve our current costs and still provide sufficient resources.<br />
<br />
== OS selection ==<br />
<br />
The WPLUG server currently runs on CentOS 5. This is still supported, but it would make sense to choose a newer distro while we're doing the server switch.<br />
<br />
=== Service enumeration ===<br />
<br />
Services that are currently running on the WPLUG Linode server. These should include things that are user-facing only, not infrastructure.<br />
<br />
* E-mail (Postfix)<br />
* Mailing lists (Mailman)<br />
* Wiki (MediaWiki)<br />
* Blog (Wordpress)<br />
* Monkeybot IRC bot (infobot) - maybe consider different bot software that can import monkeybot's database?<br />
* RSS aggregator (Tiny Tiny RSS, tt-rss)<br />
<br />
Infrastructure software which supports the services above.<br />
<br />
* Web server (Apache) - it would be possible to use Nginx instead, but I (Vance) am not familiar with setting it up<br />
* PHP (Apache mod_php) for MediaWiki, Wordpress, and TT-RSS<br />
* Python for Mailman<br />
* Perl for Monkeybot<br />
* MySQL for MediaWiki, Wordpress, and TT-RSS - likely possible to use MariaDB instead, other DBMS [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Compatibility#Database not recommended] for use with MediaWiki<br />
* Greylisting daemon (Postgrey)<br />
* Fail2ban - could maybe use denyhosts instead<br />
* Aide - could be used for intrusion detection<br />
<br />
=== Support lifetime ===<br />
<br />
* CentOS 6 - [http://wiki.centos.org/FAQ/General#head-fe8a0be91ee3e7dea812e8694491e1dde5b75e6d 2020-11-30]<br />
* CentOS 7 - will probably match RHEL 7 support deadline of [https://access.redhat.com/site/support/policy/updates/errata/#Life_Cycle_Dates 2024-06-30]<br />
* Debian 7 "wheezy" - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debian#Security_updates one year after release of v. 8 "jessie"] ([http://ostatic.com/blog/early-plans-for-debian-8-0-jessie-emerge anticipated mid-2015]), possible [http://www.debian.org/News/2014/20140424.en.html unofficial long-term support] available after that<br />
* Ubuntu 14.04 LTS - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_(operating_system)#Releases 2019-04-17]<br />
<br />
=== Software availability ===<br />
<br />
This table is to track, for the different distros under consideration, whether the software we need is available within its repositories. We want to minimize the number of applications which have to be maintained manually.<br />
<br />
Key:<br />
* B: in distro's base repository<br />
* A: in an additional repository provided by the distro<br />
* T: in a third-party repository<br />
* ~: not available in any known repository<br />
* ?: availability unknown<br />
<br />
{| border="1"<br />
!<br />
!CentOS 6<br />
!CentOS 7<br />
!Debian 7<br />
!Ubuntu 14.04<br />
|-<br />
|postfix<br />
|B 2.6<br />
|B 2.10<br />
|B 2.9<br />
|B 2.11<br />
|-<br />
|mailman<br />
|B 2.1<br />
|B 2.1<br />
|B 2.1<br />
|B 2.1<br />
|-<br />
|postgrey<br />
|T 1.34<sup>rf, EPEL</sup><br />
|T 1.34<sup>EPEL</sup><br />
|B 1.34<br />
|A 1.34<br />
|-<br />
|mediawiki<br />
|T 1.19<sup>EPEL</sup><br />
|~<br />
|B 1.19<br />
|A 1.19<br />
|-<br />
|wordpress<br />
|T 3.9<sup>EPEL</sup><br />
|T 3.9<sup>EPEL</sup><br />
|B 3.6<br />
|A 3.8<br />
|-<br />
|infobot<br />
|~<br />
|~<br />
|? (not B or A)<br />
|~<br />
|-<br />
|tt-rss<br />
|~<br />
|~<br />
|? (not B or A)<br />
|A 1.11<br />
|-<br />
|apache<br />
|B 2.2 / A 2.4<br />
|B 2.4<br />
|B 2.2<br />
|B 2.4<br />
|-<br />
|nginx<br />
|A 1.4<br />
|?<br />
|B 1.2<br />
|B/A 1.4<br />
|-<br />
|php5<br />
|B 5.3 / A 5.4, 5.5<br />
|B 5.4, T 5.5.14<sup>Remi</sup><br />
|B 5.4<br />
|B 5.5<br />
|-<br />
|python2<br />
|B 2.6 / A 2.7<br />
|B 2.7.5<br />
|B 2.7<br />
|B 2.7<br />
|-<br />
|python3<br />
|A 3.3<br />
|?<br />
|B 3.2<br />
|B 3.4<br />
|-<br />
|perl5<br />
|B 5.10<br />
|B 5.16<br />
|B 5.14<br />
|B 5.18<br />
|-<br />
|mysql<br />
|B 5.1 / A 5.5<br />
|?<br />
|B 5.5<br />
|B 5.5 / A 5.6<br />
|-<br />
|mariadb<br />
|A 5.5<br />
|B 5.5<br />
|? (not B or A)<br />
|A 5.5<br />
|-<br />
|fail2ban<br />
|T 0.8.7<sup>rf</sup>, 0.8.11<sup>EPEL</sup><br />
|T 0.9<sup>EPEL</sup>, 0.8.7<sup>rf</sup><br />
|B 0.8.6<br />
|A 0.8.11<br />
|-<br />
|denyhosts<br />
|T 2.6<sup>rf, EPEL</sup><br />
|T 2.6<sup>rf</sup><br />
|B 2.6<br />
|[https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/trusty/amd64/denyhosts ~]<br />
|-<br />
|aide<br />
|B 0.14<br />
|B 0.15.1<br />
|?<br />
|0.16a2<br />
|}<br />
<br />
Third-party repositories:<br />
* EPEL - [http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/EPEL Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux]<br />
* rf - [http://repoforge.org/ RepoForge] (formerly RPMForge/Dag Wieers)<br />
* Remi - [http://dev.antoinesolutions.com/remi-repository Remi Repository]<br />
<br />
== Migration steps ==<br />
<br />
* Obtain [https://library.linode.com/networking/ipv6#sph_ipv6-address-pools IPv6 address pool] from Linode (support ticket needed)<br />
* Explore what software to use to help harden up the installation (fail2ban, etc.)<br />
* <strike>Deploy new CentOS 7 instance</strike><br />
* (optional) Set up [https://library.linode.com/remote-access#sph_adding-private-ip-addresses private IPv4 addresses] for transfer between old and new VPS (avoids bandwidth charges)<br />
* Set up SSH (edit sshd_config to tighten up security)<br />
* <strike>Migrate current users to new server</strike><br />
* <strike>Ensure NTP is running, and set timezone to EDT</strike><br />
* <strike>Set up the firewall (either using firewalld, or else [https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/FirewallD?rd=FirewallD/#Using_static_firewall_rules_with_the_iptables_and_ip6tables_services installing iptables and using the old rules])</strike><br />
* <strike>Install Apache</strike>, and edit httpd.conf appropriately<br />
* <strike>Install PHP</strike>, edit php.ini appropriately, and make sure all needed modules are installed<br />
* <strike>Install MariaDB</strike>, add appropriate user(s)/permissions, and edit my.cnf appropriately<br />
* <strike>Install</strike>/configure Postfix<br />
* <strike>Install</strike>/configure Mailman<br />
* Install/configure monkeybot<br />
* <strike>Install</strike>/configure Tiny Tiny RSS<br />
* Migrate any other files that must be moved<br />
* Export current MySQL and import into new MariaDB<br />
* <strike>Install</strike>/configure MediaWiki<br />
* Set up repeating jobs (log rotation, etc.) via systemd/cron<br />
* Cut over DNS (or [https://library.linode.com/remote-access#sph_swapping-ip-addresses swap IPv4 addresses])<br />
* Other steps not mentioned above<br />
<br />
=== Nice-to-haves ===<br />
<br />
We have an archive of static web pages from the pre-2007 server "penguin" - it would be nice to make this history available somehow.<br />
<br />
=== Installation Notes ===<br />
[https://www.centos.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=47284 Installing fail2ban on CentOS 7]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Migration]]</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/2014_Server_Migration2014 Server Migration2014-08-23T16:37:26Z<p>Centinel: /* Migration steps */</p>
<hr />
<div>This page is to collect information about our current configuration and options for switching to a new server going forward. Please feel free to edit to add missing information or correct errors.<br />
<br />
== Server selection ==<br />
<br />
On 2014-06-24, the WPLUG board decided to go with the $10/month [https://www.linode.com/pricing?r=30335eb136f2c5f7fa3429dce9f15bea836f81d3 Linode] plan, locating in their Atlanta datacenter. This plan will approximately halve our current costs and still provide sufficient resources.<br />
<br />
== OS selection ==<br />
<br />
The WPLUG server currently runs on CentOS 5. This is still supported, but it would make sense to choose a newer distro while we're doing the server switch.<br />
<br />
=== Service enumeration ===<br />
<br />
Services that are currently running on the WPLUG Linode server. These should include things that are user-facing only, not infrastructure.<br />
<br />
* E-mail (Postfix)<br />
* Mailing lists (Mailman)<br />
* Wiki (MediaWiki)<br />
* Blog (Wordpress)<br />
* Monkeybot IRC bot (infobot) - maybe consider different bot software that can import monkeybot's database?<br />
* RSS aggregator (Tiny Tiny RSS, tt-rss)<br />
<br />
Infrastructure software which supports the services above.<br />
<br />
* Web server (Apache) - it would be possible to use Nginx instead, but I (Vance) am not familiar with setting it up<br />
* PHP (Apache mod_php) for MediaWiki, Wordpress, and TT-RSS<br />
* Python for Mailman<br />
* Perl for Monkeybot<br />
* MySQL for MediaWiki, Wordpress, and TT-RSS - likely possible to use MariaDB instead, other DBMS [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Compatibility#Database not recommended] for use with MediaWiki<br />
* Greylisting daemon (Postgrey)<br />
* Fail2ban - could maybe use denyhosts instead<br />
* Aide - could be used for intrusion detection<br />
<br />
=== Support lifetime ===<br />
<br />
* CentOS 6 - [http://wiki.centos.org/FAQ/General#head-fe8a0be91ee3e7dea812e8694491e1dde5b75e6d 2020-11-30]<br />
* CentOS 7 - will probably match RHEL 7 support deadline of [https://access.redhat.com/site/support/policy/updates/errata/#Life_Cycle_Dates 2024-06-30]<br />
* Debian 7 "wheezy" - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debian#Security_updates one year after release of v. 8 "jessie"] ([http://ostatic.com/blog/early-plans-for-debian-8-0-jessie-emerge anticipated mid-2015]), possible [http://www.debian.org/News/2014/20140424.en.html unofficial long-term support] available after that<br />
* Ubuntu 14.04 LTS - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_(operating_system)#Releases 2019-04-17]<br />
<br />
=== Software availability ===<br />
<br />
This table is to track, for the different distros under consideration, whether the software we need is available within its repositories. We want to minimize the number of applications which have to be maintained manually.<br />
<br />
Key:<br />
* B: in distro's base repository<br />
* A: in an additional repository provided by the distro<br />
* T: in a third-party repository<br />
* ~: not available in any known repository<br />
* ?: availability unknown<br />
<br />
{| border="1"<br />
!<br />
!CentOS 6<br />
!CentOS 7<br />
!Debian 7<br />
!Ubuntu 14.04<br />
|-<br />
|postfix<br />
|B 2.6<br />
|B 2.10<br />
|B 2.9<br />
|B 2.11<br />
|-<br />
|mailman<br />
|B 2.1<br />
|B 2.1<br />
|B 2.1<br />
|B 2.1<br />
|-<br />
|postgrey<br />
|T 1.34<sup>rf, EPEL</sup><br />
|T 1.34<sup>EPEL</sup><br />
|B 1.34<br />
|A 1.34<br />
|-<br />
|mediawiki<br />
|T 1.19<sup>EPEL</sup><br />
|~<br />
|B 1.19<br />
|A 1.19<br />
|-<br />
|wordpress<br />
|T 3.9<sup>EPEL</sup><br />
|T 3.9<sup>EPEL</sup><br />
|B 3.6<br />
|A 3.8<br />
|-<br />
|infobot<br />
|~<br />
|~<br />
|? (not B or A)<br />
|~<br />
|-<br />
|tt-rss<br />
|~<br />
|~<br />
|? (not B or A)<br />
|A 1.11<br />
|-<br />
|apache<br />
|B 2.2 / A 2.4<br />
|B 2.4<br />
|B 2.2<br />
|B 2.4<br />
|-<br />
|nginx<br />
|A 1.4<br />
|?<br />
|B 1.2<br />
|B/A 1.4<br />
|-<br />
|php5<br />
|B 5.3 / A 5.4, 5.5<br />
|B 5.4, T 5.5.14<sup>Remi</sup><br />
|B 5.4<br />
|B 5.5<br />
|-<br />
|python2<br />
|B 2.6 / A 2.7<br />
|B 2.7.5<br />
|B 2.7<br />
|B 2.7<br />
|-<br />
|python3<br />
|A 3.3<br />
|?<br />
|B 3.2<br />
|B 3.4<br />
|-<br />
|perl5<br />
|B 5.10<br />
|B 5.16<br />
|B 5.14<br />
|B 5.18<br />
|-<br />
|mysql<br />
|B 5.1 / A 5.5<br />
|?<br />
|B 5.5<br />
|B 5.5 / A 5.6<br />
|-<br />
|mariadb<br />
|A 5.5<br />
|B 5.5<br />
|? (not B or A)<br />
|A 5.5<br />
|-<br />
|fail2ban<br />
|T 0.8.7<sup>rf</sup>, 0.8.11<sup>EPEL</sup><br />
|T 0.9<sup>EPEL</sup>, 0.8.7<sup>rf</sup><br />
|B 0.8.6<br />
|A 0.8.11<br />
|-<br />
|denyhosts<br />
|T 2.6<sup>rf, EPEL</sup><br />
|T 2.6<sup>rf</sup><br />
|B 2.6<br />
|[https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/trusty/amd64/denyhosts ~]<br />
|-<br />
|aide<br />
|B 0.14<br />
|B 0.15.1<br />
|?<br />
|0.16a2<br />
|}<br />
<br />
Third-party repositories:<br />
* EPEL - [http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/EPEL Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux]<br />
* rf - [http://repoforge.org/ RepoForge] (formerly RPMForge/Dag Wieers)<br />
* Remi - [http://dev.antoinesolutions.com/remi-repository Remi Repository]<br />
<br />
== Migration steps ==<br />
<br />
* Obtain [https://library.linode.com/networking/ipv6#sph_ipv6-address-pools IPv6 address pool] from Linode (support ticket needed)<br />
* Explore what software to use to help harden up the installation (fail2ban, etc.)<br />
* <strike>Deploy new CentOS 7 instance</strike><br />
* (optional) Set up [https://library.linode.com/remote-access#sph_adding-private-ip-addresses private IPv4 addresses] for transfer between old and new VPS (avoids bandwidth charges)<br />
* Set up SSH (edit sshd_config to tighten up security)<br />
* <strike>Migrate current users to new server</strike><br />
* <strike>Ensure NTP is running, and set timezone to EDT</strike><br />
* <strike>Set up the firewall (either using firewalld, or else [https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/FirewallD?rd=FirewallD/#Using_static_firewall_rules_with_the_iptables_and_ip6tables_services installing iptables and using the old rules])</strike><br />
* Install Apache, and edit httpd.conf appropriately<br />
* <strike>Install PHP</strike>, edit php.ini appropriately, and make sure all needed modules are installed<br />
* <strike>Install MariaDB</strike>, add appropriate user(s)/permissions, and edit my.cnf appropriately<br />
* Install/configure Postfix<br />
* Install/configure Mailman<br />
* Install/configure monkeybot<br />
* Set up Tiny Tiny RSS<br />
* Migrate any other files that must be moved<br />
* Export current MySQL and import into new MariaDB<br />
* Install/configure MediaWiki<br />
* Set up repeating jobs (log rotation, etc.) via systemd/cron<br />
* Cut over DNS (or [https://library.linode.com/remote-access#sph_swapping-ip-addresses swap IPv4 addresses])<br />
* Other steps not mentioned above<br />
<br />
=== Nice-to-haves ===<br />
<br />
We have an archive of static web pages from the pre-2007 server "penguin" - it would be nice to make this history available somehow.<br />
<br />
=== Installation Notes ===<br />
[https://www.centos.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=47284 Installing fail2ban on CentOS 7]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Migration]]</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/Meeting-20140809Meeting-201408092014-08-07T11:32:36Z<p>Centinel: /* Setup */</p>
<hr />
<div>It's that time of year again! WPLUG's 13th annual Open Source Picnic will take place in [[North_Park#Babble_Brook_Shelter|North Park]] on August 9, 2014 from 1:00-6:00 p.m. In the spirit of open source collaboration, we invite everyone to help make our picnic a success by bringing food, inviting people, and organizing activities for the day. Bring your friends! Invite the whole family! <br />
<br />
(That's our only rule for the day, incidentally: everything must be family-friendly. No booze; nothing scandalous.)<br />
<br />
The more people participate, the more successful we'll be. If you'd like to pitch in, add your name to one of the lists below. Be sure to RSVP for your entire party (including guests) at [https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wplug-summer-picnic-tickets-12405002697 Eventbrite]. You need to do this even if you've signed up below.<br />
<br />
= Setup =<br />
Hanging signs, setting up pic-a-nic tables, and chasing away pesky critters. Please show up at 12:30.<br />
<br />
* [[User:Patbarron|Pat Barron]]<br />
* [[User:terryg|Terry Golightly]]<br />
* [[User:Centinel|Justin Smith]]<br />
* Your name here!<br />
<br />
= Cleanup =<br />
* [[User:Patbarron|Pat Barron]]<br />
* [[User:Vance|Vance Kochenderfer]]<br />
* Your name here<br />
* Your name here<br />
<br />
= Food/Drinks =<br />
Try to be considerate of people with food allergies (listed below). If you pack something that somebody can't eat, tossing in something extra for them would be very nice!<br />
<br />
* WPLUG will provide some picnic snacks and beverages, but we're not in a position to provide enough this year to feed everyone. So if you can, please do bring a dish or beverage to share, and note your plans here!<br />
* [[User:Vance|Vance Kochenderfer]] - ice<br />
* [[User:Centinel|Justin Smith]] - Burgers (probably the sundried tomato turkey burgers that Whole Foods sells)<br />
* your name and idea here<br />
* your name and idea here<br />
* your name and idea here<br />
* your name and idea here<br />
<br />
== Food Allergies ==<br />
If you're planning to attend, please list your food allergies here and rate them according to severity: <br />
*'''Mild''' (minor effects; may be okay in small quantities)<br />
*'''Moderate''' (noticeable effects)<br />
*'''Severe''' (life-threatening). <br />
<br />
We cannot guarantee that people bringing food will accommodate your dietary restrictions. If it looks like your choices will be limited, pack something for yourself - or better yet, bring enough for everyone so we can try something new!<br />
<br />
* [[User:Centinel|Justin Smith]]: Gluten ('''moderate''') & Dairy ('''mild''')<br />
* [[User:terryg|Terry Golightly]]: Lactose ('''mild''')<br />
<br />
= Supplies =<br />
(Grills, coolers, paper towels, cutlery, hand sanitizer, etc)<br />
* [[User:Vance|Vance Kochenderfer]] - large (62 qt.) WPLUG cooler<br />
* [[User:terryg|Terry Golightly]] - The Official WPLUG Grill<br />
* [[User:Centinel|Justin Smith]] - Grilling supplies - charcoal, lighter fluid, etc. Paper plates remaining from WPLUG's Blender event. (I never ended up using them...)<br />
* Your name here<br />
<br />
= Sports/Games/Activities =<br />
* [[User:terryg|Terry Golightly]] - I have acouple of Frisbees. Somebody must have some suggestions.<br />
* [[User:Centinel|Justin Smith]] - For the Android users in the house, a quick introduction to geocaching and demonstration of C:Geo, an open source app that will guide you to hidden treasures in North Park.<br />
* Your idea here<br />
<br />
= Venue Information =<br />
The picnic will take place at the [[North_Park#Babble_Brook_Shelter|Babble Brook Shelter]] in North Park.<br />
<br />
The shelter is at the intersection of Ingomar Road and Babcock Blvd. Parking is available in the parking lot on Ingomar Road, across from the shelter.<br />
<br />
== Ridesharing ==<br />
If you need a ride to the park or can provide one, post in this area.<br />
<br />
* [[User:Vance|Vance Kochenderfer]] - driving from South Hills (Castle Shannon); use the e-mail address on my user page<br />
* Your name - your location<br />
* Your name - your location<br />
<br />
[[Category:Meetings]]</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/Meeting-20140809Meeting-201408092014-08-07T11:32:12Z<p>Centinel: /* Food/Drinks */</p>
<hr />
<div>It's that time of year again! WPLUG's 13th annual Open Source Picnic will take place in [[North_Park#Babble_Brook_Shelter|North Park]] on August 9, 2014 from 1:00-6:00 p.m. In the spirit of open source collaboration, we invite everyone to help make our picnic a success by bringing food, inviting people, and organizing activities for the day. Bring your friends! Invite the whole family! <br />
<br />
(That's our only rule for the day, incidentally: everything must be family-friendly. No booze; nothing scandalous.)<br />
<br />
The more people participate, the more successful we'll be. If you'd like to pitch in, add your name to one of the lists below. Be sure to RSVP for your entire party (including guests) at [https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wplug-summer-picnic-tickets-12405002697 Eventbrite]. You need to do this even if you've signed up below.<br />
<br />
= Setup =<br />
Hanging signs, setting up pic-a-nic tables, and chasing away pesky critters. Please show up at 12:30.<br />
<br />
* [[User:Patbarron|Pat Barron]]<br />
* [[User:terryg|Terry Golightly]]<br />
* Your name here!<br />
<br />
= Cleanup =<br />
* [[User:Patbarron|Pat Barron]]<br />
* [[User:Vance|Vance Kochenderfer]]<br />
* Your name here<br />
* Your name here<br />
<br />
= Food/Drinks =<br />
Try to be considerate of people with food allergies (listed below). If you pack something that somebody can't eat, tossing in something extra for them would be very nice!<br />
<br />
* WPLUG will provide some picnic snacks and beverages, but we're not in a position to provide enough this year to feed everyone. So if you can, please do bring a dish or beverage to share, and note your plans here!<br />
* [[User:Vance|Vance Kochenderfer]] - ice<br />
* [[User:Centinel|Justin Smith]] - Burgers (probably the sundried tomato turkey burgers that Whole Foods sells)<br />
* your name and idea here<br />
* your name and idea here<br />
* your name and idea here<br />
* your name and idea here<br />
<br />
== Food Allergies ==<br />
If you're planning to attend, please list your food allergies here and rate them according to severity: <br />
*'''Mild''' (minor effects; may be okay in small quantities)<br />
*'''Moderate''' (noticeable effects)<br />
*'''Severe''' (life-threatening). <br />
<br />
We cannot guarantee that people bringing food will accommodate your dietary restrictions. If it looks like your choices will be limited, pack something for yourself - or better yet, bring enough for everyone so we can try something new!<br />
<br />
* [[User:Centinel|Justin Smith]]: Gluten ('''moderate''') & Dairy ('''mild''')<br />
* [[User:terryg|Terry Golightly]]: Lactose ('''mild''')<br />
<br />
= Supplies =<br />
(Grills, coolers, paper towels, cutlery, hand sanitizer, etc)<br />
* [[User:Vance|Vance Kochenderfer]] - large (62 qt.) WPLUG cooler<br />
* [[User:terryg|Terry Golightly]] - The Official WPLUG Grill<br />
* [[User:Centinel|Justin Smith]] - Grilling supplies - charcoal, lighter fluid, etc. Paper plates remaining from WPLUG's Blender event. (I never ended up using them...)<br />
* Your name here<br />
<br />
= Sports/Games/Activities =<br />
* [[User:terryg|Terry Golightly]] - I have acouple of Frisbees. Somebody must have some suggestions.<br />
* [[User:Centinel|Justin Smith]] - For the Android users in the house, a quick introduction to geocaching and demonstration of C:Geo, an open source app that will guide you to hidden treasures in North Park.<br />
* Your idea here<br />
<br />
= Venue Information =<br />
The picnic will take place at the [[North_Park#Babble_Brook_Shelter|Babble Brook Shelter]] in North Park.<br />
<br />
The shelter is at the intersection of Ingomar Road and Babcock Blvd. Parking is available in the parking lot on Ingomar Road, across from the shelter.<br />
<br />
== Ridesharing ==<br />
If you need a ride to the park or can provide one, post in this area.<br />
<br />
* [[User:Vance|Vance Kochenderfer]] - driving from South Hills (Castle Shannon); use the e-mail address on my user page<br />
* Your name - your location<br />
* Your name - your location<br />
<br />
[[Category:Meetings]]</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/Past_MeetingsPast Meetings2014-06-24T11:02:29Z<p>Centinel: /* 2014 */ Added Klavon's social to past meetings.</p>
<hr />
<div>== 2014 ==<br />
* [[Meeting-20140617 | Tuesday, June 17, 2014]] - 7:00 to 9:00pm - Ice Cream Social at Klavon's<br />
* [[Meeting-20140519 | Monday, May 19, 2014]] - 6:00 to 7:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Pittsburgh Filmmakers|Pittsburgh Filmmakers]] - Topic: [http://blender.org Blender] in Media Production<br />
* [[Meeting-20140308 | Saturday, March 8, 2014]] - 1:30 to 3:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Topic: Automating orchestration in the cloud with Ubuntu Juju<br />
* [[Meeting-20140215 | Saturday, February 15, 2014]] - 2:00 to 4:00pm - get-together at [[Games n' At]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20140111 | Saturday, January 11, 2014]] - 1:30 to 4:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Topic: [http://www.gittip.com/ Gittip]<br />
<br />
== 2013 ==<br />
<br />
* Tuesday, December 17th, 2013 - WPLUG holiday party @ Eat 'n Park: 930 Butler St Pgh PA, 6:45 p.m.<br />
* [[Meeting-20131109|Saturday, November 9, 2013]] @ [[Wilkins School Community Center]], 1:30-3:30 p.m.: WPLUG board election + lightning presentations<br />
* [[Meeting-20131012 | Saturday, October 12, 2013]] - Software Freedom Day celebration + WPLUG Board of Directors 2014 nominations<br />
* [[Meeting-20130921|Saturday, September 21, 2013]] @ IBM Pittsburgh, 1:30-3:30 p.m.: Meet local Python developer Walter White + Ohio Linux Fest fallout<br />
* [[Meeting-20130810|Saturday, August 10, 2013]] @ North Park, 1:00-6:00 p.m.: The 12th annual WPLUG Open Source Picnic!<br />
* [[Meeting-20130713|Saturday, July 13, 2013]] @ 2:00-3:30 pm, [[IBM Pittsburgh]]: Security, privacy, and anonymity. The NSA surveillance scandal has taken the world by storm. How can free software help protect your personal information?<br />
* [[Meeting-20130615 | Saturday, June 15, 2013]] - 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. - General User Meeting, Topic: Taking Linux with You at [[IBM Pittsburgh]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20130518 | Saturday, May 18th, 2013]] - General User meeting and Raspberry Pi Demo/Workshop, [[Brookline_Library | Brookline Library]], 2:00pm<br />
* '''Saturday, April 20 @ 6-8:00 PM:''' [http://wplug.eventbrite.com/ Pittsburgh Geek Bowl]. Come play "poker bowling" with us for fabulous prizes! If that's not enough, how about a peek at Google Glass? WPLUG board member Justin Smith was one of 8,000 people accepted into Google's "Project Glass" last week, which will shape the future of wearable computing. Come learn about his proposal!<br />
* [[Meeting-20130209 | Saturday, February 9, 2013]] - General user meeting @ 2:00 p.m. in Wilkins School Community Center - final vote on amendment of Section 8.4 of the bylaws; Presentation: Build Your Own Certificate Authority Using xca; Presentation: The Rise and Fall of the WebOS Mobile Operating System; Open Source License Smackdown! <br />
* [[Meeting-20130112 | Saturday, January 12, 2013]] - 2:00pm - General User Meeting; business meeting followed by "Lightning Talks" (short, informal presentations)<br />
<br />
== 2012 ==<br />
* [[Meeting-20121208 | Saturday, December 8th, 2012]] - Installfest - Monroeville Public Library, 4000 Gateway Campus Boulevard Monroeville, PA 15146 from 12:30-4:30 PM<br />
* [[Meeting-20121110 | Saturday, November 10, 2012]] - General User Meeting and WPLUG Board election<br />
* Tuesday, October 30th, 2012 - [[Meeting-20121110#Meet_the_Candidates | Meet The Candidates]] session on [[IRC]] - 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM<br />
* [[Meeting-20121013 | Saturday, October 13, 2012]] - 1:30pm to 3:30pm - Nominations and General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Presentation Lightning Talks. You have something you are doing/interested in at work,home,play? Then maybe you could give us 10-15 minutes to tell us about it. Please email events@wplug.org with a summary of you talk.<br />
* [[Meeting-20120819 | Sunday, August 19, 2012]] - 1:00pm to 6:00pm - WPLUG Annual Summer Picnic - [[North Park]], Lakeshore Pavilion<br />
* [[Meeting-20120714 | Saturday, July 14, 2012]] - 1:30pm to 4:00pm - General User Meeting, Topic: Advanced SSH by [[User:Vance | Vance Kochenderfer]] at [[Wilkins School Community Center | WSCC ]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20120609 | Saturday, June 9, 2012]] - Installfest - 1:00pm to 4:30pm - [[Brookline Library]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20120512 | Saturday, May 12, 2012]] - 1:30pm to 3:30pm - General User Meeting, Featured presentation topic: iproute2 by John Lewis at [[Wilkins School Community Center | WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20120414 | Saturday, April 14, 2012]] - 1:30pm to 3:30pm - Presentation only, Topic: Introduction to Virtualization on Linux using KVM by [[User:Patbarron | Pat Barron]] at [[Wilkins School Community Center | WSCC ]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20120316 | Friday, March 16, 2012]] - 7:00pm - Installfest at [http://www.hackpittsburgh.org/about HackPittsburgh shop in Uptown]<br />
* [[Meeting-20120310 | Saturday, March 10, 2012]] - 1:30pm to 3:30pm - General User Meeting, Topic: Introduction to SSH by [[User:Vance | Vance Kochenderfer]] at [[Wilkins School Community Center | WSCC ]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20120211 | Saturday, February 11, 2012]] - 1:30pm to 5:30pm - InstallFest! and GUM at [[Wilkins_School_Community_Center|WSCC]]<br />
<br />
== 2011 ==<br />
* [[Meeting-20111203 | Saturday, December 3, 2011]] - 1:00pm to 5:00pm - Installfest at [[Northland _Library]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20111112 | Saturday November 12, 2011]] - 1:30pm to 3:30pm - Election and General User Meeting at [[Wilkins_School_Community_Center | WSCC]] Speaker: openSUSE Linux Guru Don Vosburg<br />
* Wednesday, October 26, 2011 - 7:00pm to 8:00pm - [[Meeting-20111112#Meet_the_Candidates| Meet the Candidates]] for the WPLUG Board of Directors on the [[IRC|IRC channel]] - come and ask questions so you can be informed for the election<br />
* [[Meeting-20111008 | Saturday, October 8, 2011]] - 1:30pm to 3:30pm - Nominations and General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Presentation: Mysql Replication in the Enterprise by Nick Schembri<br />
*[[Saturday September 17th 2011 Software Freedom Day]] Time: 9:00am - 5:00pm Where: The [http://pittsburghpublicmarket.org/ Pittsburgh Public Market]<br />
* [[Meeting-20110821| Sunday, August 21, 2011]] - 1pm to 6pm - Picnic at [[Snyder Park]] in Whitehall<br />
* [[Meeting-20110709 | Saturday, July 9, 2011]] - 1:30pm to 3:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20110611 | Saturday, June 11, 2011]] - 11:00am to 3:00pm - Installfest at [[Brookline Library]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20110521 |Saturday, May 21, 2011]] - 1:00pm to 3:00pm - Joint talk with Pittsburgh Cocoaheads on GNUStep at [[Brookline Library]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20110409 | Saturday, April 9, 2011]] - 1:30pm to 3:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20110312 | Saturday, March 12, 2011]] - 1:00pm to 4:30pm - Installfest at [[Monroeville Public Library]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20110307 | Monday, March 7, 2011]] - 6:30pm to 8:00pm - Field Trip at [[CMU Gates]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20110207 | Monday, February 7, 2011]] - 6:30pm to 8:00pm - Table Topics Meeting at [[Panera Centre|Panera on 5430 Centre Ave]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20110108 | Saturday, January 8, 2011]] - 1:30pm to 3:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
<br />
== 2010 ==<br />
<br />
* [[Meeting-20101211 | Saturday, December 11, 2010]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20101120 | Saturday, November 20, 2010]] - 1:30pm to 4:30pm - InstallFest at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20101113 | Saturday, November 13, 2010]] - 2pm to 5pm - General User Meeting/Elections at [[Panera Bread Galleria]]. Topic: Doubleheader - The Arduino Embedded Device by Robert Blackwell and Introduction to Objective-C by Mark Dalrymple.<br />
* Thursday, November 11, 2010 - 8p to 9p - "Meet the Candidates" IRC Session, freenode.net, #wplug channel<br />
* [[Meeting-20101023 | Saturday, October 23, 2010]] - 2pm to 3:30pm - General User Meeting/Nominations at the [[Wilkins School Community Center]]. Topic: [http://www.blender.org/ Blender] Film Festival - ''Elephants Dream'', ''Big Buck Bunny'', and the newly-released ''Sintel''.<br />
* [[Meeting-20100918 | Saturday, September 18, 2010]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - Nomination Meeting & General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20100829 | Sunday, August 29, 2010]] - 1pm to 5pm - 9th Annual Open Source Picnic at Snyder Park<br />
* [[Meeting-20100814 | Saturday, August 14, 2010]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Presentation: Seamonkey<br />
* [[Meeting-20100731|Saturday, July 31, 2010]] - 10am to 3pm - [[InstallFest]] at [[Northland Library]], McCandless Twp<br />
* [[Meeting-20100710|Saturday, July 10, 2010]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins_School_Community_Center|WSCC]] - Presentation: Extending OpenOffice<br />
* [[Meeting-20100612|Saturday, June 12, 2010]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins_School_Community_Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20100515 | Saturday, May 15, 2010]] - 9:30am to 2:30pm - Installfest at [[Monroeville Public Library]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20100508 | Saturday, May 8, 2010]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Topic: Tools for Network Booting and Cloning Systems<br />
* [[Meeting-20100410 | Saturday, April 10, 2010]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20100313 | Saturday, March 13, 2010]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Topic: Open Source in Medicine<br />
* [[Meeting-20100227 | Saturday, February 27, 2010]] - 10:30am to 3:30pm - InstallFest at [[Brookline Library]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20100213 | Saturday, February 13, 2010]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Topic: [http://reductivelabs.com/trac/puppet/ Puppet] infrastructure management<br />
* [[Meeting-20100109 | Saturday, January 9, 2010]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Topic: [http://drupal.org/ Drupal web CMS]<br />
<br />
== 2009 ==<br />
* [[Meeting-20091212 | Saturday, December 12, 2009]] - 10:30 am to 12:30 pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Topic: [http://www.haiku-os.org/ Haiku OS]<br />
* [[Meeting-20091121 | Saturday, November 21, 2009]] - 12p to 4:30p - InstallFest - [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20091031#Ask_the_Candidates|Wednesday, October 28]] - 8p to 9p - Meet the Candidates for the Board election - online forum on the [[IRC|WPLUG IRC channel]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20091031 | Saturday, October 31]] - 10:30a to 12:30p - General User Meeting and Elections at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20090919 | Saturday, September 19]] - 10:30a to 12:30p - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Presentation: What's new with KDE<br />
* [[Meeting-20090822 | Saturday, August 22]], 12p to 5p - Installfest - [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20090802 | Sunday, August 2]], 12p to 5p - Open Source Picnic at [[Snyder Park]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20090711 | Saturday, July 11]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Presentation: VoIP PBX for Small & Medium Businesses<br />
* [[Meeting-20090606 | Saturday, June 6]] - 10:30am to 3:30pm - Installfest at [[Brookline Library]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20090509 | Saturday, May 9]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20090404 | Saturday, April 4]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Topic: Seriously Free Software<br />
* [[Meeting-20090307 | Saturday, March 7]] - 10:30a-12:30p - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Topic: [http://www.openmoko.com/ Openmoko] project<br />
* [[Meeting-20090207 | Saturday, February 7]] - 10a-4p Installfest at [http://www.carnegielibrary.org/locations/brookline/ Brookline Library]<br />
* [[Meeting-20090117 | Saturday, January 17, 2009]] 11a-1p - General User Meeting - Favorite Open Source software for Windows - [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
<br />
== 2008 ==<br />
* [[Meeting-20081213 | Saturday, December 13, 2008]] 10am-noon - General User Meeting - Shell Scripting - [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20081122 | Saturday, November 22, 2008]], 10AM to noon - Membership Meeting: WPLUG [[Election-20081122|Board Election]] - [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-2008Elections | Saturday, October 4, 2008]] - Membership Meeting: [[Election-20081004|Elections]]<br />
*[[Meeting-20080920 | Saturday, September 20, 2008]] - [http://www.softwarefreedomday.org SoftwareFreedomDay]<br />
* [[Meeting-2008Nominations | Saturday, September 13, 2008]] - Membership Meeting: Board Nominations, General User Meeting - Speaker: Patrick Wagstrom<br />
* [[Meeting-200808 | Saturday, August 9, 2008]] - Installfest<br />
* [[Meeting-20080726 | Saturday, July 26, 2008]] - Special Event: Screening of [http://www.elephantsdream.org/ Elephants Dream] & [http://www.bigbuckbunny.org/ Big Buck Bunny] - Presentation: Roland Hess on [http://www.blender.org/ Blender] and the production of Elephants Dream<br />
* [[Meeting-20080712 | Saturday, July 12, 2008]] - General Users Meeting: Presentation/Speaker Ted Rodgers on new kernel items and Linux management.<br />
* [[Meeting-20080628 | Saturday, June 28, 2008]] - General Users Meeting Speaker: Jonathan Daniel of [http://www.wellspringsoftware.net Wellspring Software], Aspect-Oriented Programming<br />
* [[Meeting-20080619 | Thursday June 19, 2008]] Table Topics: "Please Won't You Be My Neighbor"<br />
* [[Meeting-20080518 | Sunday May 18, 2008 - Snyder Park, Whitehall]] - Annual Open Source Picnic<br />
* [[Meeting-20080423 | Wednesday April 23, 2008 - Venue: John Harvard's Brew House]] - Round Table Topic: What do you get for free?<br />
* [[Meeting-20080329 | Saturday March 29, 2008 - CMU Newell-Simon 3002]] - Presentation: "Uses of OpenLDAP" and "Two-Factor Authentication" - Brian Seklecki<br />
* [[Meeting-20080405 | Saturday April 5, 2008 - CMU Newell-Simon 1507]] - InstallFest<br />
* [[TTLinuxDesktop | February 26, 2008]] - Table Topics: Is 2008 the year of the Linux desktop?<br />
* [[Meeting-20080202 | February 2, 2008 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 1507]] - Installfest - Demo: OLPC Laptop and Kiddix Computing<br />
* [[Meeting-20080112 | January 12, 2008 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 3002]] - General User Meeting - Presentation: Gentoo Linux by Ted Rodgers<br />
<br />
== 2007 ==<br />
* [[Meeting-20071212 | December 12, 2007]] - [http://tinyurl.com/25xfpa Panera Bread Waterworks] - Topic(s): Distros and Applications<br />
* [[Meeting-20071208 | December 8, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 3002]] - Speaker: Neal Sofge of [http://www.rand.org/ RAND] Topic: [http://bricolage.cc/ Bricolage CMS]<br />
* [[Meeting-20071110 | November 10, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon 1109]] - InstallFest - Featured: [http://www.opensolaris.org/ OpenSolaris]<br />
* [[Meeting-20071020 | October 20, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 1507]] - Board Elections - General User Meeting: MythTV<br />
* [[SoftwareFreedomDay | September 15, 2007 - SoftwareFreedomDay 2007]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20070908 | September 8, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 3002]] - Board Nominations<br />
* [[Meeting-20070811 | August 11, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 1507]] - Installfest<br />
* [[2007OpenSourcePicnic | August 5, 2007 - Annual WPLUG Open Source Picnic]] at Snyder Park in Whitehall<br />
* [[Meeting-20070714 | July 14, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 3002]] - Linux on Mobile Devices - [http://www.sdgsystems.com SDG Systems]<br />
* [[Meeting-20070609 | June 9, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 3002]] - High Availability Web Services (also treasurer elections)<br />
* [[Meeting-20070512 | May 12, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 1507]] - Installfest<br />
* [[Meeting-20070414 | April 14, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 1507]] - General User Meeting - Presentation: "Rookie Mistakes" - Membership Meeting / Treasurer Nominations<br />
* [[Meeting-20070310 | March 10, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall]] - General User Meeting - Presentation: "How do I do that?" - Membership Meeting / Bi-Laws Amendment Vote<br />
* [[Meeting-20070210 | February 10, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 3305]] - Installfest<br />
* [[Meeting-20070113 | January 13, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 3002]] - General User Meeting and Lightning talks on editors<br />
<br />
== 2006 ==<br />
* [[Meeting-20061216 | Saturday, December 16, 2006 - 10:00am - 3002 Newell-Simon Hall, CMU]] - [[User:Wmoran | Bill Moran]] spoke about making backups with [http://www.bacula.org/ Bacula]<br />
* [[Meeting-20061118 | Saturday, November 18, 2006 - 10am-3pm - Carnegie Mellon Newell Simon Atrium]] - InstallFest!<br />
* [[Meeting-20061021 | Saturday, October 21, 2006 - 12:30pm - Squirrel Hill Library]] - Lightning Talks and Elections<br />
* Thursday, October 19, 2006- 6:30pm - Carnegie Mellon Wean Hall 5409 - Showing of [http://www.elephantsdream.org/ Elephant's Dream]<br />
* Saturday, September 16, 2006 - 12:30pm - Squirrel Hill Library - [[User:Pwagstro | Patrick Wagstrom]] - GNOME<br />
<br />
== 2005 ==<br />
Sat/Sun 22nd May 2005 CMU Installfest [[http://digitalfreaks.org/~lavalamp/cp/thumbnails.php?album=29 Photos]]</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/Western_Pennsylvania_Linux_Users_GroupWestern Pennsylvania Linux Users Group2014-06-24T11:02:13Z<p>Centinel: /* Upcoming Meetings & Events */ Moved ice cream social to past events page and added placeholder for July GUM page.</p>
<hr />
<div>Welcome to the Western Pennsylvania Linux Users Group&#8480;. We are a not-for-profit organization based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that provides collaboration resources, including mailing lists, presentations, installfests, and this wiki for Linux users of all backgrounds.<br />
<br />
See our [[Wplug:About|about page]] for more background on us, Linux, and free/open source software.<br />
<br />
Just like an open source software project, we develop WPLUG in collaboration with the community: everyone is free to contribute. What does Western PA need out of WPLUG&#8480;? What do ''you'' need out of WPLUG? Join our [[MailingLists|mailing list]] and tell us!<br />
<br />
== Upcoming Meetings & Events ==<br />
<br />
* July: Revision control system presentation(s). Plans TBD.<br />
<br />
Got something technology-related on your mind? Even if you're not a WPLUG member, we invite you to answer our [[CallforPresentations | Call for Presentations]] and talk about it at one of our meetings.<br />
<br />
See our [[UpcomingMeetings | future planning]] page for information about WPLUG's longer-term plans for meetings & events.<br />
<br />
== Upcoming Related Events ==<br />
<br />
None at this time.<br />
<br />
E-mail [mailto:info@wplug.org info@wplug.org] to have your event posted here.<br />
<br />
* PROPOSED: [[TechEventCalendar]]<br />
<br />
The [[Past Related Events | past related events]] page has examples of what we've done in the past.<br />
<br />
== Past Meetings ==<br />
<br />
Every WPLUG meeting and event is recorded in our [[Past Meetings | past meetings page]]. If you're new to WPLUG, this will give you a better idea of what we do.<br />
<br />
== Online Resources ==<br />
WPLUG provides a variety of online resources to its members and the community at large. In fact, you're looking at one of them right now: the WPLUG wiki. We provide these resources as a way for our members to help each other, spread the word about Linux and other open source, and socialize.<br />
* [[MailingLists | Mailing Lists]] - The WPLUG mailing lists are a big part of our community; there are several hundred subscribers. We have lists for topics ranging from general announcements to jobs and classified ads.<br />
* [[Membership]] - Join the hottest Linux users group in Western PA!<br />
* [[IRC | Internet Relay Chat]] - A chat channel that we operate on the [http://www.freenode.net/ FreeNode] IRC network. At times, this can be a very good way to get information.<br />
* [[Study Group | Certification Study Group]] - A self-study group is forming for participants to assist each other in obtaining Linux certification.<br />
* [https://twitter.com/wplug Twitter] - The official WPLUG Twitter account<br />
* [http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=150161/ Linkedin] - A professional networking group used by many WPLUG members.<br />
* [http://www.archive.org/details/OhioLinuxfest2009/ Ohio Linux Presentations] - Recordings of presentations at the 2009 Ohio Linux Fest held September 25 and 26, 2009 in Columbus OH. The theme was "40 years of UNIX."<br />
* [http://wiki.cposc.org/cposc2009/ CPOSC Talks] - Slides from Central PA Open Source Conference held October 17, 2009 at Harrisburg University. Attendance about 150.<br />
* [[Wplug:About#Groups|Other Interesting Organizations]] - We're not the only game in town. Go and explore!<br />
* [[Commission to Reform WPLUG]] - An informal group created to fix long-standing problems in WPLUG.<br />
<br />
== Organizational Materials ==<br />
<br />
* [[ByLaws | Bylaws]] - WPLUG's governing rules.<br />
* [[Special Rules of Order]] - Supplementary rules that address gaps in the bylaws.<br />
* [[MeetingChecklist | Meeting Checklist]] - What needs to be done at WPLUG general user meetings. <br />
* [[Venues]] - Information on where WPLUG meets.<br />
* [[FinancialDocuments | Financial Documents]] - Forms to report expenses and request funding from WPLUG.<br />
* [[Committees | Committee Information]] - List of WPLUG committees.<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard | Board Information]] - List of members on the WPLUG Board of Directors; records of WPLUG board meetings.<br />
* [[Election Instructions]] - How to vote in WPLUG's board elections.<br />
* [[HistoricalDocuments | Historical Documents]] - Organizational materials that are kept for future reference.<br />
* [[Inventory]] - Stuff that belongs to WPLUG: who has it and where.<br />
* [[TODO]] - Things that need to be done on the wiki.<br />
<br />
== Projects ==<br />
<br />
* [[Wilkins School Network]] - Design, deploy and maintain a network for the [[Wilkin School Community Center]].<br />
* [[LiveCD]]<br />
* [[MediaWiki]] - The software that powers this wiki<br />
* There is interest in a new users' sig<br />
<br />
== BOINC-based Teams ==<br />
* [[SETI@home | WPLUG SETI@home Team]] - Our team to assist with experiments for the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI).<br />
* [[Rosetta@home | WPLUG Rosetta@home Team]] - Team to "help to determine the 3-dimensional shapes of proteins in research that may ultimately lead to finding cures for some major human diseases."<br />
* [http://boinc.berkeley.edu/ BOINC] - Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing<br />
<br />
== Swag ==<br />
<br />
Order clothing and other cool stuff with the WPLUG logo from [http://cafepress.com/wplug CafePress]. [[Image:Wplugmug.jpg]]</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/MediaWiki:Common.jsMediaWiki:Common.js2014-06-05T02:20:20Z<p>Centinel: </p>
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<hr />
<div>System administrator at Pittsburgh Arts. Currently the chairman of WPLUG.<br />
<br />
chair@wplug.org<br />
<br />
[[File:Fsf-11960.png|Join the Free Software Foundation today!]]<br />
<br />
[[File:EFF-badge-2b.png| The Electronic Frontier Foundation defends digital rights.]]</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/Past_MeetingsPast Meetings2014-06-05T01:56:14Z<p>Centinel: /* 2014 */ Added Blender event to past meetings page.</p>
<hr />
<div>== 2014 ==<br />
<br />
* [[Meeting-20140519 | Monday, May 19, 2014]] - 6:00 to 7:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Pittsburgh Filmmakers|Pittsburgh Filmmakers]] - Topic: [http://blender.org Blender] in Media Production<br />
* [[Meeting-20140308 | Saturday, March 8, 2014]] - 1:30 to 3:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Topic: Automating orchestration in the cloud with Ubuntu Juju<br />
* [[Meeting-20140215 | Saturday, February 15, 2014]] - 2:00 to 4:00pm - get-together at [[Games n' At]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20140111 | Saturday, January 11, 2014]] - 1:30 to 4:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Topic: [http://www.gittip.com/ Gittip]<br />
<br />
== 2013 ==<br />
<br />
* Tuesday, December 17th, 2013 - WPLUG holiday party @ Eat 'n Park: 930 Butler St Pgh PA, 6:45 p.m.<br />
* [[Meeting-20131109|Saturday, November 9, 2013]] @ [[Wilkins School Community Center]], 1:30-3:30 p.m.: WPLUG board election + lightning presentations<br />
* [[Meeting-20131012 | Saturday, October 12, 2013]] - Software Freedom Day celebration + WPLUG Board of Directors 2014 nominations<br />
* [[Meeting-20130921|Saturday, September 21, 2013]] @ IBM Pittsburgh, 1:30-3:30 p.m.: Meet local Python developer Walter White + Ohio Linux Fest fallout<br />
* [[Meeting-20130810|Saturday, August 10, 2013]] @ North Park, 1:00-6:00 p.m.: The 12th annual WPLUG Open Source Picnic!<br />
* [[Meeting-20130713|Saturday, July 13, 2013]] @ 2:00-3:30 pm, [[IBM Pittsburgh]]: Security, privacy, and anonymity. The NSA surveillance scandal has taken the world by storm. How can free software help protect your personal information?<br />
* [[Meeting-20130615 | Saturday, June 15, 2013]] - 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. - General User Meeting, Topic: Taking Linux with You at [[IBM Pittsburgh]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20130518 | Saturday, May 18th, 2013]] - General User meeting and Raspberry Pi Demo/Workshop, [[Brookline_Library | Brookline Library]], 2:00pm<br />
* '''Saturday, April 20 @ 6-8:00 PM:''' [http://wplug.eventbrite.com/ Pittsburgh Geek Bowl]. Come play "poker bowling" with us for fabulous prizes! If that's not enough, how about a peek at Google Glass? WPLUG board member Justin Smith was one of 8,000 people accepted into Google's "Project Glass" last week, which will shape the future of wearable computing. Come learn about his proposal!<br />
* [[Meeting-20130209 | Saturday, February 9, 2013]] - General user meeting @ 2:00 p.m. in Wilkins School Community Center - final vote on amendment of Section 8.4 of the bylaws; Presentation: Build Your Own Certificate Authority Using xca; Presentation: The Rise and Fall of the WebOS Mobile Operating System; Open Source License Smackdown! <br />
* [[Meeting-20130112 | Saturday, January 12, 2013]] - 2:00pm - General User Meeting; business meeting followed by "Lightning Talks" (short, informal presentations)<br />
<br />
== 2012 ==<br />
* [[Meeting-20121208 | Saturday, December 8th, 2012]] - Installfest - Monroeville Public Library, 4000 Gateway Campus Boulevard Monroeville, PA 15146 from 12:30-4:30 PM<br />
* [[Meeting-20121110 | Saturday, November 10, 2012]] - General User Meeting and WPLUG Board election<br />
* Tuesday, October 30th, 2012 - [[Meeting-20121110#Meet_the_Candidates | Meet The Candidates]] session on [[IRC]] - 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM<br />
* [[Meeting-20121013 | Saturday, October 13, 2012]] - 1:30pm to 3:30pm - Nominations and General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Presentation Lightning Talks. You have something you are doing/interested in at work,home,play? Then maybe you could give us 10-15 minutes to tell us about it. Please email events@wplug.org with a summary of you talk.<br />
* [[Meeting-20120819 | Sunday, August 19, 2012]] - 1:00pm to 6:00pm - WPLUG Annual Summer Picnic - [[North Park]], Lakeshore Pavilion<br />
* [[Meeting-20120714 | Saturday, July 14, 2012]] - 1:30pm to 4:00pm - General User Meeting, Topic: Advanced SSH by [[User:Vance | Vance Kochenderfer]] at [[Wilkins School Community Center | WSCC ]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20120609 | Saturday, June 9, 2012]] - Installfest - 1:00pm to 4:30pm - [[Brookline Library]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20120512 | Saturday, May 12, 2012]] - 1:30pm to 3:30pm - General User Meeting, Featured presentation topic: iproute2 by John Lewis at [[Wilkins School Community Center | WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20120414 | Saturday, April 14, 2012]] - 1:30pm to 3:30pm - Presentation only, Topic: Introduction to Virtualization on Linux using KVM by [[User:Patbarron | Pat Barron]] at [[Wilkins School Community Center | WSCC ]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20120316 | Friday, March 16, 2012]] - 7:00pm - Installfest at [http://www.hackpittsburgh.org/about HackPittsburgh shop in Uptown]<br />
* [[Meeting-20120310 | Saturday, March 10, 2012]] - 1:30pm to 3:30pm - General User Meeting, Topic: Introduction to SSH by [[User:Vance | Vance Kochenderfer]] at [[Wilkins School Community Center | WSCC ]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20120211 | Saturday, February 11, 2012]] - 1:30pm to 5:30pm - InstallFest! and GUM at [[Wilkins_School_Community_Center|WSCC]]<br />
<br />
== 2011 ==<br />
* [[Meeting-20111203 | Saturday, December 3, 2011]] - 1:00pm to 5:00pm - Installfest at [[Northland _Library]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20111112 | Saturday November 12, 2011]] - 1:30pm to 3:30pm - Election and General User Meeting at [[Wilkins_School_Community_Center | WSCC]] Speaker: openSUSE Linux Guru Don Vosburg<br />
* Wednesday, October 26, 2011 - 7:00pm to 8:00pm - [[Meeting-20111112#Meet_the_Candidates| Meet the Candidates]] for the WPLUG Board of Directors on the [[IRC|IRC channel]] - come and ask questions so you can be informed for the election<br />
* [[Meeting-20111008 | Saturday, October 8, 2011]] - 1:30pm to 3:30pm - Nominations and General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Presentation: Mysql Replication in the Enterprise by Nick Schembri<br />
*[[Saturday September 17th 2011 Software Freedom Day]] Time: 9:00am - 5:00pm Where: The [http://pittsburghpublicmarket.org/ Pittsburgh Public Market]<br />
* [[Meeting-20110821| Sunday, August 21, 2011]] - 1pm to 6pm - Picnic at [[Snyder Park]] in Whitehall<br />
* [[Meeting-20110709 | Saturday, July 9, 2011]] - 1:30pm to 3:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20110611 | Saturday, June 11, 2011]] - 11:00am to 3:00pm - Installfest at [[Brookline Library]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20110521 |Saturday, May 21, 2011]] - 1:00pm to 3:00pm - Joint talk with Pittsburgh Cocoaheads on GNUStep at [[Brookline Library]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20110409 | Saturday, April 9, 2011]] - 1:30pm to 3:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20110312 | Saturday, March 12, 2011]] - 1:00pm to 4:30pm - Installfest at [[Monroeville Public Library]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20110307 | Monday, March 7, 2011]] - 6:30pm to 8:00pm - Field Trip at [[CMU Gates]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20110207 | Monday, February 7, 2011]] - 6:30pm to 8:00pm - Table Topics Meeting at [[Panera Centre|Panera on 5430 Centre Ave]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20110108 | Saturday, January 8, 2011]] - 1:30pm to 3:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
<br />
== 2010 ==<br />
<br />
* [[Meeting-20101211 | Saturday, December 11, 2010]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20101120 | Saturday, November 20, 2010]] - 1:30pm to 4:30pm - InstallFest at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20101113 | Saturday, November 13, 2010]] - 2pm to 5pm - General User Meeting/Elections at [[Panera Bread Galleria]]. Topic: Doubleheader - The Arduino Embedded Device by Robert Blackwell and Introduction to Objective-C by Mark Dalrymple.<br />
* Thursday, November 11, 2010 - 8p to 9p - "Meet the Candidates" IRC Session, freenode.net, #wplug channel<br />
* [[Meeting-20101023 | Saturday, October 23, 2010]] - 2pm to 3:30pm - General User Meeting/Nominations at the [[Wilkins School Community Center]]. Topic: [http://www.blender.org/ Blender] Film Festival - ''Elephants Dream'', ''Big Buck Bunny'', and the newly-released ''Sintel''.<br />
* [[Meeting-20100918 | Saturday, September 18, 2010]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - Nomination Meeting & General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20100829 | Sunday, August 29, 2010]] - 1pm to 5pm - 9th Annual Open Source Picnic at Snyder Park<br />
* [[Meeting-20100814 | Saturday, August 14, 2010]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Presentation: Seamonkey<br />
* [[Meeting-20100731|Saturday, July 31, 2010]] - 10am to 3pm - [[InstallFest]] at [[Northland Library]], McCandless Twp<br />
* [[Meeting-20100710|Saturday, July 10, 2010]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins_School_Community_Center|WSCC]] - Presentation: Extending OpenOffice<br />
* [[Meeting-20100612|Saturday, June 12, 2010]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins_School_Community_Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20100515 | Saturday, May 15, 2010]] - 9:30am to 2:30pm - Installfest at [[Monroeville Public Library]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20100508 | Saturday, May 8, 2010]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Topic: Tools for Network Booting and Cloning Systems<br />
* [[Meeting-20100410 | Saturday, April 10, 2010]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20100313 | Saturday, March 13, 2010]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Topic: Open Source in Medicine<br />
* [[Meeting-20100227 | Saturday, February 27, 2010]] - 10:30am to 3:30pm - InstallFest at [[Brookline Library]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20100213 | Saturday, February 13, 2010]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Topic: [http://reductivelabs.com/trac/puppet/ Puppet] infrastructure management<br />
* [[Meeting-20100109 | Saturday, January 9, 2010]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Topic: [http://drupal.org/ Drupal web CMS]<br />
<br />
== 2009 ==<br />
* [[Meeting-20091212 | Saturday, December 12, 2009]] - 10:30 am to 12:30 pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Topic: [http://www.haiku-os.org/ Haiku OS]<br />
* [[Meeting-20091121 | Saturday, November 21, 2009]] - 12p to 4:30p - InstallFest - [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20091031#Ask_the_Candidates|Wednesday, October 28]] - 8p to 9p - Meet the Candidates for the Board election - online forum on the [[IRC|WPLUG IRC channel]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20091031 | Saturday, October 31]] - 10:30a to 12:30p - General User Meeting and Elections at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20090919 | Saturday, September 19]] - 10:30a to 12:30p - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Presentation: What's new with KDE<br />
* [[Meeting-20090822 | Saturday, August 22]], 12p to 5p - Installfest - [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20090802 | Sunday, August 2]], 12p to 5p - Open Source Picnic at [[Snyder Park]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20090711 | Saturday, July 11]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Presentation: VoIP PBX for Small & Medium Businesses<br />
* [[Meeting-20090606 | Saturday, June 6]] - 10:30am to 3:30pm - Installfest at [[Brookline Library]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20090509 | Saturday, May 9]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20090404 | Saturday, April 4]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Topic: Seriously Free Software<br />
* [[Meeting-20090307 | Saturday, March 7]] - 10:30a-12:30p - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Topic: [http://www.openmoko.com/ Openmoko] project<br />
* [[Meeting-20090207 | Saturday, February 7]] - 10a-4p Installfest at [http://www.carnegielibrary.org/locations/brookline/ Brookline Library]<br />
* [[Meeting-20090117 | Saturday, January 17, 2009]] 11a-1p - General User Meeting - Favorite Open Source software for Windows - [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
<br />
== 2008 ==<br />
* [[Meeting-20081213 | Saturday, December 13, 2008]] 10am-noon - General User Meeting - Shell Scripting - [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20081122 | Saturday, November 22, 2008]], 10AM to noon - Membership Meeting: WPLUG [[Election-20081122|Board Election]] - [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-2008Elections | Saturday, October 4, 2008]] - Membership Meeting: [[Election-20081004|Elections]]<br />
*[[Meeting-20080920 | Saturday, September 20, 2008]] - [http://www.softwarefreedomday.org SoftwareFreedomDay]<br />
* [[Meeting-2008Nominations | Saturday, September 13, 2008]] - Membership Meeting: Board Nominations, General User Meeting - Speaker: Patrick Wagstrom<br />
* [[Meeting-200808 | Saturday, August 9, 2008]] - Installfest<br />
* [[Meeting-20080726 | Saturday, July 26, 2008]] - Special Event: Screening of [http://www.elephantsdream.org/ Elephants Dream] & [http://www.bigbuckbunny.org/ Big Buck Bunny] - Presentation: Roland Hess on [http://www.blender.org/ Blender] and the production of Elephants Dream<br />
* [[Meeting-20080712 | Saturday, July 12, 2008]] - General Users Meeting: Presentation/Speaker Ted Rodgers on new kernel items and Linux management.<br />
* [[Meeting-20080628 | Saturday, June 28, 2008]] - General Users Meeting Speaker: Jonathan Daniel of [http://www.wellspringsoftware.net Wellspring Software], Aspect-Oriented Programming<br />
* [[Meeting-20080619 | Thursday June 19, 2008]] Table Topics: "Please Won't You Be My Neighbor"<br />
* [[Meeting-20080518 | Sunday May 18, 2008 - Snyder Park, Whitehall]] - Annual Open Source Picnic<br />
* [[Meeting-20080423 | Wednesday April 23, 2008 - Venue: John Harvard's Brew House]] - Round Table Topic: What do you get for free?<br />
* [[Meeting-20080329 | Saturday March 29, 2008 - CMU Newell-Simon 3002]] - Presentation: "Uses of OpenLDAP" and "Two-Factor Authentication" - Brian Seklecki<br />
* [[Meeting-20080405 | Saturday April 5, 2008 - CMU Newell-Simon 1507]] - InstallFest<br />
* [[TTLinuxDesktop | February 26, 2008]] - Table Topics: Is 2008 the year of the Linux desktop?<br />
* [[Meeting-20080202 | February 2, 2008 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 1507]] - Installfest - Demo: OLPC Laptop and Kiddix Computing<br />
* [[Meeting-20080112 | January 12, 2008 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 3002]] - General User Meeting - Presentation: Gentoo Linux by Ted Rodgers<br />
<br />
== 2007 ==<br />
* [[Meeting-20071212 | December 12, 2007]] - [http://tinyurl.com/25xfpa Panera Bread Waterworks] - Topic(s): Distros and Applications<br />
* [[Meeting-20071208 | December 8, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 3002]] - Speaker: Neal Sofge of [http://www.rand.org/ RAND] Topic: [http://bricolage.cc/ Bricolage CMS]<br />
* [[Meeting-20071110 | November 10, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon 1109]] - InstallFest - Featured: [http://www.opensolaris.org/ OpenSolaris]<br />
* [[Meeting-20071020 | October 20, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 1507]] - Board Elections - General User Meeting: MythTV<br />
* [[SoftwareFreedomDay | September 15, 2007 - SoftwareFreedomDay 2007]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20070908 | September 8, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 3002]] - Board Nominations<br />
* [[Meeting-20070811 | August 11, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 1507]] - Installfest<br />
* [[2007OpenSourcePicnic | August 5, 2007 - Annual WPLUG Open Source Picnic]] at Snyder Park in Whitehall<br />
* [[Meeting-20070714 | July 14, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 3002]] - Linux on Mobile Devices - [http://www.sdgsystems.com SDG Systems]<br />
* [[Meeting-20070609 | June 9, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 3002]] - High Availability Web Services (also treasurer elections)<br />
* [[Meeting-20070512 | May 12, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 1507]] - Installfest<br />
* [[Meeting-20070414 | April 14, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 1507]] - General User Meeting - Presentation: "Rookie Mistakes" - Membership Meeting / Treasurer Nominations<br />
* [[Meeting-20070310 | March 10, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall]] - General User Meeting - Presentation: "How do I do that?" - Membership Meeting / Bi-Laws Amendment Vote<br />
* [[Meeting-20070210 | February 10, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 3305]] - Installfest<br />
* [[Meeting-20070113 | January 13, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 3002]] - General User Meeting and Lightning talks on editors<br />
<br />
== 2006 ==<br />
* [[Meeting-20061216 | Saturday, December 16, 2006 - 10:00am - 3002 Newell-Simon Hall, CMU]] - [[User:Wmoran | Bill Moran]] spoke about making backups with [http://www.bacula.org/ Bacula]<br />
* [[Meeting-20061118 | Saturday, November 18, 2006 - 10am-3pm - Carnegie Mellon Newell Simon Atrium]] - InstallFest!<br />
* [[Meeting-20061021 | Saturday, October 21, 2006 - 12:30pm - Squirrel Hill Library]] - Lightning Talks and Elections<br />
* Thursday, October 19, 2006- 6:30pm - Carnegie Mellon Wean Hall 5409 - Showing of [http://www.elephantsdream.org/ Elephant's Dream]<br />
* Saturday, September 16, 2006 - 12:30pm - Squirrel Hill Library - [[User:Pwagstro | Patrick Wagstrom]] - GNOME<br />
<br />
== 2005 ==<br />
Sat/Sun 22nd May 2005 CMU Installfest [[http://digitalfreaks.org/~lavalamp/cp/thumbnails.php?album=29 Photos]]</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/Western_Pennsylvania_Linux_Users_GroupWestern Pennsylvania Linux Users Group2014-06-05T01:55:20Z<p>Centinel: Removed Blender event.</p>
<hr />
<div>Welcome to the Western Pennsylvania Linux Users Group&#8480;. We are a not-for-profit organization based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that provides collaboration resources, including mailing lists, presentations, installfests, and this wiki for Linux users of all backgrounds.<br />
<br />
See our [[Wplug:About|about page]] for more background on us, Linux, and free/open source software.<br />
<br />
Just like an open source software project, we develop WPLUG in collaboration with the community: everyone is free to contribute. What does Western PA need out of WPLUG&#8480;? What do ''you'' need out of WPLUG? Join our [[MailingLists|mailing list]] and tell us!<br />
<br />
== Upcoming Meetings & Events ==<br />
<br />
Got something technology-related on your mind? Even if you're not a WPLUG member, we invite you to answer our [[CallforPresentations | Call for Presentations]] and talk about it at one of our meetings.<br />
<br />
See our [[UpcomingMeetings | future planning]] page for information about WPLUG's longer-term plans for meetings & events.<br />
<br />
== Upcoming Related Events ==<br />
<br />
None at this time.<br />
<br />
E-mail [mailto:info@wplug.org info@wplug.org] to have your event posted here.<br />
<br />
* PROPOSED: [[TechEventCalendar]]<br />
<br />
The [[Past Related Events | past related events]] page has examples of what we've done in the past.<br />
<br />
== Past Meetings ==<br />
<br />
Every WPLUG meeting and event is recorded in our [[Past Meetings | past meetings page]]. If you're new to WPLUG, this will give you a better idea of what we do.<br />
<br />
== Online Resources ==<br />
WPLUG provides a variety of online resources to its members and the community at large. In fact, you're looking at one of them right now: the WPLUG wiki. We provide these resources as a way for our members to help each other, spread the word about Linux and other open source, and socialize.<br />
* [[MailingLists | Mailing Lists]] - The WPLUG mailing lists are a big part of our community; there are several hundred subscribers. We have lists for topics ranging from general announcements to jobs and classified ads.<br />
* [[Membership]] - Join the hottest Linux users group in Western PA!<br />
* [[IRC | Internet Relay Chat]] - A chat channel that we operate on the [http://www.freenode.net/ FreeNode] IRC network. At times, this can be a very good way to get information.<br />
* [[Study Group | Certification Study Group]] - A self-study group is forming for participants to assist each other in obtaining Linux certification.<br />
* [https://twitter.com/wplug Twitter] - The official WPLUG Twitter account<br />
* [http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=150161/ Linkedin] - A professional networking group used by many WPLUG members.<br />
* [http://www.archive.org/details/OhioLinuxfest2009/ Ohio Linux Presentations] - Recordings of presentations at the 2009 Ohio Linux Fest held September 25 and 26, 2009 in Columbus OH. The theme was "40 years of UNIX."<br />
* [http://wiki.cposc.org/cposc2009/ CPOSC Talks] - Slides from Central PA Open Source Conference held October 17, 2009 at Harrisburg University. Attendance about 150.<br />
* [[Wplug:About#Groups|Other Interesting Organizations]] - We're not the only game in town. Go and explore!<br />
* [[Commission to Reform WPLUG]] - An informal group created to fix long-standing problems in WPLUG.<br />
<br />
== Organizational Materials ==<br />
<br />
* [[ByLaws | Bylaws]] - WPLUG's governing rules.<br />
* [[Special Rules of Order]] - Supplementary rules that address gaps in the bylaws.<br />
* [[MeetingChecklist | Meeting Checklist]] - What needs to be done at WPLUG general user meetings. <br />
* [[Venues]] - Information on where WPLUG meets.<br />
* [[FinancialDocuments | Financial Documents]] - Forms to report expenses and request funding from WPLUG.<br />
* [[Committees | Committee Information]] - List of WPLUG committees.<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard | Board Information]] - List of members on the WPLUG Board of Directors; records of WPLUG board meetings.<br />
* [[Election Instructions]] - How to vote in WPLUG's board elections.<br />
* [[HistoricalDocuments | Historical Documents]] - Organizational materials that are kept for future reference.<br />
* [[Inventory]] - Stuff that belongs to WPLUG: who has it and where.<br />
* [[TODO]] - Things that need to be done on the wiki.<br />
<br />
== Projects ==<br />
<br />
* [[Wilkins School Network]] - Design, deploy and maintain a network for the [[Wilkin School Community Center]].<br />
* [[LiveCD]]<br />
* [[MediaWiki]] - The software that powers this wiki<br />
* There is interest in a new users' sig<br />
<br />
== BOINC-based Teams ==<br />
* [[SETI@home | WPLUG SETI@home Team]] - Our team to assist with experiments for the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI).<br />
* [[Rosetta@home | WPLUG Rosetta@home Team]] - Team to "help to determine the 3-dimensional shapes of proteins in research that may ultimately lead to finding cures for some major human diseases."<br />
* [http://boinc.berkeley.edu/ BOINC] - Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing<br />
<br />
== Swag ==<br />
<br />
Order clothing and other cool stuff with the WPLUG logo from [http://cafepress.com/wplug CafePress]. [[Image:Wplugmug.jpg]]</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/Meeting-20140519Meeting-201405192014-05-07T01:35:45Z<p>Centinel: Added a link to the Eventbrite page.</p>
<hr />
<div>WPLUG will have a General User Meeting and presentation on Monday, May 19, 2014, starting at 5:30pm at [[Pittsburgh Filmmakers]] on Melwood Avenue in North Oakland. The meeting will take place in Room 104. Parking is available for free in the lot across from Pittsburgh Filmmakers.<br />
<br />
If you're planning to attend, please register on our [http://wplug-blender.eventbrite.com Eventbrite] page. Dinner is on us!<br />
<br />
== Schedule for the Day ==<br />
5:00pm - Doors open, set up<br/><br />
5:30pm - Food served<br/><br />
6:00pm - Featured Presentation<br/><br />
7:30pm - Meeting ends, everyone out.<br />
<br />
== Speaker/Presentation ==<br />
<br />
'''Name: Roland Hess'''<br />
<br />
'''Title: Introduction to [http://blender.org Blender]'''<br />
<br />
'''Talk content:'''<br />
<br />
* Very brief intro about Blender adoption worldwide<br />
* Screen two shorts: Big Buck Bunny (which shows the cinema quality character animation tools), and Tears of Steel (whose special effects were all done with Blender). These two really show off what the software can do, plus they are fun.<br />
* Live demo of the software<br />
* Brief notes on history/how it can be no-cost<br />
* Talk about possible Open Source concerns (and benefits!) within a creative pipeline<br />
* Q&A<br />
<br />
'''Biography:'''<br />
<br />
Roland Hess has worked with Blender since before its transition into an Open Source success. Since then, he has been one of its committing developers, worked as an artist on the Blender Foundation-sponsored Elephants Dream which was honored with a place in the Museum of Modern Art's Design and Elastic Mind exhibit, and has authored a number of Blender-related books including the best-selling Blender Foundations and one that captured the 2011 National Publishers Association Award for Best Book in Art Instruction. He serves as one of the founding members of the Foundation's Trainer Certification Board, and currently works as a Partner Technology Manager (and resident go-to-person on 3D printing at the Pittsburgh office) for Google.<br />
<br />
== Meeting Minutes ==<br />
<br />
To be added.<br />
<br />
== Meeting Staff ==<br />
If you would like to volunteer to assist with this meeting, please add your name to one or more of the [[MeetingChecklist|categories]] below.<br />
<br />
* Host: Justin Smith<br />
* Co-Host: Your name here<br />
* Setup: Your name here, Your name here<br />
* Clean Up: Your name here, Your name here<br />
<br />
== Carpooling ==<br />
<br />
* Your name/location here<br />
* Your name/location here<br />
<br />
[[Category:Meetings]]<br />
[[Category:Minutes]]</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/Meeting-20140519Meeting-201405192014-05-06T19:00:10Z<p>Centinel: /* Meeting Staff */</p>
<hr />
<div>WPLUG will have a General User Meeting and presentation on Monday, May 19, 2014, starting at 5:30pm at [[Pittsburgh Filmmakers]] on Melwood Avenue in North Oakland.<br />
<br />
== Schedule for the Day ==<br />
5:00pm - Doors open, set up<br/><br />
5:30pm - Food served<br/><br />
6:00pm - Featured Presentation<br/><br />
7:30pm - Meeting ends, everyone out.<br />
<br />
== Speaker/Presentation ==<br />
<br />
'''Name: Roland Hess'''<br />
<br />
'''Title: Introduction to [http://blender.org Blender]'''<br />
<br />
'''Talk content:'''<br />
<br />
* Very brief intro about Blender adoption worldwide<br />
* Screen two shorts: Big Buck Bunny (which shows the cinema quality character animation tools), and Tears of Steel (whose special effects were all done with Blender). These two really show off what the software can do, plus they are fun.<br />
* Live demo of the software<br />
* Brief notes on history/how it can be no-cost<br />
* Talk about possible Open Source concerns (and benefits!) within a creative pipeline<br />
* Q&A<br />
<br />
'''Biography:'''<br />
<br />
Roland Hess has worked with Blender since before its transition into an Open Source success. Since then, he has been one of its committing developers, worked as an artist on the Blender Foundation-sponsored Elephants Dream which was honored with a place in the Museum of Modern Art's Design and Elastic Mind exhibit, and has authored a number of Blender-related books including the best-selling Blender Foundations and one that captured the 2011 National Publishers Association Award for Best Book in Art Instruction. He serves as one of the founding members of the Foundation's Trainer Certification Board, and currently works as a Partner Technology Manager (and resident go-to-person on 3D printing at the Pittsburgh office) for Google.<br />
<br />
== Meeting Minutes ==<br />
<br />
To be added.<br />
<br />
== Meeting Staff ==<br />
If you would like to volunteer to assist with this meeting, please add your name to one or more of the [[MeetingChecklist|categories]] below.<br />
<br />
* Host: Justin Smith<br />
* Co-Host: Your name here<br />
* Setup: Your name here, Your name here<br />
* Clean Up: Your name here, Your name here<br />
<br />
== Carpooling ==<br />
<br />
* Your name/location here<br />
* Your name/location here<br />
<br />
[[Category:Meetings]]<br />
[[Category:Minutes]]</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20140218WPLUGBoard/Meeting-201402182014-02-20T02:29:23Z<p>Centinel: /* Minutes */ Added this month's minutes.</p>
<hr />
<div>== Venue Info ==<br />
Meeting to be held via teleconference at 7:00pm, Tuesday, February 18, 2014.<br />
<br />
== Agenda ==<br />
* Approve [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20140121#Minutes | minutes of January 21]] board meeting<br />
* How our social event on Saturday went<br />
* Finalize the date/time/venue for our event in March<br />
* Finalize the format for our event in March<br />
* WPLUG Web site update (an idea Justin had)<br />
* Update on WPLUG meeting at Pittsburgh Filmmakers (Justin will ask permission on Monday)<br />
* Approve the extra expense in renewing WPLUG's PO box since the Post Office raised rates<br />
* Discussion on having Justin's contact at Pittsburgh Filmmakers produce a promotional video for WPLUG<br />
* List your item here<br />
* List your item here<br />
<br />
== Minutes ==<br />
<br />
The meeting was called to order at 7:38 PM. Chairman Justin Smith, Vice Chair Vance Kochenderfer, Treasurer Pat Barron, and Director-at-Large Stanley Slomberg were present. Secretary Joe Prostko was absent (excused) for part of the meeting.<br />
<br />
'''REPORT OF OFFICERS'''<br />
<br />
Justin was unable to speak to his boss about the prospect of WPLUG meeting at Pittsburgh Filmmakers, so he recommends holding the March meetup at the Wilkins School Community Center, our usual meeting location. A co-worker who owes Justin a favor gave him some marketing tips that will be discussed during the New Business portion of the meeting. The WPLUG Twitter account, which Justin manages, is up to 46 followers.<br />
<br />
Vance has nothing to report.<br />
<br />
Joe is absent.<br />
<br />
Pat reports that WPLUG has a balance of $323.51. Transactions since then: <br />
<br />
* $100 paid to USPS for renewal of the WPLUG P.O. box<br />
* $30 to be paid to the Wilkins School. <br />
* $60 in membership dues to be deposited<br />
<br />
WPLUG has $55 cash in refreshment fund.<br />
<br />
Stanley has nothing to report.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''NEW BUSINESS'''<br />
<br />
The board discussed the necessity of posting meeting minutes in a timely manner and keeping up with current event listings on the wiki. The secretary will be reminded to keep track of this.<br />
<br />
Regarding the WPLUG social event at Games 'n At over the weekend: Vance was disappointed that more people didn't show up from SNAPGH and Cocoaheads. Vance suggested setting up Eventbrite pages for future events so that we know how many people to expect. The board strongly agreed.<br />
<br />
The board debated the merits of using Meetup.com to promote a group. It was eventually agreed that small groups like WPLUG would have difficult attracting enough new members to break even with the cost of having a Meetup page.<br />
<br />
Joe arrived.<br />
<br />
Since SNAPGH has shown some interest in working with WPLUG to co-host events, Vance suggested going ahead with our Juju presentation on March 8th and having SNAPGH host a Juju workshop in April. WPLUG tends to attract a more general audience, making it ideal for presentations, while SNAPGH attracts a more knowledgeable crowd that would be interested in taking part in a workshop. The board agreed to Vance's proposal.<br />
<br />
Justin talked about an interesting conversation he had with a co-worker who produces marketing videos for non-profit organizations. Essentially, the idea was that WPLUG might do well to have a simple, static landing page with a link to go to the more technical (and informative) WPLUG wiki. LibreOffice does something like this: they've got a static landing page and a CMS for their main site. Justin suggested abandoning plans to move WPLUG.org to WordPress and adopting this strategy instead since it's simpler to maintain and a wiki is more in line with the open source "spirit" than a catered CMS. The board was generally receptive to Justin's proposal; Pat suggested making a mockup.<br />
<br />
Justin's co-worker has generously offered to make a promotional video for WPLUG. Justin led the board in a discussion of what WPLUG would like to get out of the video - and what message the group would like to send out in general. It was decided to focus more on professional users since Linux can make the most significant difference in businesses. Someone deciding to use LibreOffice is nice, for instance, but a company standardizing on LibreOffice to cut licensing and compliance costs presents a far more inviting reason to attend WPLUG and learn about open source since the benefits could be much greater.<br />
<br />
The board suggested making a series of short videos could showcase different ways open source has made a difference in local businesses.<br />
<br />
Pat moved to authorize the expenditure of $100 to renew WPLUG's P.O. box. The measure was unanimously approved.<br />
<br />
'''MEETING END'''<br />
<br />
The meeting adjourned at 8:56 PM.</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20140218WPLUGBoard/Meeting-201402182014-02-16T16:37:28Z<p>Centinel: /* Agenda */ Added a few extra things.</p>
<hr />
<div>== Venue Info ==<br />
Meeting to be held via teleconference at 7:00pm, Tuesday, February 18, 2014.<br />
<br />
== Agenda ==<br />
* Approve [[WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20140121#Minutes | minutes of January 21]] board meeting<br />
* How our social event on Saturday went<br />
* Finalize the date/time/venue for our event in March<br />
* Finalize the format for our event in March<br />
* WPLUG Web site update (an idea Justin had)<br />
* Update on WPLUG meeting at Pittsburgh Filmmakers (Justin will ask permission on Monday)<br />
* Approve the extra expense in renewing WPLUG's PO box since the Post Office raised rates<br />
* Discussion on having Justin's contact at Pittsburgh Filmmakers produce a promotional video for WPLUG<br />
* List your item here<br />
* List your item here<br />
<br />
== Minutes ==<br />
<br />
To be added.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Meetings]]<br />
[[Category:Board]]<br />
[[Category:Agenda]]<br />
[[Category:Minutes]]</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/User:CentinelUser:Centinel2014-02-16T16:28:16Z<p>Centinel: </p>
<hr />
<div>System administrator at Pittsburgh Arts. Currently the chairman of WPLUG.<br />
<br />
jsmith@member.fsf.org<br />
<br />
[[File:Fsf-11960.png|Join the Free Software Foundation today!]]<br />
<br />
[[File:EFF-badge-2b.png| The Electronic Frontier Foundation defends digital rights.]]</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20131217WPLUGBoard/Meeting-201312172013-12-18T12:44:14Z<p>Centinel: Added meeting info</p>
<hr />
<div>(This was held at Eat 'n Park during the WPLUG holiday party. All matters of any significance were discussed over dinner, and it was agreed that there was nothing for the board to decide on in its official capacity at the present time. Therefore, this official meeting was essentially a "shell" to fulfill official requirements.)<br />
<br />
'''MEETING START'''<br />
<br />
The meeting was called to order at 8:59 p.m. Chairman of the Board Justin Smith, Vice Chair Vance Kochenderfer, and Director-at-Large Stanley Slomberg were present. Secretary Joe Prostko and Treasurer Pat Barron were absent (excused).<br />
<br />
'''REPORT OF OFFICERS'''<br />
<br />
Justin reports that WPLUG has approximately two Litecoins saved up in its cryptocurrency reserves. He cannot deliver an update on WPLUG's bank account because Pat gets the statements; however, in an email dated earlier in the day, Pat said that online banking should be set up within two to three business days, which should make future updates easier to access.<br />
<br />
Vance has nothing to report at this time.<br />
<br />
Stanley has found a person who wants to join WPLUG at the next meeting.<br />
<br />
'''NEW BUSINESS'''<br />
<br />
There was no new business at this time.<br />
<br />
'''MEETING END'''<br />
<br />
The meeting was adjourned at 9:05 p.m.</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/Past_MeetingsPast Meetings2013-12-18T12:37:05Z<p>Centinel: Added holiday party.</p>
<hr />
<div>== 2013 ==<br />
<br />
* Tuesday, December 17th, 2013 - WPLUG holiday party @ Eat 'n Park: 930 Butler St Pgh PA, 6:45 p.m.<br />
* [[Meeting-20131109|Saturday, November 9, 2013]] @ [[Wilkins School Community Center]], 1:30-3:30 p.m.: WPLUG board election + lightning presentations<br />
* [[Meeting-20131012 | Saturday, October 12, 2013]] - Software Freedom Day celebration + WPLUG Board of Directors 2014 nominations<br />
* [[Meeting-20130921|Saturday, September 21, 2013]] @ IBM Pittsburgh, 1:30-3:30 p.m.: Meet local Python developer Walter White + Ohio Linux Fest fallout<br />
* [[Meeting-20130810|Saturday, August 10, 2013]] @ North Park, 1:00-6:00 p.m.: The 12th annual WPLUG Open Source Picnic!<br />
* [[Meeting-20130713|Saturday, July 13, 2013]] @ 2:00-3:30 pm, [[IBM Pittsburgh]]: Security, privacy, and anonymity. The NSA surveillance scandal has taken the world by storm. How can free software help protect your personal information?<br />
* [[Meeting-20130615 | Saturday, June 15, 2013]] - 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. - General User Meeting, Topic: Taking Linux with You at [[IBM Pittsburgh]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20130518 | Saturday, May 18th, 2013]] - General User meeting and Raspberry Pi Demo/Workshop, [[Brookline_Library | Brookline Library]], 2:00pm<br />
* '''Saturday, April 20 @ 6-8:00 PM:''' [http://wplug.eventbrite.com/ Pittsburgh Geek Bowl]. Come play "poker bowling" with us for fabulous prizes! If that's not enough, how about a peek at Google Glass? WPLUG board member Justin Smith was one of 8,000 people accepted into Google's "Project Glass" last week, which will shape the future of wearable computing. Come learn about his proposal!<br />
* [[Meeting-20130209 | Saturday, February 9, 2013]] - General user meeting @ 2:00 p.m. in Wilkins School Community Center - final vote on amendment of Section 8.4 of the bylaws; Presentation: Build Your Own Certificate Authority Using xca; Presentation: The Rise and Fall of the WebOS Mobile Operating System; Open Source License Smackdown! <br />
* [[Meeting-20130112 | Saturday, January 12, 2013]] - 2:00pm - General User Meeting; business meeting followed by "Lightning Talks" (short, informal presentations)<br />
<br />
== 2012 ==<br />
* [[Meeting-20121208 | Saturday, December 8th, 2012]] - Installfest - Monroeville Public Library, 4000 Gateway Campus Boulevard Monroeville, PA 15146 from 12:30-4:30 PM<br />
* [[Meeting-20121110 | Saturday, November 10, 2012]] - General User Meeting and WPLUG Board election<br />
* Tuesday, October 30th, 2012 - [[Meeting-20121110#Meet_the_Candidates | Meet The Candidates]] session on [[IRC]] - 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM<br />
* [[Meeting-20121013 | Saturday, October 13, 2012]] - 1:30pm to 3:30pm - Nominations and General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Presentation Lightning Talks. You have something you are doing/interested in at work,home,play? Then maybe you could give us 10-15 minutes to tell us about it. Please email events@wplug.org with a summary of you talk.<br />
* [[Meeting-20120819 | Sunday, August 19, 2012]] - 1:00pm to 6:00pm - WPLUG Annual Summer Picnic - [[North Park]], Lakeshore Pavilion<br />
* [[Meeting-20120714 | Saturday, July 14, 2012]] - 1:30pm to 4:00pm - General User Meeting, Topic: Advanced SSH by [[User:Vance | Vance Kochenderfer]] at [[Wilkins School Community Center | WSCC ]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20120609 | Saturday, June 9, 2012]] - Installfest - 1:00pm to 4:30pm - [[Brookline Library]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20120512 | Saturday, May 12, 2012]] - 1:30pm to 3:30pm - General User Meeting, Featured presentation topic: iproute2 by John Lewis at [[Wilkins School Community Center | WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20120414 | Saturday, April 14, 2012]] - 1:30pm to 3:30pm - Presentation only, Topic: Introduction to Virtualization on Linux using KVM by [[User:Patbarron | Pat Barron]] at [[Wilkins School Community Center | WSCC ]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20120316 | Friday, March 16, 2012]] - 7:00pm - Installfest at [http://www.hackpittsburgh.org/about HackPittsburgh shop in Uptown]<br />
* [[Meeting-20120310 | Saturday, March 10, 2012]] - 1:30pm to 3:30pm - General User Meeting, Topic: Introduction to SSH by [[User:Vance | Vance Kochenderfer]] at [[Wilkins School Community Center | WSCC ]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20120211 | Saturday, February 11, 2012]] - 1:30pm to 5:30pm - InstallFest! and GUM at [[Wilkins_School_Community_Center|WSCC]]<br />
<br />
== 2011 ==<br />
* [[Meeting-20111203 | Saturday, December 3, 2011]] - 1:00pm to 5:00pm - Installfest at [[Northland _Library]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20111112 | Saturday November 12, 2011]] - 1:30pm to 3:30pm - Election and General User Meeting at [[Wilkins_School_Community_Center | WSCC]] Speaker: openSUSE Linux Guru Don Vosburg<br />
* Wednesday, October 26, 2011 - 7:00pm to 8:00pm - [[Meeting-20111112#Meet_the_Candidates| Meet the Candidates]] for the WPLUG Board of Directors on the [[IRC|IRC channel]] - come and ask questions so you can be informed for the election<br />
* [[Meeting-20111008 | Saturday, October 8, 2011]] - 1:30pm to 3:30pm - Nominations and General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Presentation: Mysql Replication in the Enterprise by Nick Schembri<br />
*[[Saturday September 17th 2011 Software Freedom Day]] Time: 9:00am - 5:00pm Where: The [http://pittsburghpublicmarket.org/ Pittsburgh Public Market]<br />
* [[Meeting-20110821| Sunday, August 21, 2011]] - 1pm to 6pm - Picnic at [[Snyder Park]] in Whitehall<br />
* [[Meeting-20110709 | Saturday, July 9, 2011]] - 1:30pm to 3:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20110611 | Saturday, June 11, 2011]] - 11:00am to 3:00pm - Installfest at [[Brookline Library]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20110521 |Saturday, May 21, 2011]] - 1:00pm to 3:00pm - Joint talk with Pittsburgh Cocoaheads on GNUStep at [[Brookline Library]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20110409 | Saturday, April 9, 2011]] - 1:30pm to 3:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20110312 | Saturday, March 12, 2011]] - 1:00pm to 4:30pm - Installfest at [[Monroeville Public Library]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20110307 | Monday, March 7, 2011]] - 6:30pm to 8:00pm - Field Trip at [[CMU Gates]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20110207 | Monday, February 7, 2011]] - 6:30pm to 8:00pm - Table Topics Meeting at [[Panera Centre|Panera on 5430 Centre Ave]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20110108 | Saturday, January 8, 2011]] - 1:30pm to 3:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
<br />
== 2010 ==<br />
<br />
* [[Meeting-20101211 | Saturday, December 11, 2010]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20101120 | Saturday, November 20, 2010]] - 1:30pm to 4:30pm - InstallFest at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20101113 | Saturday, November 13, 2010]] - 2pm to 5pm - General User Meeting/Elections at [[Panera Bread Galleria]]. Topic: Doubleheader - The Arduino Embedded Device by Robert Blackwell and Introduction to Objective-C by Mark Dalrymple.<br />
* Thursday, November 11, 2010 - 8p to 9p - "Meet the Candidates" IRC Session, freenode.net, #wplug channel<br />
* [[Meeting-20101023 | Saturday, October 23, 2010]] - 2pm to 3:30pm - General User Meeting/Nominations at the [[Wilkins School Community Center]]. Topic: [http://www.blender.org/ Blender] Film Festival - ''Elephants Dream'', ''Big Buck Bunny'', and the newly-released ''Sintel''.<br />
* [[Meeting-20100918 | Saturday, September 18, 2010]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - Nomination Meeting & General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20100829 | Sunday, August 29, 2010]] - 1pm to 5pm - 9th Annual Open Source Picnic at Snyder Park<br />
* [[Meeting-20100814 | Saturday, August 14, 2010]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Presentation: Seamonkey<br />
* [[Meeting-20100731|Saturday, July 31, 2010]] - 10am to 3pm - [[InstallFest]] at [[Northland Library]], McCandless Twp<br />
* [[Meeting-20100710|Saturday, July 10, 2010]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins_School_Community_Center|WSCC]] - Presentation: Extending OpenOffice<br />
* [[Meeting-20100612|Saturday, June 12, 2010]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins_School_Community_Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20100515 | Saturday, May 15, 2010]] - 9:30am to 2:30pm - Installfest at [[Monroeville Public Library]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20100508 | Saturday, May 8, 2010]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Topic: Tools for Network Booting and Cloning Systems<br />
* [[Meeting-20100410 | Saturday, April 10, 2010]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20100313 | Saturday, March 13, 2010]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Topic: Open Source in Medicine<br />
* [[Meeting-20100227 | Saturday, February 27, 2010]] - 10:30am to 3:30pm - InstallFest at [[Brookline Library]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20100213 | Saturday, February 13, 2010]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Topic: [http://reductivelabs.com/trac/puppet/ Puppet] infrastructure management<br />
* [[Meeting-20100109 | Saturday, January 9, 2010]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Topic: [http://drupal.org/ Drupal web CMS]<br />
<br />
== 2009 ==<br />
* [[Meeting-20091212 | Saturday, December 12, 2009]] - 10:30 am to 12:30 pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Topic: [http://www.haiku-os.org/ Haiku OS]<br />
* [[Meeting-20091121 | Saturday, November 21, 2009]] - 12p to 4:30p - InstallFest - [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20091031#Ask_the_Candidates|Wednesday, October 28]] - 8p to 9p - Meet the Candidates for the Board election - online forum on the [[IRC|WPLUG IRC channel]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20091031 | Saturday, October 31]] - 10:30a to 12:30p - General User Meeting and Elections at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20090919 | Saturday, September 19]] - 10:30a to 12:30p - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Presentation: What's new with KDE<br />
* [[Meeting-20090822 | Saturday, August 22]], 12p to 5p - Installfest - [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20090802 | Sunday, August 2]], 12p to 5p - Open Source Picnic at [[Snyder Park]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20090711 | Saturday, July 11]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Presentation: VoIP PBX for Small & Medium Businesses<br />
* [[Meeting-20090606 | Saturday, June 6]] - 10:30am to 3:30pm - Installfest at [[Brookline Library]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20090509 | Saturday, May 9]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20090404 | Saturday, April 4]] - 10:30am to 12:30pm - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Topic: Seriously Free Software<br />
* [[Meeting-20090307 | Saturday, March 7]] - 10:30a-12:30p - General User Meeting at [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]] - Topic: [http://www.openmoko.com/ Openmoko] project<br />
* [[Meeting-20090207 | Saturday, February 7]] - 10a-4p Installfest at [http://www.carnegielibrary.org/locations/brookline/ Brookline Library]<br />
* [[Meeting-20090117 | Saturday, January 17, 2009]] 11a-1p - General User Meeting - Favorite Open Source software for Windows - [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
<br />
== 2008 ==<br />
* [[Meeting-20081213 | Saturday, December 13, 2008]] 10am-noon - General User Meeting - Shell Scripting - [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20081122 | Saturday, November 22, 2008]], 10AM to noon - Membership Meeting: WPLUG [[Election-20081122|Board Election]] - [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]<br />
* [[Meeting-2008Elections | Saturday, October 4, 2008]] - Membership Meeting: [[Election-20081004|Elections]]<br />
*[[Meeting-20080920 | Saturday, September 20, 2008]] - [http://www.softwarefreedomday.org SoftwareFreedomDay]<br />
* [[Meeting-2008Nominations | Saturday, September 13, 2008]] - Membership Meeting: Board Nominations, General User Meeting - Speaker: Patrick Wagstrom<br />
* [[Meeting-200808 | Saturday, August 9, 2008]] - Installfest<br />
* [[Meeting-20080726 | Saturday, July 26, 2008]] - Special Event: Screening of [http://www.elephantsdream.org/ Elephants Dream] & [http://www.bigbuckbunny.org/ Big Buck Bunny] - Presentation: Roland Hess on [http://www.blender.org/ Blender] and the production of Elephants Dream<br />
* [[Meeting-20080712 | Saturday, July 12, 2008]] - General Users Meeting: Presentation/Speaker Ted Rodgers on new kernel items and Linux management.<br />
* [[Meeting-20080628 | Saturday, June 28, 2008]] - General Users Meeting Speaker: Jonathan Daniel of [http://www.wellspringsoftware.net Wellspring Software], Aspect-Oriented Programming<br />
* [[Meeting-20080619 | Thursday June 19, 2008]] Table Topics: "Please Won't You Be My Neighbor"<br />
* [[Meeting-20080518 | Sunday May 18, 2008 - Snyder Park, Whitehall]] - Annual Open Source Picnic<br />
* [[Meeting-20080423 | Wednesday April 23, 2008 - Venue: John Harvard's Brew House]] - Round Table Topic: What do you get for free?<br />
* [[Meeting-20080329 | Saturday March 29, 2008 - CMU Newell-Simon 3002]] - Presentation: "Uses of OpenLDAP" and "Two-Factor Authentication" - Brian Seklecki<br />
* [[Meeting-20080405 | Saturday April 5, 2008 - CMU Newell-Simon 1507]] - InstallFest<br />
* [[TTLinuxDesktop | February 26, 2008]] - Table Topics: Is 2008 the year of the Linux desktop?<br />
* [[Meeting-20080202 | February 2, 2008 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 1507]] - Installfest - Demo: OLPC Laptop and Kiddix Computing<br />
* [[Meeting-20080112 | January 12, 2008 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 3002]] - General User Meeting - Presentation: Gentoo Linux by Ted Rodgers<br />
<br />
== 2007 ==<br />
* [[Meeting-20071212 | December 12, 2007]] - [http://tinyurl.com/25xfpa Panera Bread Waterworks] - Topic(s): Distros and Applications<br />
* [[Meeting-20071208 | December 8, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 3002]] - Speaker: Neal Sofge of [http://www.rand.org/ RAND] Topic: [http://bricolage.cc/ Bricolage CMS]<br />
* [[Meeting-20071110 | November 10, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon 1109]] - InstallFest - Featured: [http://www.opensolaris.org/ OpenSolaris]<br />
* [[Meeting-20071020 | October 20, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 1507]] - Board Elections - General User Meeting: MythTV<br />
* [[SoftwareFreedomDay | September 15, 2007 - SoftwareFreedomDay 2007]]<br />
* [[Meeting-20070908 | September 8, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 3002]] - Board Nominations<br />
* [[Meeting-20070811 | August 11, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 1507]] - Installfest<br />
* [[2007OpenSourcePicnic | August 5, 2007 - Annual WPLUG Open Source Picnic]] at Snyder Park in Whitehall<br />
* [[Meeting-20070714 | July 14, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 3002]] - Linux on Mobile Devices - [http://www.sdgsystems.com SDG Systems]<br />
* [[Meeting-20070609 | June 9, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 3002]] - High Availability Web Services (also treasurer elections)<br />
* [[Meeting-20070512 | May 12, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 1507]] - Installfest<br />
* [[Meeting-20070414 | April 14, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 1507]] - General User Meeting - Presentation: "Rookie Mistakes" - Membership Meeting / Treasurer Nominations<br />
* [[Meeting-20070310 | March 10, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall]] - General User Meeting - Presentation: "How do I do that?" - Membership Meeting / Bi-Laws Amendment Vote<br />
* [[Meeting-20070210 | February 10, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 3305]] - Installfest<br />
* [[Meeting-20070113 | January 13, 2007 - CMU Newell-Simon Hall 3002]] - General User Meeting and Lightning talks on editors<br />
<br />
== 2006 ==<br />
* [[Meeting-20061216 | Saturday, December 16, 2006 - 10:00am - 3002 Newell-Simon Hall, CMU]] - [[User:Wmoran | Bill Moran]] spoke about making backups with [http://www.bacula.org/ Bacula]<br />
* [[Meeting-20061118 | Saturday, November 18, 2006 - 10am-3pm - Carnegie Mellon Newell Simon Atrium]] - InstallFest!<br />
* [[Meeting-20061021 | Saturday, October 21, 2006 - 12:30pm - Squirrel Hill Library]] - Lightning Talks and Elections<br />
* Thursday, October 19, 2006- 6:30pm - Carnegie Mellon Wean Hall 5409 - Showing of [http://www.elephantsdream.org/ Elephant's Dream]<br />
* Saturday, September 16, 2006 - 12:30pm - Squirrel Hill Library - [[User:Pwagstro | Patrick Wagstrom]] - GNOME<br />
<br />
== 2005 ==<br />
Sat/Sun 22nd May 2005 CMU Installfest [[http://digitalfreaks.org/~lavalamp/cp/thumbnails.php?album=29 Photos]]</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/Western_Pennsylvania_Linux_Users_GroupWestern Pennsylvania Linux Users Group2013-12-18T12:36:14Z<p>Centinel: /* Upcoming Meetings & Events */ Removed holiday party.</p>
<hr />
<div>Welcome to the Western Pennsylvania Linux Users Group&#8480;. We are a not-for-profit organization based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that provides collaboration resources, including mailing lists, presentations, installfests, and this wiki for Linux users of all backgrounds.<br />
<br />
See our [[Wplug:About|about page]] for more background on us, Linux, and free/open source software.<br />
<br />
Just like an open source software project, we develop WPLUG in collaboration with the community: everyone is free to contribute. What does Western PA need out of WPLUG&#8480;? What do ''you'' need out of WPLUG? Join our [[MailingLists|mailing list]] and tell us!<br />
<br />
== Upcoming Meetings & Events ==<br />
<br />
Got something technology-related on your mind? Even if you're not a WPLUG member, we invite you to answer our [[CallforPresentations | Call for Presentations]] and talk about it at one of our meetings.<br />
<br />
See our [[UpcomingMeetings | future planning]] page for information about WPLUG's longer-term plans for meetings & events.<br />
<br />
== Upcoming Related Events ==<br />
<br />
* Friday-Saturday December 13-14, 2013 - [http://drupalcampohio.org/ Drupal Camp Ohio 2013] - at Ohio State University's Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center in Columbus, OH<br />
<br />
E-mail [mailto:info@wplug.org info@wplug.org] to have your event posted here.<br />
<br />
* PROPOSED: [[TechEventCalendar]]<br />
<br />
The [[Past Related Events | past related events]] page has examples of what we've done in the past.<br />
<br />
== Past Meetings ==<br />
<br />
Every WPLUG meeting and event is recorded in our [[Past Meetings | past meetings page]]. If you're new to WPLUG, this will give you a better idea of what we do.<br />
<br />
== Online Resources ==<br />
WPLUG provides a variety of online resources to its members and the community at large. In fact, you're looking at one of them right now: the WPLUG wiki. We provide these resources as a way for our members to help each other, spread the word about Linux and other open source, and socialize.<br />
* [[MailingLists | Mailing Lists]] - The WPLUG mailing lists are a big part of our community; there are several hundred subscribers. We have lists for topics ranging from general announcements to jobs and classified ads.<br />
* [[Membership]] - Join the hottest Linux users group in Western PA!<br />
* [[IRC | Internet Relay Chat]] - A chat channel that we operate on the [http://www.freenode.net/ FreeNode] IRC network. At times, this can be a very good way to get information.<br />
* [[Study Group | Certification Study Group]] - A self-study group is forming for participants to assist each other in obtaining Linux certification.<br />
* [https://twitter.com/wplug Twitter] - The official WPLUG Twitter account<br />
* [http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=150161/ Linkedin] - A professional networking group used by many WPLUG members.<br />
* [http://www.archive.org/details/OhioLinuxfest2009/ Ohio Linux Presentations] - Recordings of presentations at the 2009 Ohio Linux Fest held September 25 and 26, 2009 in Columbus OH. The theme was "40 years of UNIX."<br />
* [http://wiki.cposc.org/cposc2009/ CPOSC Talks] - Slides from Central PA Open Source Conference held October 17, 2009 at Harrisburg University. Attendance about 150.<br />
* [[Wplug:About#Groups|Other Interesting Organizations]] - We're not the only game in town. Go and explore!<br />
* [[Commission to Reform WPLUG]] - An informal group created to fix long-standing problems in WPLUG.<br />
<br />
== Organizational Materials ==<br />
<br />
* [[ByLaws | Bylaws]] - WPLUG's governing rules.<br />
* [[Special Rules of Order]] - Supplementary rules that address gaps in the bylaws.<br />
* [[MeetingChecklist | Meeting Checklist]] - What needs to be done at WPLUG general user meetings. <br />
* [[Venues]] - Information on where WPLUG meets.<br />
* [[FinancialDocuments | Financial Documents]] - Forms to report expenses and request funding from WPLUG.<br />
* [[Committees | Committee Information]] - List of WPLUG committees.<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard | Board Information]] - List of members on the WPLUG Board of Directors; records of WPLUG board meetings.<br />
* [[Election Instructions]] - How to vote in WPLUG's board elections.<br />
* [[HistoricalDocuments | Historical Documents]] - Organizational materials that are kept for future reference.<br />
* [[Inventory]] - Stuff that belongs to WPLUG: who has it and where.<br />
* [[TODO]] - Things that need to be done on the wiki.<br />
<br />
== Projects ==<br />
<br />
* [[Wilkins School Network]] - Design, deploy and maintain a network for the [[Wilkin School Community Center]].<br />
* [[LiveCD]]<br />
* [[MediaWiki]] - The software that powers this wiki<br />
* There is interest in a new users' sig<br />
<br />
== BOINC-based Teams ==<br />
* [[SETI@home | WPLUG SETI@home Team]] - Our team to assist with experiments for the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI).<br />
* [[Rosetta@home | WPLUG Rosetta@home Team]] - Team to "help to determine the 3-dimensional shapes of proteins in research that may ultimately lead to finding cures for some major human diseases."<br />
* [http://boinc.berkeley.edu/ BOINC] - Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing<br />
<br />
== Swag ==<br />
<br />
Order clothing and other cool stuff with the WPLUG logo from [http://cafepress.com/wplug CafePress]. [[Image:Wplugmug.jpg]]</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/Western_Pennsylvania_Linux_Users_GroupWestern Pennsylvania Linux Users Group2013-12-12T12:53:20Z<p>Centinel: /* Upcoming Meetings & Events */ Updated info to reflect holiday party.</p>
<hr />
<div>Welcome to the Western Pennsylvania Linux Users Group&#8480;. We are a not-for-profit organization based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that provides collaboration resources, including mailing lists, presentations, installfests, and this wiki for Linux users of all backgrounds.<br />
<br />
See our [[Wplug:About|about page]] for more background on us, Linux, and free/open source software.<br />
<br />
Just like an open source software project, we develop WPLUG in collaboration with the community: everyone is free to contribute. What does Western PA need out of WPLUG&#8480;? What do ''you'' need out of WPLUG? Join our [[MailingLists|mailing list]] and tell us!<br />
<br />
== Upcoming Meetings & Events ==<br />
<br />
Got something technology-related on your mind? Even if you're not a WPLUG member, we invite you to answer our [[CallforPresentations | Call for Presentations]] and talk about it at one of our meetings.<br />
<br />
* Tuesday, December 17th, 2013 - WPLUG holiday party @ Eat 'n Park: 930 Butler St Pgh PA, 6:45 p.m.<br />
<br />
See our [[UpcomingMeetings | future planning]] page for information about WPLUG's longer-term plans for meetings & events.<br />
<br />
== Upcoming Related Events ==<br />
<br />
* Friday-Saturday December 13-14, 2013 - [http://drupalcampohio.org/ Drupal Camp Ohio 2013] - at Ohio State University's Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center in Columbus, OH<br />
<br />
E-mail [mailto:info@wplug.org info@wplug.org] to have your event posted here.<br />
<br />
* PROPOSED: [[TechEventCalendar]]<br />
<br />
The [[Past Related Events | past related events]] page has examples of what we've done in the past.<br />
<br />
== Past Meetings ==<br />
<br />
Every WPLUG meeting and event is recorded in our [[Past Meetings | past meetings page]]. If you're new to WPLUG, this will give you a better idea of what we do.<br />
<br />
== Online Resources ==<br />
WPLUG provides a variety of online resources to its members and the community at large. In fact, you're looking at one of them right now: the WPLUG wiki. We provide these resources as a way for our members to help each other, spread the word about Linux and other open source, and socialize.<br />
* [[MailingLists | Mailing Lists]] - The WPLUG mailing lists are a big part of our community; there are several hundred subscribers. We have lists for topics ranging from general announcements to jobs and classified ads.<br />
* [[Membership]] - Join the hottest Linux users group in Western PA!<br />
* [[IRC | Internet Relay Chat]] - A chat channel that we operate on the [http://www.freenode.net/ FreeNode] IRC network. At times, this can be a very good way to get information.<br />
* [[Study Group | Certification Study Group]] - A self-study group is forming for participants to assist each other in obtaining Linux certification.<br />
* [https://twitter.com/wplug Twitter] - The official WPLUG Twitter account<br />
* [http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=150161/ Linkedin] - A professional networking group used by many WPLUG members.<br />
* [http://www.archive.org/details/OhioLinuxfest2009/ Ohio Linux Presentations] - Recordings of presentations at the 2009 Ohio Linux Fest held September 25 and 26, 2009 in Columbus OH. The theme was "40 years of UNIX."<br />
* [http://wiki.cposc.org/cposc2009/ CPOSC Talks] - Slides from Central PA Open Source Conference held October 17, 2009 at Harrisburg University. Attendance about 150.<br />
* [[Wplug:About#Groups|Other Interesting Organizations]] - We're not the only game in town. Go and explore!<br />
* [[Commission to Reform WPLUG]] - An informal group created to fix long-standing problems in WPLUG.<br />
<br />
== Organizational Materials ==<br />
<br />
* [[ByLaws | Bylaws]] - WPLUG's governing rules.<br />
* [[Special Rules of Order]] - Supplementary rules that address gaps in the bylaws.<br />
* [[MeetingChecklist | Meeting Checklist]] - What needs to be done at WPLUG general user meetings. <br />
* [[Venues]] - Information on where WPLUG meets.<br />
* [[FinancialDocuments | Financial Documents]] - Forms to report expenses and request funding from WPLUG.<br />
* [[Committees | Committee Information]] - List of WPLUG committees.<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard | Board Information]] - List of members on the WPLUG Board of Directors; records of WPLUG board meetings.<br />
* [[Election Instructions]] - How to vote in WPLUG's board elections.<br />
* [[HistoricalDocuments | Historical Documents]] - Organizational materials that are kept for future reference.<br />
* [[Inventory]] - Stuff that belongs to WPLUG: who has it and where.<br />
* [[TODO]] - Things that need to be done on the wiki.<br />
<br />
== Projects ==<br />
<br />
* [[Wilkins School Network]] - Design, deploy and maintain a network for the [[Wilkin School Community Center]].<br />
* [[LiveCD]]<br />
* [[MediaWiki]] - The software that powers this wiki<br />
* There is interest in a new users' sig<br />
<br />
== BOINC-based Teams ==<br />
* [[SETI@home | WPLUG SETI@home Team]] - Our team to assist with experiments for the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI).<br />
* [[Rosetta@home | WPLUG Rosetta@home Team]] - Team to "help to determine the 3-dimensional shapes of proteins in research that may ultimately lead to finding cures for some major human diseases."<br />
* [http://boinc.berkeley.edu/ BOINC] - Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing<br />
<br />
== Swag ==<br />
<br />
Order clothing and other cool stuff with the WPLUG logo from [http://cafepress.com/wplug CafePress]. [[Image:Wplugmug.jpg]]</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/Western_Pennsylvania_Linux_Users_GroupWestern Pennsylvania Linux Users Group2013-12-07T17:00:48Z<p>Centinel: /* Upcoming Related Events */ Removed two old related events.</p>
<hr />
<div>Welcome to the Western Pennsylvania Linux Users Group&#8480;. We are a not-for-profit organization based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that provides collaboration resources, including mailing lists, presentations, installfests, and this wiki for Linux users of all backgrounds.<br />
<br />
See our [[Wplug:About|about page]] for more background on us, Linux, and free/open source software.<br />
<br />
Just like an open source software project, we develop WPLUG in collaboration with the community: everyone is free to contribute. What does Western PA need out of WPLUG&#8480;? What do ''you'' need out of WPLUG? Join our [[MailingLists|mailing list]] and tell us!<br />
<br />
== Upcoming Meetings & Events ==<br />
<br />
Got something technology-related on your mind? Even if you're not a WPLUG member, we invite you to answer our [[CallforPresentations | Call for Presentations]] and talk about it at one of our meetings.<br />
<br />
* Tuesday, December 17th, 2013 - WPLUG holiday party. Location, schedule, and program TBA.<br />
<br />
See our [[UpcomingMeetings | future planning]] page for information about WPLUG's longer-term plans for meetings & events.<br />
<br />
== Upcoming Related Events ==<br />
<br />
* Friday-Saturday December 13-14, 2013 - [http://drupalcampohio.org/ Drupal Camp Ohio 2013] - at Ohio State University's Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center in Columbus, OH<br />
<br />
E-mail [mailto:info@wplug.org info@wplug.org] to have your event posted here.<br />
<br />
* PROPOSED: [[TechEventCalendar]]<br />
<br />
The [[Past Related Events | past related events]] page has examples of what we've done in the past.<br />
<br />
== Past Meetings ==<br />
<br />
Every WPLUG meeting and event is recorded in our [[Past Meetings | past meetings page]]. If you're new to WPLUG, this will give you a better idea of what we do.<br />
<br />
== Online Resources ==<br />
WPLUG provides a variety of online resources to its members and the community at large. In fact, you're looking at one of them right now: the WPLUG wiki. We provide these resources as a way for our members to help each other, spread the word about Linux and other open source, and socialize.<br />
* [[MailingLists | Mailing Lists]] - The WPLUG mailing lists are a big part of our community; there are several hundred subscribers. We have lists for topics ranging from general announcements to jobs and classified ads.<br />
* [[Membership]] - Join the hottest Linux users group in Western PA!<br />
* [[IRC | Internet Relay Chat]] - A chat channel that we operate on the [http://www.freenode.net/ FreeNode] IRC network. At times, this can be a very good way to get information.<br />
* [[Study Group | Certification Study Group]] - A self-study group is forming for participants to assist each other in obtaining Linux certification.<br />
* [https://twitter.com/wplug Twitter] - The official WPLUG Twitter account<br />
* [http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=150161/ Linkedin] - A professional networking group used by many WPLUG members.<br />
* [http://www.archive.org/details/OhioLinuxfest2009/ Ohio Linux Presentations] - Recordings of presentations at the 2009 Ohio Linux Fest held September 25 and 26, 2009 in Columbus OH. The theme was "40 years of UNIX."<br />
* [http://wiki.cposc.org/cposc2009/ CPOSC Talks] - Slides from Central PA Open Source Conference held October 17, 2009 at Harrisburg University. Attendance about 150.<br />
* [[Wplug:About#Groups|Other Interesting Organizations]] - We're not the only game in town. Go and explore!<br />
* [[Commission to Reform WPLUG]] - An informal group created to fix long-standing problems in WPLUG.<br />
<br />
== Organizational Materials ==<br />
<br />
* [[ByLaws | Bylaws]] - WPLUG's governing rules.<br />
* [[Special Rules of Order]] - Supplementary rules that address gaps in the bylaws.<br />
* [[MeetingChecklist | Meeting Checklist]] - What needs to be done at WPLUG general user meetings. <br />
* [[Venues]] - Information on where WPLUG meets.<br />
* [[FinancialDocuments | Financial Documents]] - Forms to report expenses and request funding from WPLUG.<br />
* [[Committees | Committee Information]] - List of WPLUG committees.<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard | Board Information]] - List of members on the WPLUG Board of Directors; records of WPLUG board meetings.<br />
* [[Election Instructions]] - How to vote in WPLUG's board elections.<br />
* [[HistoricalDocuments | Historical Documents]] - Organizational materials that are kept for future reference.<br />
* [[Inventory]] - Stuff that belongs to WPLUG: who has it and where.<br />
* [[TODO]] - Things that need to be done on the wiki.<br />
<br />
== Projects ==<br />
<br />
* [[Wilkins School Network]] - Design, deploy and maintain a network for the [[Wilkin School Community Center]].<br />
* [[LiveCD]]<br />
* [[MediaWiki]] - The software that powers this wiki<br />
* There is interest in a new users' sig<br />
<br />
== BOINC-based Teams ==<br />
* [[SETI@home | WPLUG SETI@home Team]] - Our team to assist with experiments for the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI).<br />
* [[Rosetta@home | WPLUG Rosetta@home Team]] - Team to "help to determine the 3-dimensional shapes of proteins in research that may ultimately lead to finding cures for some major human diseases."<br />
* [http://boinc.berkeley.edu/ BOINC] - Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing<br />
<br />
== Swag ==<br />
<br />
Order clothing and other cool stuff with the WPLUG logo from [http://cafepress.com/wplug CafePress]. [[Image:Wplugmug.jpg]]</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/Western_Pennsylvania_Linux_Users_GroupWestern Pennsylvania Linux Users Group2013-12-07T16:44:37Z<p>Centinel: /* Upcoming Meetings & Events */ Updated December meeting date</p>
<hr />
<div>Welcome to the Western Pennsylvania Linux Users Group&#8480;. We are a not-for-profit organization based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that provides collaboration resources, including mailing lists, presentations, installfests, and this wiki for Linux users of all backgrounds.<br />
<br />
See our [[Wplug:About|about page]] for more background on us, Linux, and free/open source software.<br />
<br />
Just like an open source software project, we develop WPLUG in collaboration with the community: everyone is free to contribute. What does Western PA need out of WPLUG&#8480;? What do ''you'' need out of WPLUG? Join our [[MailingLists|mailing list]] and tell us!<br />
<br />
== Upcoming Meetings & Events ==<br />
<br />
Got something technology-related on your mind? Even if you're not a WPLUG member, we invite you to answer our [[CallforPresentations | Call for Presentations]] and talk about it at one of our meetings.<br />
<br />
* Tuesday, December 17th, 2013 - WPLUG holiday party. Location, schedule, and program TBA.<br />
<br />
See our [[UpcomingMeetings | future planning]] page for information about WPLUG's longer-term plans for meetings & events.<br />
<br />
== Upcoming Related Events ==<br />
* Tuesday, November 12, 2013, 7:00pm - [https://groups.drupal.org/pittsburgh Drupal Pittsburgh Meetup], Editing a Node - at Plumb Media in Garfield<br />
* Wednesday, November 27, 2013, 7:00pm - [http://www.meetup.com/pghpython/events/dcrjzdyrpbkc/ PGHPy Coding at IBM] - at IBM Squirrel Hill<br />
* Friday-Saturday December 13-14, 2013 - [http://drupalcampohio.org/ Drupal Camp Ohio 2013] - at Ohio State University's Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center in Columbus, OH<br />
<br />
E-mail [mailto:info@wplug.org info@wplug.org] to have your event posted here.<br />
<br />
* PROPOSED: [[TechEventCalendar]]<br />
<br />
The [[Past Related Events | past related events]] page has examples of what we've done in the past.<br />
<br />
== Past Meetings ==<br />
<br />
Every WPLUG meeting and event is recorded in our [[Past Meetings | past meetings page]]. If you're new to WPLUG, this will give you a better idea of what we do.<br />
<br />
== Online Resources ==<br />
WPLUG provides a variety of online resources to its members and the community at large. In fact, you're looking at one of them right now: the WPLUG wiki. We provide these resources as a way for our members to help each other, spread the word about Linux and other open source, and socialize.<br />
* [[MailingLists | Mailing Lists]] - The WPLUG mailing lists are a big part of our community; there are several hundred subscribers. We have lists for topics ranging from general announcements to jobs and classified ads.<br />
* [[Membership]] - Join the hottest Linux users group in Western PA!<br />
* [[IRC | Internet Relay Chat]] - A chat channel that we operate on the [http://www.freenode.net/ FreeNode] IRC network. At times, this can be a very good way to get information.<br />
* [[Study Group | Certification Study Group]] - A self-study group is forming for participants to assist each other in obtaining Linux certification.<br />
* [https://twitter.com/wplug Twitter] - The official WPLUG Twitter account<br />
* [http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=150161/ Linkedin] - A professional networking group used by many WPLUG members.<br />
* [http://www.archive.org/details/OhioLinuxfest2009/ Ohio Linux Presentations] - Recordings of presentations at the 2009 Ohio Linux Fest held September 25 and 26, 2009 in Columbus OH. The theme was "40 years of UNIX."<br />
* [http://wiki.cposc.org/cposc2009/ CPOSC Talks] - Slides from Central PA Open Source Conference held October 17, 2009 at Harrisburg University. Attendance about 150.<br />
* [[Wplug:About#Groups|Other Interesting Organizations]] - We're not the only game in town. Go and explore!<br />
* [[Commission to Reform WPLUG]] - An informal group created to fix long-standing problems in WPLUG.<br />
<br />
== Organizational Materials ==<br />
<br />
* [[ByLaws | Bylaws]] - WPLUG's governing rules.<br />
* [[Special Rules of Order]] - Supplementary rules that address gaps in the bylaws.<br />
* [[MeetingChecklist | Meeting Checklist]] - What needs to be done at WPLUG general user meetings. <br />
* [[Venues]] - Information on where WPLUG meets.<br />
* [[FinancialDocuments | Financial Documents]] - Forms to report expenses and request funding from WPLUG.<br />
* [[Committees | Committee Information]] - List of WPLUG committees.<br />
* [[WPLUGBoard | Board Information]] - List of members on the WPLUG Board of Directors; records of WPLUG board meetings.<br />
* [[Election Instructions]] - How to vote in WPLUG's board elections.<br />
* [[HistoricalDocuments | Historical Documents]] - Organizational materials that are kept for future reference.<br />
* [[Inventory]] - Stuff that belongs to WPLUG: who has it and where.<br />
* [[TODO]] - Things that need to be done on the wiki.<br />
<br />
== Projects ==<br />
<br />
* [[Wilkins School Network]] - Design, deploy and maintain a network for the [[Wilkin School Community Center]].<br />
* [[LiveCD]]<br />
* [[MediaWiki]] - The software that powers this wiki<br />
* There is interest in a new users' sig<br />
<br />
== BOINC-based Teams ==<br />
* [[SETI@home | WPLUG SETI@home Team]] - Our team to assist with experiments for the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI).<br />
* [[Rosetta@home | WPLUG Rosetta@home Team]] - Team to "help to determine the 3-dimensional shapes of proteins in research that may ultimately lead to finding cures for some major human diseases."<br />
* [http://boinc.berkeley.edu/ BOINC] - Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing<br />
<br />
== Swag ==<br />
<br />
Order clothing and other cool stuff with the WPLUG logo from [http://cafepress.com/wplug CafePress]. [[Image:Wplugmug.jpg]]</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/Commission_to_Reform_WPLUGCommission to Reform WPLUG2013-12-04T16:44:45Z<p>Centinel: /* Reform Package 3 Ideas */ Cleared up a point about valuation.</p>
<hr />
<div>The Commission to Reform WPLUG (CRW) is an informal group created to draft proposals that fix long-standing problems in WPLUG. It was created on December 9, 2012.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Purpose ==<br />
<br />
WPLUG is struggling to compete against other technology groups. CRW's purpose is to expedite the reform process so that WPLUG can become competitive again as soon as possible:<br />
<br />
*Update the bylaws<br />
*Chart a new direction for WPLUG<br />
*Explore ways to make WPLUG less formal/political<br />
*Bring WPLUG's resources up to par with current technological standards<br />
<br />
== Operation ==<br />
<br />
CRW has no membership requirements. If you decide to join, add your name to the membership list on this page.<br />
<br />
Each month, CRW gathers its best ideas into a "reform package" that is formally proposed during the following month's WPLUG general user meeting. Ideas can be proposed or voted on at any time, but it is recommended to propose ideas outside of meetings and vote on them during the meetings so that people have time to think before they vote.<br />
<br />
If an idea is approved by a majority of CRW members, it will be added to the current reform package. <br />
<br />
Since CRW is not an official WPLUG organization, it doesn't receive official funding and is not governed by the WPLUG bylaws. Members are encouraged to apply the same "free and flexible" mindset to their deliberations: check your preconceptions at the door, be open-minded, and support the best ideas to reform WPLUG. Everyone who wants to present ideas will have an equal opportunity to do so.<br />
<br />
== Members ==<br />
<br />
* Justin Smith<br />
* Terry Golightly<br />
* Pat Barron<br />
* Vance Kochenderfer<br />
* Joseph Prostko<br />
* Stanley Slomberg<br />
<br />
== Meeting Logs ==<br />
<br />
[http://wplug.org/w/images/4/48/Wplug-2012-12-15.txt Saturday, December 15, 2012]<br />
<br />
[http://wplug.org/w/images/8/83/Wplug_2012-12-20.txt Thursday, December 20, 2012]<br />
<br />
[http://www.wplug.org/w/images/1/17/CRW_meeting_3-28-13.txt Thursday, March 28, 2013]<br />
<br />
[http://www.wplug.org/w/images/d/d0/CRW_6-30-13.txt Sunday, June 30, 2013]<br />
<br />
== Upcoming Meetings ==<br />
<br />
None at this time.<br />
<br />
== Reform Package History ==<br />
<br />
[[CRW Discussion Archives]]<br />
<br />
[[CRW Reform Packages]]<br />
<br />
'''Reform Package 1:''' Bylaw changes, presented at January 2013 GUM.<br />
<br />
'''Reform Package 2:''' WPLUG's general direction, to be presented at February 2013 GUM.<br />
<br />
'''Reform Package 3:''' WPLUG's operational policy, such as frequency of meetings and how to manage WPLUG's Litecoin assets now that we participate in cryptocurrency mining. To be presented at January 2014 GUM.<br />
<br />
== Reform Package 3 Ideas ==<br />
<br />
=== Justin Smith ===<br />
<br />
Last year, WPLUG started mining Litecoins as a new source of income. Since cryptocurrency isn't managed in the same way that US dollars are, we on the Commission to Reform WPLUG (CRW) agree that future board members may be confused about how to best use it. Therefore, we recommend drafting a set of guidelines that will help future boards manage WPLUG's cryptocurrency assets. It should be a series of non-binding suggestions similar to WPLUG's Board of Directors transition checklist.<br />
<br />
I will begin by providing on overview of what Bitcoin, Litecoin, and cryptocurrency mining are, followed by a few of my own suggestions.<br />
<br />
==== What is Bitcoin? ====<br />
<br />
Bitcoin is a digital currency based on open source software. It was developed in 2009 by someone (or several people) under the alias "Satoshi Nakamoto." In 2010, Satoshi withdrew from public life, and nobody has heard from him ever since. His identity remains a mystery.<br />
<br />
It's easier to understand Bitcoin if you compare it to the US dollar, so let's start with that. <br />
<br />
When you make a typical purchase using US dollars, there are typically several "layers" to your transaction: <br />
<br />
* Dollars in your possession.<br />
* A bank account to hold your money. You have to abide by the bank's regulations and processing fees.<br />
* A credit card or debit card to help you send your money electronically. You have to abide by the card's regulations and processing fees.<br />
* A central authority such as PayPal that processes each transaction and protects against fraud. You have to abide by the central authority's regulations and processing fees.<br />
<br />
Now let's compare that how a transaction would proceed with Bitcion:<br />
<br />
* Bitcoins in your possession. <br />
* There is no need for a bank account because Bitcoins are stored on your computer in a file called a "digital wallet." <br />
* There is no need for a credit card or debit card because Bitcoins were designed to be sent electronically. They're sent directly from person to person over the Internet.<br />
* There is no central authority such as PayPal to process transactions. Instead, a worldwide network of computer operators processes Bitcoin payments in exchange for a processing fee. People who process Bitcoin payments are called "Bitcoin miners." <br />
<br />
As you can see, Bitcoin compresses the four layers of dollar-based transactions into one. It's simpler, less regulated, and less expensive to use. In addition to the features mentioned above, Bitcoin is impossible to counterfeit, your assets cannot be frozen, and there are no charge-backs. There's a lot to like.<br />
<br />
Bitcoin is called a "cryptocurrency" because it relies on cryptographic security algorithms to validate transactions. Its slogan, ''Vires in Numeris'', means "strength in numbers."<br />
<br />
==== What is mining? ====<br />
<br />
In cryptocurrency mining, computer operators compete against each other for the privilege of processing each "block" of Bitcoin transactions and earning its processing fees. They work to solve a very difficult math problem, and the person who solves it first gets to process the block. Therefore, the more processing power you have, the more competitive you are in Bitcoin mining. <br />
<br />
(Each block is posted to a public ledger of transactions called the blockchain. Miners refer to the blockchain to make sure that every transaction is legitimate.)<br />
<br />
Some people link their computers together in a cooperative group called a "mining pool." This helps small operators compete against larger ones.<br />
<br />
==== What is Litecoin? ====<br />
<br />
Remember how I said that Bitcoin is open source? Litecoin (LTC) is a fork of Bitcoin. It's identical in most respects except that Litecoin payments can be processed a bit faster. Litecoin is also considerably less popular than Bitcoin, which means that there are fewer people to compete against in mining.<br />
<br />
WPLUG is currently using about half of its processing power on the WPLUG.org server to mine Litecoin. We've got about 2 LTC saved up, and we need to determine how best to use it.<br />
<br />
Litecoin could be worth a lot some day. Right now, 1 Litecoin is worth about $38. That isn't a lot, but keep in mind that Bitcoin, which once fetched those prices, now sells for well over $1,000 per Bitcoin.<br />
<br />
==== Justin's Suggestions: General Guidelines ====<br />
<br />
* The WPLUG treasurer should establish an official WPLUG Litecoin wallet.<br />
* At business meetings, the treasurer should report WPLUG's Litecoin balance in addition to its bank account balance.<br />
* The treasurer, or someone he appoints, should monitor market conditions related to Litecoin and advise the board of directors appropriately.<br />
<br />
==== Justin's Suggestions: Market Guidelines ====<br />
<br />
* Save our Litecoins unless you absolutely have to spend them. Unlike the US dollar, which becomes less valuable over time as more dollars are printed, Litecoin will become more valuable over time because only a finite number of Litecoins will ever be created.<br />
* People can buy, sell, and trade Bitcoin and Litecoin at cryptocurrency exchanges. Some popular exchanges include Coinbase (my favorite), Bitstamp, and BTE-e.<br />
* Most exchanges don't allow Litecoin to be sold for US dollars since Litecoin isn't very popular. Therefore, if you'd like "cash out" our Litecoin investment, trade the Litecoins for Bitcoins and then sell the Bitcoins.<br />
<br />
___<br />
<br />
* The price of Litecoin tends to follow the price of Bitcoin.<br />
* Watch the news for headline stories related to Bitcoin. When Bitcoin gets exposure, such as a government hearing, it often causes a lot of first-time users to buy BTC, which drives up the price.<br />
* Consequently, a lot of these first-time users sell their holdings shortly afterward when they realize that Bitcoin isn't their golden ticket to prosperity.<br />
* For whatever reason, people who want to sell Bitcoin usually do it on the weekend, which temporarily drives down the price. If you have to sell, do it during the week.<br />
<br />
== Accepted Reform Package 3 Proposals ==<br />
<br />
* WPLUG has business meetings too often; we recommend having them every other GUM instead of at every GUM.<br />
* WPLUG holds GUMs too often: we recommend having them every other month instead of every month.<br />
* During our "off-months," WPLUG should have a social event.<br />
* Generally, each month should have one activity, be it a GUM or a social event. However, some months could have two events, such as a GUM ''and'' a separate celebration for Software Freedom Day.<br />
* In the interest of consistent programming, each GUM and its corresponding off-month should hold to a particular theme. For instance, someone could give a presentation about becoming involved with the Linux community at a GUM, and the following month, we could have a "hackathon" where we work on a community project.</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/Commission_to_Reform_WPLUGCommission to Reform WPLUG2013-12-04T16:21:18Z<p>Centinel: /* Justin's Suggestions: Market Guidelines */</p>
<hr />
<div>The Commission to Reform WPLUG (CRW) is an informal group created to draft proposals that fix long-standing problems in WPLUG. It was created on December 9, 2012.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Purpose ==<br />
<br />
WPLUG is struggling to compete against other technology groups. CRW's purpose is to expedite the reform process so that WPLUG can become competitive again as soon as possible:<br />
<br />
*Update the bylaws<br />
*Chart a new direction for WPLUG<br />
*Explore ways to make WPLUG less formal/political<br />
*Bring WPLUG's resources up to par with current technological standards<br />
<br />
== Operation ==<br />
<br />
CRW has no membership requirements. If you decide to join, add your name to the membership list on this page.<br />
<br />
Each month, CRW gathers its best ideas into a "reform package" that is formally proposed during the following month's WPLUG general user meeting. Ideas can be proposed or voted on at any time, but it is recommended to propose ideas outside of meetings and vote on them during the meetings so that people have time to think before they vote.<br />
<br />
If an idea is approved by a majority of CRW members, it will be added to the current reform package. <br />
<br />
Since CRW is not an official WPLUG organization, it doesn't receive official funding and is not governed by the WPLUG bylaws. Members are encouraged to apply the same "free and flexible" mindset to their deliberations: check your preconceptions at the door, be open-minded, and support the best ideas to reform WPLUG. Everyone who wants to present ideas will have an equal opportunity to do so.<br />
<br />
== Members ==<br />
<br />
* Justin Smith<br />
* Terry Golightly<br />
* Pat Barron<br />
* Vance Kochenderfer<br />
* Joseph Prostko<br />
* Stanley Slomberg<br />
<br />
== Meeting Logs ==<br />
<br />
[http://wplug.org/w/images/4/48/Wplug-2012-12-15.txt Saturday, December 15, 2012]<br />
<br />
[http://wplug.org/w/images/8/83/Wplug_2012-12-20.txt Thursday, December 20, 2012]<br />
<br />
[http://www.wplug.org/w/images/1/17/CRW_meeting_3-28-13.txt Thursday, March 28, 2013]<br />
<br />
[http://www.wplug.org/w/images/d/d0/CRW_6-30-13.txt Sunday, June 30, 2013]<br />
<br />
== Upcoming Meetings ==<br />
<br />
None at this time.<br />
<br />
== Reform Package History ==<br />
<br />
[[CRW Discussion Archives]]<br />
<br />
[[CRW Reform Packages]]<br />
<br />
'''Reform Package 1:''' Bylaw changes, presented at January 2013 GUM.<br />
<br />
'''Reform Package 2:''' WPLUG's general direction, to be presented at February 2013 GUM.<br />
<br />
'''Reform Package 3:''' WPLUG's operational policy, such as frequency of meetings and how to manage WPLUG's Litecoin assets now that we participate in cryptocurrency mining. To be presented at January 2014 GUM.<br />
<br />
== Reform Package 3 Ideas ==<br />
<br />
=== Justin Smith ===<br />
<br />
Last year, WPLUG started mining Litecoins as a new source of income. Since cryptocurrency isn't managed in the same way that US dollars are, we on the Commission to Reform WPLUG (CRW) agree that future board members may be confused about how to best use it. Therefore, we recommend drafting a set of guidelines that will help future boards manage WPLUG's cryptocurrency assets. It should be a series of non-binding suggestions similar to WPLUG's Board of Directors transition checklist.<br />
<br />
I will begin by providing on overview of what Bitcoin, Litecoin, and cryptocurrency mining are, followed by a few of my own suggestions.<br />
<br />
==== What is Bitcoin? ====<br />
<br />
Bitcoin is a digital currency based on open source software. It was developed in 2009 by someone (or several people) under the alias "Satoshi Nakamoto." In 2010, Satoshi withdrew from public life, and nobody has heard from him ever since. His identity remains a mystery.<br />
<br />
It's easier to understand Bitcoin if you compare it to the US dollar, so let's start with that. <br />
<br />
When you make a typical purchase using US dollars, there are typically several "layers" to your transaction: <br />
<br />
* Dollars in your possession.<br />
* A bank account to hold your money. You have to abide by the bank's regulations and processing fees.<br />
* A credit card or debit card to help you send your money electronically. You have to abide by the card's regulations and processing fees.<br />
* A central authority such as PayPal that processes each transaction and protects against fraud. You have to abide by the central authority's regulations and processing fees.<br />
<br />
Now let's compare that how a transaction would proceed with Bitcion:<br />
<br />
* Bitcoins in your possession. <br />
* There is no need for a bank account because Bitcoins are stored on your computer in a file called a "digital wallet." <br />
* There is no need for a credit card or debit card because Bitcoins were designed to be sent electronically. They're sent directly from person to person over the Internet.<br />
* There is no central authority such as PayPal to process transactions. Instead, a worldwide network of computer operators processes Bitcoin payments in exchange for a processing fee. People who process Bitcoin payments are called "Bitcoin miners." <br />
<br />
As you can see, Bitcoin compresses the four layers of dollar-based transactions into one. It's simpler, less regulated, and less expensive to use. In addition to the features mentioned above, Bitcoin is impossible to counterfeit, your assets cannot be frozen, and there are no charge-backs. There's a lot to like.<br />
<br />
Bitcoin is called a "cryptocurrency" because it relies on cryptographic security algorithms to validate transactions. Its slogan, ''Vires in Numeris'', means "strength in numbers."<br />
<br />
==== What is mining? ====<br />
<br />
In cryptocurrency mining, computer operators compete against each other for the privilege of processing each "block" of Bitcoin transactions and earning its processing fees. They work to solve a very difficult math problem, and the person who solves it first gets to process the block. Therefore, the more processing power you have, the more competitive you are in Bitcoin mining. <br />
<br />
(Each block is posted to a public ledger of transactions called the blockchain. Miners refer to the blockchain to make sure that every transaction is legitimate.)<br />
<br />
Some people link their computers together in a cooperative group called a "mining pool." This helps small operators compete against larger ones.<br />
<br />
==== What is Litecoin? ====<br />
<br />
Remember how I said that Bitcoin is open source? Litecoin (LTC) is a fork of Bitcoin. It's identical in most respects except that Litecoin payments can be processed a bit faster. Litecoin is also considerably less popular than Bitcoin, which means that there are fewer people to compete against in mining.<br />
<br />
WPLUG is currently using about half of its processing power on the WPLUG.org server to mine Litecoin. We've got about 2 LTC saved up, and we need to determine how best to use it.<br />
<br />
Litecoin could be worth a lot some day. Right now, 1 Litecoin is worth about $38. That isn't a lot, but keep in mind that Bitcoin, which once fetched those prices, now sells for well over $1,000 per Bitcoin.<br />
<br />
==== Justin's Suggestions: General Guidelines ====<br />
<br />
* The WPLUG treasurer should establish an official WPLUG Litecoin wallet.<br />
* At business meetings, the treasurer should report WPLUG's Litecoin balance in addition to its bank account balance.<br />
* The treasurer should monitor market conditions related to Litecoin and advise the board of directors appropriately.<br />
<br />
==== Justin's Suggestions: Market Guidelines ====<br />
<br />
* Save our Litecoins unless you absolutely have to spend them. Unlike the US dollar, which becomes less valuable over time, cryptocurrencies become more valuable over time.<br />
* People can buy, sell, and trade Bitcoin and Litecoin at cryptocurrency exchanges. Some popular exchanges include Coinbase (my favorite), Bitstamp, and BTE-e.<br />
* Most exchanges don't allow Litecoin to be sold for US dollars since Litecoin isn't very popular. Therefore, if you'd like "cash out" our Litecoin investment, trade the Litecoins for Bitcoins and then sell the Bitcoins.<br />
<br />
___<br />
<br />
* The price of Litecoin tends to follow the price of Bitcoin.<br />
* Watch the news for headline stories related to Bitcoin. When Bitcoin gets exposure, such as a government hearing, it often causes a lot of first-time users to buy BTC, which drives up the price.<br />
* Consequently, a lot of these first-time users sell their holdings shortly afterward when they realize that Bitcoin isn't their golden ticket to prosperity.<br />
* For whatever reason, people who want to sell Bitcoin usually do it on the weekend, which temporarily drives down the price. If you have to sell, do it during the week.<br />
<br />
== Accepted Reform Package 3 Proposals ==<br />
<br />
* WPLUG has business meetings too often; we recommend having them every other GUM instead of at every GUM.<br />
* WPLUG holds GUMs too often: we recommend having them every other month instead of every month.<br />
* During our "off-months," WPLUG should have a social event.<br />
* Generally, each month should have one activity, be it a GUM or a social event. However, some months could have two events, such as a GUM ''and'' a separate celebration for Software Freedom Day.<br />
* In the interest of consistent programming, each GUM and its corresponding off-month should hold to a particular theme. For instance, someone could give a presentation about becoming involved with the Linux community at a GUM, and the following month, we could have a "hackathon" where we work on a community project.</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/Commission_to_Reform_WPLUGCommission to Reform WPLUG2013-12-04T16:19:52Z<p>Centinel: /* What is mining? */</p>
<hr />
<div>The Commission to Reform WPLUG (CRW) is an informal group created to draft proposals that fix long-standing problems in WPLUG. It was created on December 9, 2012.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Purpose ==<br />
<br />
WPLUG is struggling to compete against other technology groups. CRW's purpose is to expedite the reform process so that WPLUG can become competitive again as soon as possible:<br />
<br />
*Update the bylaws<br />
*Chart a new direction for WPLUG<br />
*Explore ways to make WPLUG less formal/political<br />
*Bring WPLUG's resources up to par with current technological standards<br />
<br />
== Operation ==<br />
<br />
CRW has no membership requirements. If you decide to join, add your name to the membership list on this page.<br />
<br />
Each month, CRW gathers its best ideas into a "reform package" that is formally proposed during the following month's WPLUG general user meeting. Ideas can be proposed or voted on at any time, but it is recommended to propose ideas outside of meetings and vote on them during the meetings so that people have time to think before they vote.<br />
<br />
If an idea is approved by a majority of CRW members, it will be added to the current reform package. <br />
<br />
Since CRW is not an official WPLUG organization, it doesn't receive official funding and is not governed by the WPLUG bylaws. Members are encouraged to apply the same "free and flexible" mindset to their deliberations: check your preconceptions at the door, be open-minded, and support the best ideas to reform WPLUG. Everyone who wants to present ideas will have an equal opportunity to do so.<br />
<br />
== Members ==<br />
<br />
* Justin Smith<br />
* Terry Golightly<br />
* Pat Barron<br />
* Vance Kochenderfer<br />
* Joseph Prostko<br />
* Stanley Slomberg<br />
<br />
== Meeting Logs ==<br />
<br />
[http://wplug.org/w/images/4/48/Wplug-2012-12-15.txt Saturday, December 15, 2012]<br />
<br />
[http://wplug.org/w/images/8/83/Wplug_2012-12-20.txt Thursday, December 20, 2012]<br />
<br />
[http://www.wplug.org/w/images/1/17/CRW_meeting_3-28-13.txt Thursday, March 28, 2013]<br />
<br />
[http://www.wplug.org/w/images/d/d0/CRW_6-30-13.txt Sunday, June 30, 2013]<br />
<br />
== Upcoming Meetings ==<br />
<br />
None at this time.<br />
<br />
== Reform Package History ==<br />
<br />
[[CRW Discussion Archives]]<br />
<br />
[[CRW Reform Packages]]<br />
<br />
'''Reform Package 1:''' Bylaw changes, presented at January 2013 GUM.<br />
<br />
'''Reform Package 2:''' WPLUG's general direction, to be presented at February 2013 GUM.<br />
<br />
'''Reform Package 3:''' WPLUG's operational policy, such as frequency of meetings and how to manage WPLUG's Litecoin assets now that we participate in cryptocurrency mining. To be presented at January 2014 GUM.<br />
<br />
== Reform Package 3 Ideas ==<br />
<br />
=== Justin Smith ===<br />
<br />
Last year, WPLUG started mining Litecoins as a new source of income. Since cryptocurrency isn't managed in the same way that US dollars are, we on the Commission to Reform WPLUG (CRW) agree that future board members may be confused about how to best use it. Therefore, we recommend drafting a set of guidelines that will help future boards manage WPLUG's cryptocurrency assets. It should be a series of non-binding suggestions similar to WPLUG's Board of Directors transition checklist.<br />
<br />
I will begin by providing on overview of what Bitcoin, Litecoin, and cryptocurrency mining are, followed by a few of my own suggestions.<br />
<br />
==== What is Bitcoin? ====<br />
<br />
Bitcoin is a digital currency based on open source software. It was developed in 2009 by someone (or several people) under the alias "Satoshi Nakamoto." In 2010, Satoshi withdrew from public life, and nobody has heard from him ever since. His identity remains a mystery.<br />
<br />
It's easier to understand Bitcoin if you compare it to the US dollar, so let's start with that. <br />
<br />
When you make a typical purchase using US dollars, there are typically several "layers" to your transaction: <br />
<br />
* Dollars in your possession.<br />
* A bank account to hold your money. You have to abide by the bank's regulations and processing fees.<br />
* A credit card or debit card to help you send your money electronically. You have to abide by the card's regulations and processing fees.<br />
* A central authority such as PayPal that processes each transaction and protects against fraud. You have to abide by the central authority's regulations and processing fees.<br />
<br />
Now let's compare that how a transaction would proceed with Bitcion:<br />
<br />
* Bitcoins in your possession. <br />
* There is no need for a bank account because Bitcoins are stored on your computer in a file called a "digital wallet." <br />
* There is no need for a credit card or debit card because Bitcoins were designed to be sent electronically. They're sent directly from person to person over the Internet.<br />
* There is no central authority such as PayPal to process transactions. Instead, a worldwide network of computer operators processes Bitcoin payments in exchange for a processing fee. People who process Bitcoin payments are called "Bitcoin miners." <br />
<br />
As you can see, Bitcoin compresses the four layers of dollar-based transactions into one. It's simpler, less regulated, and less expensive to use. In addition to the features mentioned above, Bitcoin is impossible to counterfeit, your assets cannot be frozen, and there are no charge-backs. There's a lot to like.<br />
<br />
Bitcoin is called a "cryptocurrency" because it relies on cryptographic security algorithms to validate transactions. Its slogan, ''Vires in Numeris'', means "strength in numbers."<br />
<br />
==== What is mining? ====<br />
<br />
In cryptocurrency mining, computer operators compete against each other for the privilege of processing each "block" of Bitcoin transactions and earning its processing fees. They work to solve a very difficult math problem, and the person who solves it first gets to process the block. Therefore, the more processing power you have, the more competitive you are in Bitcoin mining. <br />
<br />
(Each block is posted to a public ledger of transactions called the blockchain. Miners refer to the blockchain to make sure that every transaction is legitimate.)<br />
<br />
Some people link their computers together in a cooperative group called a "mining pool." This helps small operators compete against larger ones.<br />
<br />
==== What is Litecoin? ====<br />
<br />
Remember how I said that Bitcoin is open source? Litecoin (LTC) is a fork of Bitcoin. It's identical in most respects except that Litecoin payments can be processed a bit faster. Litecoin is also considerably less popular than Bitcoin, which means that there are fewer people to compete against in mining.<br />
<br />
WPLUG is currently using about half of its processing power on the WPLUG.org server to mine Litecoin. We've got about 2 LTC saved up, and we need to determine how best to use it.<br />
<br />
Litecoin could be worth a lot some day. Right now, 1 Litecoin is worth about $38. That isn't a lot, but keep in mind that Bitcoin, which once fetched those prices, now sells for well over $1,000 per Bitcoin.<br />
<br />
==== Justin's Suggestions: General Guidelines ====<br />
<br />
* The WPLUG treasurer should establish an official WPLUG Litecoin wallet.<br />
* At business meetings, the treasurer should report WPLUG's Litecoin balance in addition to its bank account balance.<br />
* The treasurer should monitor market conditions related to Litecoin and advise the board of directors appropriately.<br />
<br />
==== Justin's Suggestions: Market Guidelines ====<br />
<br />
* Save our Litecoins unless you absolutely have to spend them. Unlike the US dollar, which becomes less valuable over time, cryptocurrencies become more valuable over time.<br />
* People can buy, sell, and trade Bitcoin and Litecoin at cryptocurrency exchanges. Some popular exchanges include Coinbase (my favorite), Bitstamp, and BTE-e.<br />
* Most exchanges don't allow Litecoin to be sold for US dollars since Litecoin isn't very popular. Therefore, if you'd like "cash out" our Litecoin investment, trade the Litecoins for Bitcoins and then sell the Bitcoins.<br />
<br />
___<br />
<br />
* The price of Litecoin tends to follow the price of Bitcoin.<br />
* Watch the news for headline stories related to Bitcoin. When Bitcoin gets exposure, such as a government hearing, it often causes a lot of first-time users to buy BTC, which drives up the price.<br />
* Consequently, a lot of these first-time users sell their holdings shortly afterward when they realize that Bitcoin isn't their golden ticket to prosperity.<br />
* For whatever reason, people who want to sell Bitcoin usually do it on the weekend. If you have to sell, do it during the week.<br />
<br />
== Accepted Reform Package 3 Proposals ==<br />
<br />
* WPLUG has business meetings too often; we recommend having them every other GUM instead of at every GUM.<br />
* WPLUG holds GUMs too often: we recommend having them every other month instead of every month.<br />
* During our "off-months," WPLUG should have a social event.<br />
* Generally, each month should have one activity, be it a GUM or a social event. However, some months could have two events, such as a GUM ''and'' a separate celebration for Software Freedom Day.<br />
* In the interest of consistent programming, each GUM and its corresponding off-month should hold to a particular theme. For instance, someone could give a presentation about becoming involved with the Linux community at a GUM, and the following month, we could have a "hackathon" where we work on a community project.</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/Commission_to_Reform_WPLUGCommission to Reform WPLUG2013-12-04T16:03:57Z<p>Centinel: /* Members */</p>
<hr />
<div>The Commission to Reform WPLUG (CRW) is an informal group created to draft proposals that fix long-standing problems in WPLUG. It was created on December 9, 2012.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Purpose ==<br />
<br />
WPLUG is struggling to compete against other technology groups. CRW's purpose is to expedite the reform process so that WPLUG can become competitive again as soon as possible:<br />
<br />
*Update the bylaws<br />
*Chart a new direction for WPLUG<br />
*Explore ways to make WPLUG less formal/political<br />
*Bring WPLUG's resources up to par with current technological standards<br />
<br />
== Operation ==<br />
<br />
CRW has no membership requirements. If you decide to join, add your name to the membership list on this page.<br />
<br />
Each month, CRW gathers its best ideas into a "reform package" that is formally proposed during the following month's WPLUG general user meeting. Ideas can be proposed or voted on at any time, but it is recommended to propose ideas outside of meetings and vote on them during the meetings so that people have time to think before they vote.<br />
<br />
If an idea is approved by a majority of CRW members, it will be added to the current reform package. <br />
<br />
Since CRW is not an official WPLUG organization, it doesn't receive official funding and is not governed by the WPLUG bylaws. Members are encouraged to apply the same "free and flexible" mindset to their deliberations: check your preconceptions at the door, be open-minded, and support the best ideas to reform WPLUG. Everyone who wants to present ideas will have an equal opportunity to do so.<br />
<br />
== Members ==<br />
<br />
* Justin Smith<br />
* Terry Golightly<br />
* Pat Barron<br />
* Vance Kochenderfer<br />
* Joseph Prostko<br />
* Stanley Slomberg<br />
<br />
== Meeting Logs ==<br />
<br />
[http://wplug.org/w/images/4/48/Wplug-2012-12-15.txt Saturday, December 15, 2012]<br />
<br />
[http://wplug.org/w/images/8/83/Wplug_2012-12-20.txt Thursday, December 20, 2012]<br />
<br />
[http://www.wplug.org/w/images/1/17/CRW_meeting_3-28-13.txt Thursday, March 28, 2013]<br />
<br />
[http://www.wplug.org/w/images/d/d0/CRW_6-30-13.txt Sunday, June 30, 2013]<br />
<br />
== Upcoming Meetings ==<br />
<br />
None at this time.<br />
<br />
== Reform Package History ==<br />
<br />
[[CRW Discussion Archives]]<br />
<br />
[[CRW Reform Packages]]<br />
<br />
'''Reform Package 1:''' Bylaw changes, presented at January 2013 GUM.<br />
<br />
'''Reform Package 2:''' WPLUG's general direction, to be presented at February 2013 GUM.<br />
<br />
'''Reform Package 3:''' WPLUG's operational policy, such as frequency of meetings and how to manage WPLUG's Litecoin assets now that we participate in cryptocurrency mining. To be presented at January 2014 GUM.<br />
<br />
== Reform Package 3 Ideas ==<br />
<br />
=== Justin Smith ===<br />
<br />
Last year, WPLUG started mining Litecoins as a new source of income. Since cryptocurrency isn't managed in the same way that US dollars are, we on the Commission to Reform WPLUG (CRW) agree that future board members may be confused about how to best use it. Therefore, we recommend drafting a set of guidelines that will help future boards manage WPLUG's cryptocurrency assets. It should be a series of non-binding suggestions similar to WPLUG's Board of Directors transition checklist.<br />
<br />
I will begin by providing on overview of what Bitcoin, Litecoin, and cryptocurrency mining are, followed by a few of my own suggestions.<br />
<br />
==== What is Bitcoin? ====<br />
<br />
Bitcoin is a digital currency based on open source software. It was developed in 2009 by someone (or several people) under the alias "Satoshi Nakamoto." In 2010, Satoshi withdrew from public life, and nobody has heard from him ever since. His identity remains a mystery.<br />
<br />
It's easier to understand Bitcoin if you compare it to the US dollar, so let's start with that. <br />
<br />
When you make a typical purchase using US dollars, there are typically several "layers" to your transaction: <br />
<br />
* Dollars in your possession.<br />
* A bank account to hold your money. You have to abide by the bank's regulations and processing fees.<br />
* A credit card or debit card to help you send your money electronically. You have to abide by the card's regulations and processing fees.<br />
* A central authority such as PayPal that processes each transaction and protects against fraud. You have to abide by the central authority's regulations and processing fees.<br />
<br />
Now let's compare that how a transaction would proceed with Bitcion:<br />
<br />
* Bitcoins in your possession. <br />
* There is no need for a bank account because Bitcoins are stored on your computer in a file called a "digital wallet." <br />
* There is no need for a credit card or debit card because Bitcoins were designed to be sent electronically. They're sent directly from person to person over the Internet.<br />
* There is no central authority such as PayPal to process transactions. Instead, a worldwide network of computer operators processes Bitcoin payments in exchange for a processing fee. People who process Bitcoin payments are called "Bitcoin miners." <br />
<br />
As you can see, Bitcoin compresses the four layers of dollar-based transactions into one. It's simpler, less regulated, and less expensive to use. In addition to the features mentioned above, Bitcoin is impossible to counterfeit, your assets cannot be frozen, and there are no charge-backs. There's a lot to like.<br />
<br />
Bitcoin is called a "cryptocurrency" because it relies on cryptographic security algorithms to validate transactions. Its slogan, ''Vires in Numeris'', means "strength in numbers."<br />
<br />
==== What is mining? ====<br />
<br />
In cryptocurrency mining, computer operators compete against each other for the privilege of processing each block of Bitcoin transactions and earning its processing fees. They work to solve a very difficult math problem, and the person who solves it first gets to process the block. Therefore, the more processing power you have, the more competitive you are in Bitcoin mining. <br />
<br />
(Each block is posted to a public ledger of transactions called the blockchain. Miners refer to the blockchain to make sure that every transaction is legitimate.)<br />
<br />
Some people link their computers together in a cooperative group called a "mining pool." This helps small operators compete against larger ones.<br />
<br />
==== What is Litecoin? ====<br />
<br />
Remember how I said that Bitcoin is open source? Litecoin (LTC) is a fork of Bitcoin. It's identical in most respects except that Litecoin payments can be processed a bit faster. Litecoin is also considerably less popular than Bitcoin, which means that there are fewer people to compete against in mining.<br />
<br />
WPLUG is currently using about half of its processing power on the WPLUG.org server to mine Litecoin. We've got about 2 LTC saved up, and we need to determine how best to use it.<br />
<br />
Litecoin could be worth a lot some day. Right now, 1 Litecoin is worth about $38. That isn't a lot, but keep in mind that Bitcoin, which once fetched those prices, now sells for well over $1,000 per Bitcoin.<br />
<br />
==== Justin's Suggestions: General Guidelines ====<br />
<br />
* The WPLUG treasurer should establish an official WPLUG Litecoin wallet.<br />
* At business meetings, the treasurer should report WPLUG's Litecoin balance in addition to its bank account balance.<br />
* The treasurer should monitor market conditions related to Litecoin and advise the board of directors appropriately.<br />
<br />
==== Justin's Suggestions: Market Guidelines ====<br />
<br />
* Save our Litecoins unless you absolutely have to spend them. Unlike the US dollar, which becomes less valuable over time, cryptocurrencies become more valuable over time.<br />
* People can buy, sell, and trade Bitcoin and Litecoin at cryptocurrency exchanges. Some popular exchanges include Coinbase (my favorite), Bitstamp, and BTE-e.<br />
* Most exchanges don't allow Litecoin to be sold for US dollars since Litecoin isn't very popular. Therefore, if you'd like "cash out" our Litecoin investment, trade the Litecoins for Bitcoins and then sell the Bitcoins.<br />
<br />
___<br />
<br />
* The price of Litecoin tends to follow the price of Bitcoin.<br />
* Watch the news for headline stories related to Bitcoin. When Bitcoin gets exposure, such as a government hearing, it often causes a lot of first-time users to buy BTC, which drives up the price.<br />
* Consequently, a lot of these first-time users sell their holdings shortly afterward when they realize that Bitcoin isn't their golden ticket to prosperity.<br />
* For whatever reason, people who want to sell Bitcoin usually do it on the weekend. If you have to sell, do it during the week.<br />
<br />
== Accepted Reform Package 3 Proposals ==<br />
<br />
* WPLUG has business meetings too often; we recommend having them every other GUM instead of at every GUM.<br />
* WPLUG holds GUMs too often: we recommend having them every other month instead of every month.<br />
* During our "off-months," WPLUG should have a social event.<br />
* Generally, each month should have one activity, be it a GUM or a social event. However, some months could have two events, such as a GUM ''and'' a separate celebration for Software Freedom Day.<br />
* In the interest of consistent programming, each GUM and its corresponding off-month should hold to a particular theme. For instance, someone could give a presentation about becoming involved with the Linux community at a GUM, and the following month, we could have a "hackathon" where we work on a community project.</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/Commission_to_Reform_WPLUGCommission to Reform WPLUG2013-12-04T16:03:37Z<p>Centinel: /* Accepted Reform Package 3 Proposals */</p>
<hr />
<div>The Commission to Reform WPLUG (CRW) is an informal group created to draft proposals that fix long-standing problems in WPLUG. It was created on December 9, 2012.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Purpose ==<br />
<br />
WPLUG is struggling to compete against other technology groups. CRW's purpose is to expedite the reform process so that WPLUG can become competitive again as soon as possible:<br />
<br />
*Update the bylaws<br />
*Chart a new direction for WPLUG<br />
*Explore ways to make WPLUG less formal/political<br />
*Bring WPLUG's resources up to par with current technological standards<br />
<br />
== Operation ==<br />
<br />
CRW has no membership requirements. If you decide to join, add your name to the membership list on this page.<br />
<br />
Each month, CRW gathers its best ideas into a "reform package" that is formally proposed during the following month's WPLUG general user meeting. Ideas can be proposed or voted on at any time, but it is recommended to propose ideas outside of meetings and vote on them during the meetings so that people have time to think before they vote.<br />
<br />
If an idea is approved by a majority of CRW members, it will be added to the current reform package. <br />
<br />
Since CRW is not an official WPLUG organization, it doesn't receive official funding and is not governed by the WPLUG bylaws. Members are encouraged to apply the same "free and flexible" mindset to their deliberations: check your preconceptions at the door, be open-minded, and support the best ideas to reform WPLUG. Everyone who wants to present ideas will have an equal opportunity to do so.<br />
<br />
== Members ==<br />
<br />
* Justin Smith<br />
* Terry Golightly<br />
* Pat Barron<br />
* Vance Kochenderfer<br />
* Joseph Prostko<br />
<br />
== Meeting Logs ==<br />
<br />
[http://wplug.org/w/images/4/48/Wplug-2012-12-15.txt Saturday, December 15, 2012]<br />
<br />
[http://wplug.org/w/images/8/83/Wplug_2012-12-20.txt Thursday, December 20, 2012]<br />
<br />
[http://www.wplug.org/w/images/1/17/CRW_meeting_3-28-13.txt Thursday, March 28, 2013]<br />
<br />
[http://www.wplug.org/w/images/d/d0/CRW_6-30-13.txt Sunday, June 30, 2013]<br />
<br />
== Upcoming Meetings ==<br />
<br />
None at this time.<br />
<br />
== Reform Package History ==<br />
<br />
[[CRW Discussion Archives]]<br />
<br />
[[CRW Reform Packages]]<br />
<br />
'''Reform Package 1:''' Bylaw changes, presented at January 2013 GUM.<br />
<br />
'''Reform Package 2:''' WPLUG's general direction, to be presented at February 2013 GUM.<br />
<br />
'''Reform Package 3:''' WPLUG's operational policy, such as frequency of meetings and how to manage WPLUG's Litecoin assets now that we participate in cryptocurrency mining. To be presented at January 2014 GUM.<br />
<br />
== Reform Package 3 Ideas ==<br />
<br />
=== Justin Smith ===<br />
<br />
Last year, WPLUG started mining Litecoins as a new source of income. Since cryptocurrency isn't managed in the same way that US dollars are, we on the Commission to Reform WPLUG (CRW) agree that future board members may be confused about how to best use it. Therefore, we recommend drafting a set of guidelines that will help future boards manage WPLUG's cryptocurrency assets. It should be a series of non-binding suggestions similar to WPLUG's Board of Directors transition checklist.<br />
<br />
I will begin by providing on overview of what Bitcoin, Litecoin, and cryptocurrency mining are, followed by a few of my own suggestions.<br />
<br />
==== What is Bitcoin? ====<br />
<br />
Bitcoin is a digital currency based on open source software. It was developed in 2009 by someone (or several people) under the alias "Satoshi Nakamoto." In 2010, Satoshi withdrew from public life, and nobody has heard from him ever since. His identity remains a mystery.<br />
<br />
It's easier to understand Bitcoin if you compare it to the US dollar, so let's start with that. <br />
<br />
When you make a typical purchase using US dollars, there are typically several "layers" to your transaction: <br />
<br />
* Dollars in your possession.<br />
* A bank account to hold your money. You have to abide by the bank's regulations and processing fees.<br />
* A credit card or debit card to help you send your money electronically. You have to abide by the card's regulations and processing fees.<br />
* A central authority such as PayPal that processes each transaction and protects against fraud. You have to abide by the central authority's regulations and processing fees.<br />
<br />
Now let's compare that how a transaction would proceed with Bitcion:<br />
<br />
* Bitcoins in your possession. <br />
* There is no need for a bank account because Bitcoins are stored on your computer in a file called a "digital wallet." <br />
* There is no need for a credit card or debit card because Bitcoins were designed to be sent electronically. They're sent directly from person to person over the Internet.<br />
* There is no central authority such as PayPal to process transactions. Instead, a worldwide network of computer operators processes Bitcoin payments in exchange for a processing fee. People who process Bitcoin payments are called "Bitcoin miners." <br />
<br />
As you can see, Bitcoin compresses the four layers of dollar-based transactions into one. It's simpler, less regulated, and less expensive to use. In addition to the features mentioned above, Bitcoin is impossible to counterfeit, your assets cannot be frozen, and there are no charge-backs. There's a lot to like.<br />
<br />
Bitcoin is called a "cryptocurrency" because it relies on cryptographic security algorithms to validate transactions. Its slogan, ''Vires in Numeris'', means "strength in numbers."<br />
<br />
==== What is mining? ====<br />
<br />
In cryptocurrency mining, computer operators compete against each other for the privilege of processing each block of Bitcoin transactions and earning its processing fees. They work to solve a very difficult math problem, and the person who solves it first gets to process the block. Therefore, the more processing power you have, the more competitive you are in Bitcoin mining. <br />
<br />
(Each block is posted to a public ledger of transactions called the blockchain. Miners refer to the blockchain to make sure that every transaction is legitimate.)<br />
<br />
Some people link their computers together in a cooperative group called a "mining pool." This helps small operators compete against larger ones.<br />
<br />
==== What is Litecoin? ====<br />
<br />
Remember how I said that Bitcoin is open source? Litecoin (LTC) is a fork of Bitcoin. It's identical in most respects except that Litecoin payments can be processed a bit faster. Litecoin is also considerably less popular than Bitcoin, which means that there are fewer people to compete against in mining.<br />
<br />
WPLUG is currently using about half of its processing power on the WPLUG.org server to mine Litecoin. We've got about 2 LTC saved up, and we need to determine how best to use it.<br />
<br />
Litecoin could be worth a lot some day. Right now, 1 Litecoin is worth about $38. That isn't a lot, but keep in mind that Bitcoin, which once fetched those prices, now sells for well over $1,000 per Bitcoin.<br />
<br />
==== Justin's Suggestions: General Guidelines ====<br />
<br />
* The WPLUG treasurer should establish an official WPLUG Litecoin wallet.<br />
* At business meetings, the treasurer should report WPLUG's Litecoin balance in addition to its bank account balance.<br />
* The treasurer should monitor market conditions related to Litecoin and advise the board of directors appropriately.<br />
<br />
==== Justin's Suggestions: Market Guidelines ====<br />
<br />
* Save our Litecoins unless you absolutely have to spend them. Unlike the US dollar, which becomes less valuable over time, cryptocurrencies become more valuable over time.<br />
* People can buy, sell, and trade Bitcoin and Litecoin at cryptocurrency exchanges. Some popular exchanges include Coinbase (my favorite), Bitstamp, and BTE-e.<br />
* Most exchanges don't allow Litecoin to be sold for US dollars since Litecoin isn't very popular. Therefore, if you'd like "cash out" our Litecoin investment, trade the Litecoins for Bitcoins and then sell the Bitcoins.<br />
<br />
___<br />
<br />
* The price of Litecoin tends to follow the price of Bitcoin.<br />
* Watch the news for headline stories related to Bitcoin. When Bitcoin gets exposure, such as a government hearing, it often causes a lot of first-time users to buy BTC, which drives up the price.<br />
* Consequently, a lot of these first-time users sell their holdings shortly afterward when they realize that Bitcoin isn't their golden ticket to prosperity.<br />
* For whatever reason, people who want to sell Bitcoin usually do it on the weekend. If you have to sell, do it during the week.<br />
<br />
== Accepted Reform Package 3 Proposals ==<br />
<br />
* WPLUG has business meetings too often; we recommend having them every other GUM instead of at every GUM.<br />
* WPLUG holds GUMs too often: we recommend having them every other month instead of every month.<br />
* During our "off-months," WPLUG should have a social event.<br />
* Generally, each month should have one activity, be it a GUM or a social event. However, some months could have two events, such as a GUM ''and'' a separate celebration for Software Freedom Day.<br />
* In the interest of consistent programming, each GUM and its corresponding off-month should hold to a particular theme. For instance, someone could give a presentation about becoming involved with the Linux community at a GUM, and the following month, we could have a "hackathon" where we work on a community project.</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/Commission_to_Reform_WPLUGCommission to Reform WPLUG2013-12-04T16:03:15Z<p>Centinel: /* Reform Package 3 Ideas */ Cleared out old discussion and made way for cryptocurrency discussion.</p>
<hr />
<div>The Commission to Reform WPLUG (CRW) is an informal group created to draft proposals that fix long-standing problems in WPLUG. It was created on December 9, 2012.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Purpose ==<br />
<br />
WPLUG is struggling to compete against other technology groups. CRW's purpose is to expedite the reform process so that WPLUG can become competitive again as soon as possible:<br />
<br />
*Update the bylaws<br />
*Chart a new direction for WPLUG<br />
*Explore ways to make WPLUG less formal/political<br />
*Bring WPLUG's resources up to par with current technological standards<br />
<br />
== Operation ==<br />
<br />
CRW has no membership requirements. If you decide to join, add your name to the membership list on this page.<br />
<br />
Each month, CRW gathers its best ideas into a "reform package" that is formally proposed during the following month's WPLUG general user meeting. Ideas can be proposed or voted on at any time, but it is recommended to propose ideas outside of meetings and vote on them during the meetings so that people have time to think before they vote.<br />
<br />
If an idea is approved by a majority of CRW members, it will be added to the current reform package. <br />
<br />
Since CRW is not an official WPLUG organization, it doesn't receive official funding and is not governed by the WPLUG bylaws. Members are encouraged to apply the same "free and flexible" mindset to their deliberations: check your preconceptions at the door, be open-minded, and support the best ideas to reform WPLUG. Everyone who wants to present ideas will have an equal opportunity to do so.<br />
<br />
== Members ==<br />
<br />
* Justin Smith<br />
* Terry Golightly<br />
* Pat Barron<br />
* Vance Kochenderfer<br />
* Joseph Prostko<br />
<br />
== Meeting Logs ==<br />
<br />
[http://wplug.org/w/images/4/48/Wplug-2012-12-15.txt Saturday, December 15, 2012]<br />
<br />
[http://wplug.org/w/images/8/83/Wplug_2012-12-20.txt Thursday, December 20, 2012]<br />
<br />
[http://www.wplug.org/w/images/1/17/CRW_meeting_3-28-13.txt Thursday, March 28, 2013]<br />
<br />
[http://www.wplug.org/w/images/d/d0/CRW_6-30-13.txt Sunday, June 30, 2013]<br />
<br />
== Upcoming Meetings ==<br />
<br />
None at this time.<br />
<br />
== Reform Package History ==<br />
<br />
[[CRW Discussion Archives]]<br />
<br />
[[CRW Reform Packages]]<br />
<br />
'''Reform Package 1:''' Bylaw changes, presented at January 2013 GUM.<br />
<br />
'''Reform Package 2:''' WPLUG's general direction, to be presented at February 2013 GUM.<br />
<br />
'''Reform Package 3:''' WPLUG's operational policy, such as frequency of meetings and how to manage WPLUG's Litecoin assets now that we participate in cryptocurrency mining. To be presented at January 2014 GUM.<br />
<br />
== Reform Package 3 Ideas ==<br />
<br />
=== Justin Smith ===<br />
<br />
Last year, WPLUG started mining Litecoins as a new source of income. Since cryptocurrency isn't managed in the same way that US dollars are, we on the Commission to Reform WPLUG (CRW) agree that future board members may be confused about how to best use it. Therefore, we recommend drafting a set of guidelines that will help future boards manage WPLUG's cryptocurrency assets. It should be a series of non-binding suggestions similar to WPLUG's Board of Directors transition checklist.<br />
<br />
I will begin by providing on overview of what Bitcoin, Litecoin, and cryptocurrency mining are, followed by a few of my own suggestions.<br />
<br />
==== What is Bitcoin? ====<br />
<br />
Bitcoin is a digital currency based on open source software. It was developed in 2009 by someone (or several people) under the alias "Satoshi Nakamoto." In 2010, Satoshi withdrew from public life, and nobody has heard from him ever since. His identity remains a mystery.<br />
<br />
It's easier to understand Bitcoin if you compare it to the US dollar, so let's start with that. <br />
<br />
When you make a typical purchase using US dollars, there are typically several "layers" to your transaction: <br />
<br />
* Dollars in your possession.<br />
* A bank account to hold your money. You have to abide by the bank's regulations and processing fees.<br />
* A credit card or debit card to help you send your money electronically. You have to abide by the card's regulations and processing fees.<br />
* A central authority such as PayPal that processes each transaction and protects against fraud. You have to abide by the central authority's regulations and processing fees.<br />
<br />
Now let's compare that how a transaction would proceed with Bitcion:<br />
<br />
* Bitcoins in your possession. <br />
* There is no need for a bank account because Bitcoins are stored on your computer in a file called a "digital wallet." <br />
* There is no need for a credit card or debit card because Bitcoins were designed to be sent electronically. They're sent directly from person to person over the Internet.<br />
* There is no central authority such as PayPal to process transactions. Instead, a worldwide network of computer operators processes Bitcoin payments in exchange for a processing fee. People who process Bitcoin payments are called "Bitcoin miners." <br />
<br />
As you can see, Bitcoin compresses the four layers of dollar-based transactions into one. It's simpler, less regulated, and less expensive to use. In addition to the features mentioned above, Bitcoin is impossible to counterfeit, your assets cannot be frozen, and there are no charge-backs. There's a lot to like.<br />
<br />
Bitcoin is called a "cryptocurrency" because it relies on cryptographic security algorithms to validate transactions. Its slogan, ''Vires in Numeris'', means "strength in numbers."<br />
<br />
==== What is mining? ====<br />
<br />
In cryptocurrency mining, computer operators compete against each other for the privilege of processing each block of Bitcoin transactions and earning its processing fees. They work to solve a very difficult math problem, and the person who solves it first gets to process the block. Therefore, the more processing power you have, the more competitive you are in Bitcoin mining. <br />
<br />
(Each block is posted to a public ledger of transactions called the blockchain. Miners refer to the blockchain to make sure that every transaction is legitimate.)<br />
<br />
Some people link their computers together in a cooperative group called a "mining pool." This helps small operators compete against larger ones.<br />
<br />
==== What is Litecoin? ====<br />
<br />
Remember how I said that Bitcoin is open source? Litecoin (LTC) is a fork of Bitcoin. It's identical in most respects except that Litecoin payments can be processed a bit faster. Litecoin is also considerably less popular than Bitcoin, which means that there are fewer people to compete against in mining.<br />
<br />
WPLUG is currently using about half of its processing power on the WPLUG.org server to mine Litecoin. We've got about 2 LTC saved up, and we need to determine how best to use it.<br />
<br />
Litecoin could be worth a lot some day. Right now, 1 Litecoin is worth about $38. That isn't a lot, but keep in mind that Bitcoin, which once fetched those prices, now sells for well over $1,000 per Bitcoin.<br />
<br />
==== Justin's Suggestions: General Guidelines ====<br />
<br />
* The WPLUG treasurer should establish an official WPLUG Litecoin wallet.<br />
* At business meetings, the treasurer should report WPLUG's Litecoin balance in addition to its bank account balance.<br />
* The treasurer should monitor market conditions related to Litecoin and advise the board of directors appropriately.<br />
<br />
==== Justin's Suggestions: Market Guidelines ====<br />
<br />
* Save our Litecoins unless you absolutely have to spend them. Unlike the US dollar, which becomes less valuable over time, cryptocurrencies become more valuable over time.<br />
* People can buy, sell, and trade Bitcoin and Litecoin at cryptocurrency exchanges. Some popular exchanges include Coinbase (my favorite), Bitstamp, and BTE-e.<br />
* Most exchanges don't allow Litecoin to be sold for US dollars since Litecoin isn't very popular. Therefore, if you'd like "cash out" our Litecoin investment, trade the Litecoins for Bitcoins and then sell the Bitcoins.<br />
<br />
___<br />
<br />
* The price of Litecoin tends to follow the price of Bitcoin.<br />
* Watch the news for headline stories related to Bitcoin. When Bitcoin gets exposure, such as a government hearing, it often causes a lot of first-time users to buy BTC, which drives up the price.<br />
* Consequently, a lot of these first-time users sell their holdings shortly afterward when they realize that Bitcoin isn't their golden ticket to prosperity.<br />
* For whatever reason, people who want to sell Bitcoin usually do it on the weekend. If you have to sell, do it during the week.<br />
<br />
== Accepted Reform Package 3 Proposals ==<br />
<br />
-WPLUG has business meetings too often; we recommend having them every other GUM instead of at every GUM.<br />
-WPLUG holds GUMs too often: we recommend having them every other month instead of every month.<br />
-During our "off-months," WPLUG should have a social event.<br />
-Generally, each month should have one activity, be it a GUM or a social event. However, some months could have two events, such as a GUM ''and'' a separate celebration for Software Freedom Day.<br />
-In the interest of consistent programming, each GUM and its corresponding off-month should hold to a particular theme. For instance, someone could give a presentation about becoming involved with the Linux community at a GUM, and the following month, we could have a "hackathon" where we work on a community project.</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/Commission_to_Reform_WPLUGCommission to Reform WPLUG2013-12-04T14:17:29Z<p>Centinel: /* Reform Package History */ Updated RP3 description.</p>
<hr />
<div>The Commission to Reform WPLUG (CRW) is an informal group created to draft proposals that fix long-standing problems in WPLUG. It was created on December 9, 2012.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Purpose ==<br />
<br />
WPLUG is struggling to compete against other technology groups. CRW's purpose is to expedite the reform process so that WPLUG can become competitive again as soon as possible:<br />
<br />
*Update the bylaws<br />
*Chart a new direction for WPLUG<br />
*Explore ways to make WPLUG less formal/political<br />
*Bring WPLUG's resources up to par with current technological standards<br />
<br />
== Operation ==<br />
<br />
CRW has no membership requirements. If you decide to join, add your name to the membership list on this page.<br />
<br />
Each month, CRW gathers its best ideas into a "reform package" that is formally proposed during the following month's WPLUG general user meeting. Ideas can be proposed or voted on at any time, but it is recommended to propose ideas outside of meetings and vote on them during the meetings so that people have time to think before they vote.<br />
<br />
If an idea is approved by a majority of CRW members, it will be added to the current reform package. <br />
<br />
Since CRW is not an official WPLUG organization, it doesn't receive official funding and is not governed by the WPLUG bylaws. Members are encouraged to apply the same "free and flexible" mindset to their deliberations: check your preconceptions at the door, be open-minded, and support the best ideas to reform WPLUG. Everyone who wants to present ideas will have an equal opportunity to do so.<br />
<br />
== Members ==<br />
<br />
* Justin Smith<br />
* Terry Golightly<br />
* Pat Barron<br />
* Vance Kochenderfer<br />
* Joseph Prostko<br />
<br />
== Meeting Logs ==<br />
<br />
[http://wplug.org/w/images/4/48/Wplug-2012-12-15.txt Saturday, December 15, 2012]<br />
<br />
[http://wplug.org/w/images/8/83/Wplug_2012-12-20.txt Thursday, December 20, 2012]<br />
<br />
[http://www.wplug.org/w/images/1/17/CRW_meeting_3-28-13.txt Thursday, March 28, 2013]<br />
<br />
[http://www.wplug.org/w/images/d/d0/CRW_6-30-13.txt Sunday, June 30, 2013]<br />
<br />
== Upcoming Meetings ==<br />
<br />
None at this time.<br />
<br />
== Reform Package History ==<br />
<br />
[[CRW Discussion Archives]]<br />
<br />
[[CRW Reform Packages]]<br />
<br />
'''Reform Package 1:''' Bylaw changes, presented at January 2013 GUM.<br />
<br />
'''Reform Package 2:''' WPLUG's general direction, to be presented at February 2013 GUM.<br />
<br />
'''Reform Package 3:''' WPLUG's operational policy, such as frequency of meetings and how to manage WPLUG's Litecoin assets now that we participate in cryptocurrency mining. To be presented at January 2014 GUM.<br />
<br />
== Reform Package 3 Ideas ==<br />
<br />
=== Vance Kochenderfer ===<br />
<br />
==== Event frequency ====<br />
<br />
In my view, WPLUG needs to have at least one event per month. Even better is if we can have three or four months with two events (say, September with Software Freedom Day and another event).<br />
<br />
==== Types of events ====<br />
<br />
There need not be a General User Meeting (GUM) each month. I think some variety encourages different types of people to attend. [[InstallFest|Installfests]] and social events are acceptable. I do think the GUM is the long-standing "standard" event, and we should probably shoot for at least six of these in a given year.<br />
<br />
==== Meeting [[Venues|venues]] ====<br />
<br />
I really am a fan of the [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]. I recognize that they charge for room use, and that there are fewer public transportation options. The big difference to me is that we are welcomed there, rather than simply tolerated as was the case at CMU, and it serves as a stable home base. Carnegie Library is OK for occasional events, but AFAIK will not permit us to hold all our meetings there.<br />
<br />
A company or university meeting room is a fine location, but relies on having a person connected with that company or university to secure it for us. I'm glad Pat has been able to get us into IBM, but attendance doesn't seem to have been very high there - despite survey comments, I don't think the downtown location is preferred over Regent Square by our audience.<br />
<br />
If we are facing cash flow problems with the small amount WSCC charges for rooms, I'm happy to pony up for that, and we can solicit contributions in addition to membership dues.<br />
<br />
- [[User:Vance|Vance]] ([[User talk:Vance|talk]]) 02:30, 26 November 2013 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Justin Smith ===<br />
<br />
The way I see it, we've got three main problems.<br />
<br />
====Too many GUMs====<br />
<br />
Having formal meetings on a monthly basis is fine if you've got people clamoring to present, but we don't. Therefore, I think we'd do well to have them once every 2-4 months. Since we're not sure how people would react to the social events I presume we'd be filling our off-months with, I recommend taking a conservative approach. Let's start with having GUMs every other month and see how that goes. If it's still too often, we can increase the interval to once every three months.<br />
<br />
====Event planning takes too long====<br />
<br />
We should be mindful of how long our event planning takes. Every time we want to hold an event, we have to start planning from scratch because we don't carry over themes from one event to the next. That's inefficient, and it isn't easy on our already-limited resources. Instead, let's split up the year into blocks of two months (or however often we agree to hold GUMs) and agree that all events in a given block will follow a given theme. We can either hold social events that build up to a GUM or hold a GUM and then have social events that build on the idea that was presented.<br />
<br />
====Not enough cohesion between events====<br />
<br />
For instance, let's say our theme for the January-February block is running your own Linux server. (This is an example, not a suggestion.) Someone gives a presentation about the uses for a Linux VPS and leaves people with suggestions for providers they can use to get started. (This is also an opportunity for us to earn commissions - just saying!) At the end of January, we hold an IRC chat session where people can come in and talk about how they're doing so far. In February, we hold a "Project Night" at some physical location where people come in and work on VPS stuff together - kind of like we did at the last GUM, except it's more targeted.<br />
<br />
Remember how we were talking about holding classes? I still don't think we have the resources to do that, but linking events together might give us some of the same appeal. We'd be taking the time to really drive home particular topics. Maybe that would make people more likely to attend!<br />
<br />
=== Pat Barron ===<br />
<br />
==== GUMs, Events, and Business Meetings ====<br />
<br />
I believe there is some confusion among potential attendees about what they are going to encounter when they attend one of our events - particularly among those potential attendees who aren't fans of a lot of "rules", and don't want to sit through a business meeting. I think there isn't sufficient awareness that we don't hold a business meeting at every GUM (the Bylaws now require us to have only one business meeting per year, though I in no way recommend that - I think we should have a business meeting at least quarterly). Even on occasions when we don't hold a business meeting, I think it should be made completely clear in the schedule when the business meeting starts, and when it ends (and we need to stick to it) - and, we should have a specific committed time when the technical or event programming starts, and emphasize in the meeting announcement that non-members (and members who simply don't want to attend a business meeting) need not arrive until the time designated for the programming to start. Even though this is normally listed in the event schedule, I believe we should actively emphasize it in our meeting announcements.<br />
<br />
==== Not enough programming content ====<br />
<br />
I don't think it's necessarily the case that we hold too many GUMs, and it would certainly be my preference to hold one event per month on a reliably predictable schedule. However, I don't think we should even attempt to hold an event if we don't have some kind of solid programming. If we're coming up on a "normal" GUM date and don't have a solid program already booked, we're probably better off just not having the GUM at all.<br />
<br />
==== Too much programming when we do have programming ====<br />
<br />
We shouldn't try to stuff too much programming into a given event. Unless we're doing a lightning talk event (where we really do need to enforce a hard time limit - the entire concept of lightning talks is almost a "game", where you see if you can get enough content into the very limited timeframe available, that's actually part of the fun of it...), I don't think we should ever program more than one speaker or presentation per GUM. This is especially important when we're meeting at a facility like WSCC, where "time is money" and we really do have a hard stop time. Plus, from a speaker perspective, it is not particularly desirable to a potential speaker to have to sit through another speaker's presentation before doing his or her own presentation.<br />
<br />
If we find ourselves in the unusual situation where we have multiple presentations that could potentially go on during a given GUM, we should do our best to push the "extra" presentations out to future GUMs.<br />
<br />
==== Consistency in event announcements ====<br />
<br />
There should be an event announcement each month, without fail. Even if the announcement is, "We're not holding an event this month". At least this reassures people that we're still here, and thinking about the event schedule - and reminds them that we do hold events, even if we're not having one during that specific month.<br />
<br />
==== Event planning cycles are much too short ====<br />
<br />
This may just be another way of stating Justin's point about "Event planning takes too long" - it's not that it takes too long, it's that we don't acknowledge how long it really takes. We seem to be in a pattern of not really starting to plan most GUMs until the board meeting immediately preceding that GUM. If the board is sitting in a meeting hashing out, "So, are we going to have a GUM next month, and if so, what should it be?", then we're doing it wrong... My view has long been, at the time we hold a GUM, we should already know what's on the program for the *next* GUM (speaker or program committed, venue booked, program already announced to the membership, etc.) - and, preferably, the one after that too. I know, this is much easier said than done - as has already been noted, we aren't exactly overflowing with programming available to offer. But establishing a longer event planning cycle should be a goal.<br />
<br />
==== Venues - positive and negative ====<br />
<br />
I have some comments about meeting venues that, for various reasons, I think are more appropriate to share outside of this forum. Check your e-mail.<br />
<br />
Ultimately, though, the primary advantage I see regarding meeting at WSCC is that providing meeting space is what they do. That's their mission. One of the biggest problems with "borrowed" space is that such space is controlled by organizations who have no investment in WPLUG, and whose primary missions don't align with WPLUG's mission. For all kinds of reasons - for example, we lose our "internal advocate" within that organization, or they just have something come up that's more aligned with their mission - we're always at risk of losing such space on very short notice, or even on no notice at all. We're simply not important to them. Oh, of course, we're not *anti-important* to them, they wish us no ill will or anything. It's just that, they larger organizations who control these spaces don't care about WPLUG, per se - we're not on their radar, at all. At best, such organizations let us use such space on the basis of, "if it's not inconvenient for us". At worst, we may become inconvenient, or even somewhat annoying, to other organizations who permit us to use their space.<br />
<br />
==== Make sure the venue is on board ====<br />
<br />
One thing we need to keep in mind, as we plan alternate events (such as social events and such) that might take place at a public venue - we absolutely must engage with the venue to make sure that we are welcome, and that they are willing to accommodate us, and we need to do this before any announcement is made of the event or the venue. This is a mistake that we made with the failed bowling event, which we don't want to repeat - we showed up unannounced, assuming the venue would surely be happy to accommodate us - and, as it turned out, they weren't.<br />
<br />
==== Remember that there is an Event Committee ====<br />
<br />
Section 7.2 of the Bylaws gives the Event Committee the authority to plan events in the name of the organization. The full board doesn't need to be involved with, and approve, each event. This is, of course, more important in an environment where the Event Committee is not a proper subset of the board (which it now is for the first time, I think, in the last three years), and particularly if we can get more people involved. The reason I point this out is that of late, the event planning cycle has mostly been demarcated by board meetings, and it doesn't need to be that way. The event committee can hold it's own meetings, on it's own schedule, and we should leverage this (especially, as I said, if we can get additional people involved in event planning).<br />
<br />
=== Vance Kochenderfer (2) ===<br />
<br />
==== Justin - Too many GUMs ====<br />
<br />
I think an every-other-month schedule sounds good for GUMs. Even if we can't decide exactly what will happen in the other months, we should at least develop a plan of what we ''want'' to do.<br />
<br />
==== Justin - Not enough cohesion between events ====<br />
<br />
It's a great idea to link events in this way so they build on each other - especially with employing different formats.<br />
<br />
==== Pat - Business meetings ====<br />
<br />
If there are no proposals for the membership to act on, a business meeting should take no more than ten or twenty minutes. I'm more than happy to go over with the board the basics of a meeting agenda, what is necessary and what is extraneous. I think the schedule we put on the wiki page for each meeting makes the distinction between the business meeting and presentation, but if people think it's not clear enough it could be reinforced.<br />
<br />
==== Pat - Event announcements ====<br />
<br />
A thousand times yes - we need to put out notice well in advance. IMO, a wiki page should be created 3 months before the event, and notice sent to wplug-announce 1 month prior. Even if all the details aren't known, we need to send the signal that we're alive and kicking and get on people's calendars.<br />
<br />
==== Pat - Venues ====<br />
<br />
As above, we need to line up meeting space well ahead of time, otherwise we'll either be denied or get a less-preferable selection. IMO, we should try to reserve now all the space we'll need at the WSCC for 2014.<br />
<br />
=== Justin Smith (2) ===<br />
<br />
==== Event planning ====<br />
<br />
When I said that event planning taking too long, I wasn't trying to say that we should plan in advance. I'm not opposed to planning in advance, but even if we did that, we still have to come up with events from scratch. Last year, that sometimes took us longer than necessary, IMO. Pairing off events into themed blocks would make everything a bit easier and, as Vance noted, have the more important effect of giving WPLUG more consistent and effective programming.<br />
<br />
Limiting GUMs to one speaker seems like a good idea. However, we'd need to have a reliable group of backups ready to go in case the presenter isn't able to come. Since I can't think of any outside parties that would have that level of interest in WPLUG, I think we should consider ourselves the backups. With our combined knowledge, there probably aren't many topics we couldn't fill in for. Let's let others do the heavy lifting in GUMs this year so we can focus on ironing out WPLUG's ongoing problems.<br />
<br />
Social events are only as good as the number of people there. Since our turnout isn't quite where we'd like it to be, maybe we can work with other local groups to hold joint social events. For that matter, I don't see anything wrong with planning joint meetings, either. Either way, more people would be there and it might help us get around our venue limitations: we simply use someone else's. For instance, if we wanted to take up Bitcoin again, we could meet the Pittsburgh Bitcoin Users down at the BeerHive.<br />
<br />
If the Event Committee is willing to take these ideas and run with them, I'm perfectly fine with that. This is merely a discussion forum.<br />
<br />
==== Event announcements ====<br />
<br />
Posting event notices in advance is a good start, but we have to make sure that people actually read them. Some groups, like SNAPGH, give notice about a month in advance but still manage to attract a respectable audience. What are they doing that we aren't? That's probably a topic for another day.<br />
<br />
Don't forget that we can use Twitter for event announcements as well.<br />
<br />
==== Venue ====<br />
<br />
Here's an excerpt from my FAQ for the new WordPress site:<br />
<br />
''Some social groups only use no-cost services or rely on the generosity of a few individuals to pay their bills. Unfortunately, free services and members come and go. We feel that it’s better to offer membership for a low annual fee so that we can afford to deliver consistent quality.''<br />
<br />
That's why I think we're better off using a paid venue as long as we can afford to do so.<br />
<br />
=== Pat Barron ===<br />
<br />
==== Backup presentations ====<br />
<br />
I definitely agree that we should have some "ready to go" backup presentations in our pockets at all times, just in case something goes wrong with a scheduled presentation at the last minute. I have one that I will volunteer to prepare one on OpenAFS (duh! Why didn't I think of that before, I only worked for a company that sold AFS as a product for 10 years... ;-) )<br />
<br />
==== Ideas for social(ish) events ====<br />
<br />
I'm still thinking about ideas for this. One idea for an event that would be good to hold (and would be in line with some of the things we've done in the past) would be a PGP key signing "party".<br />
<br />
==== Venue FAQ ====<br />
<br />
I like Justin's text, I think something like that should definitely be in our FAQ.<br />
<br />
== Accepted Reform Package 3 Proposals ==<br />
<br />
-WPLUG has business meetings too often; we recommend having them every other GUM instead of at every GUM.<br />
-WPLUG holds GUMs too often: we recommend having them every other month instead of every month.<br />
-During our "off-months," WPLUG should have a social event.<br />
-Generally, each month should have one activity, be it a GUM or a social event. However, some months could have two events, such as a GUM ''and'' a separate celebration for Software Freedom Day.<br />
-In the interest of consistent programming, each GUM and its corresponding off-month should hold to a particular theme. For instance, someone could give a presentation about becoming involved with the Linux community at a GUM, and the following month, we could have a "hackathon" where we work on a community project.</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/CRW_Discussion_ArchivesCRW Discussion Archives2013-12-04T14:15:38Z<p>Centinel: Added RP3 discussion.</p>
<hr />
<div>==Reform Package 1==<br />
<br />
=== Pat Barron ===<br />
<br />
''Section 4.5 (Board Meetings)''<br />
<br />
Add new paragraph #3, which reads "Members of the Board may waive notice of any meeting by unanimous consent of all of the Directors. Consent may be manifested by roll call conducted during the meeting for which notice is to be waived, may be delivered in writing to the Secretary prior to the start of the meeting for which notice is to be waived, or may be delivered and recorded prior to the start of the meeting for which notice is to be waived by any means specified by rule for this purpose."<br />
<br />
RATIONALE: Notice requirements for meetings exist (at least in part) to prevent a subset of the Directors from cutting other Directors out of the governance process, by conducting business at meetings called with unreasonably short notice, deliberately timed such that the disenfranchised Directors would not be able to attend. But in the most recent Board term, this caused us endless frustration - many instances of having us in the same place, at the same time, and needing to take some action - but not being able to because the bylaws require business to be conducted at an in-person meeting held on at least 24 hours notice. WPLUG has evolved into an organization whose Directors are spread out over a fairly wide area, and who have jobs and other responsibilities ''(not to imply that prior boards have not had such concerns, of course - more that, at least in the last board, members may be in a different place in their lives than previous boards, and may not have this type of flexibility, especially in view of the geographic dispersion --Pat.)''. So the requirement to travel to an in-person meeting in order to take any action is not conducive to getting things done. It is particularly frustrating when there is an occasion where the Directors find themselves together for other reasons, but can not take any action as a Board at that time because the bylaws don't permit them to conduct an impromptu meeting. The proposed waiver of notice provision solves this problem, while preserving the rights of all of the Directors by requiring unanimous consent to waive notice of the meeting (even if any of the seated Directors are unable to attend the short-notice meeting, they could still agree to waive notice). The last sentence would give us leeway to implement this consent via something like Loomio in the future if we so choose. In my (limited) experience, most organizations operated in this way do implement a provision to waive notice of meetings, I would hope that WPLUG could do so too.<br />
<br />
<br />
''Section 8.4 (Virtual Meetings)''<br />
<br />
Strike paragraph #1 entirely, or perhaps replace it with something that indicates that either in-person meetings or virtual meetings are equally acceptable, and whether a meeting is to be in-person or virtual is at the discretion of the chair of that meeting.<br />
<br />
RATIONALE: This was another huge frustration for us, for similar reasons. Virtual meetings are great for quickly hashing out an urgent topic, if it's not possible or not practical to get everyone together in person. But the bylaws currently require that any virtual meeting be scheduled in advance, during a prior in-person meeting, and requires that consent to a virtual meeting be made by a 2/3 vote (in other words, erects an even higher bar to doing it than the typical majority consent). This effectively makes virtual meetings useless for quick turnaround of urgent issues. I honestly don't understand the rationale for this provision as it stands. My best guess is that it's intended to prevent erecting a barrier to entry to participation - perhaps thinking that all members of the Board, or all members of a Committee, may not have the means or technical knowledge to use one of the allowed virtual meeting technologies, and that the high barrier is designed to protect these people and keep them from being disenfranchised. That may have made sense in 2006. In 2012, I would say that as WPLUG is a technology-focused organization, it is reasonable to expect the leadership of that organization to be comfortable using such technology, and thus virtual meetings should be granted a status equivalent to in-person meetings for all Board and Committee meetings. One thing we did last year was that we implemented another Special Rule of Order that permits virtual meetings via conference call. The rule includes a provision that allows the chair of an in-person meeting, at his/her discretion, to allow someone to an attend an otherwise in-person meeting via conference call; this provision of the rule is technically a circumvention of the bylaws, and fortunately we never had to test it - but we need to clean that up too.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Vance Kochenderfer ===<br />
<br />
Let me preface my remarks by saying that I see my role here as offering interpretation and guidance. It may seem in many cases that I'm trying to throw cold water on people's ideas: sometimes I will be, and at those times I'll explicitly say "that's a bad idea." Otherwise, I am just trying to provide information with no positive or negative judgement implied.<br />
<br />
''Meeting Notice''<br />
<br />
I believe that Robert's Rules (insert reference here when I get my hands on my copy) defines the requirement for notice of a meeting as protecting the rights of absentees. If all members are present at a meeting, then there are no absentees, and therefore no one's rights are violated if a valid notice has not been given. The meeting would be proper, and the business conducted at the meeting is valid. (Note that this applies to any body, whether the Board, a committee, or the full membership.)<br />
<br />
In short, I think the proposed rule is unnecessary. I think in such cases it would be a good idea for the Secretary to record in the minutes that all members were present to document that the meeting was valid despite the lack of notice.<br />
<br />
''Virtual Meetings''<br />
<br />
There is a lot to say on this subject, and apparently the 11th edition of Robert's Rules discusses it in more depth (previous editions simply stated that in-person meetings are the only ones contemplated by the standard rules, and that bodies wishing to conduct other types of meetings must adopt their own rules for doing so). When I get a copy I'll be able to comment further.<br />
<br />
On the 2/3 vote requirement (note that this is 2/3 of those ''voting'' at a Board meeting; not that 2/3 of all Board members must vote in favor), that was chosen as a standard supermajority ratio to prevent meetings being held by methods that would disadvantage a particular Board member. The requirement that an in-person meeting be held first is really a bootstrapping problem; once a valid virtual meeting is called, it can (by 2/3 vote) schedule future virtual meetings. However, once this is not done, you have to revert back to at least one in-person meeting.<br />
<br />
Items to be considered include:<br />
* How much notice must be given (and by what method)?<br />
* How is a member considered to be "present" at the meeting for determining whether the quorum requirement has been met?<br />
* How are motions made? How are subsidiary motions (such as to amend or postpone the pending question) handled?<br />
* How is debate conducted?<br />
* How is voting handled? (Note that in most online options, secret balloting will not be available, but for Board meetings this is not a great loss. Perhaps Loomio offers this; haven't had a chance to look at it yet.)<br />
<br />
You should not feel that a rule needs to be drafted for each one of the points above; in some cases the defaults can be applied sensibly. They just need to be contemplated.<br />
<br />
On the question of the current [[Special_Rules_of_Order#Audio_Conferencing_Virtual_Meetings_Special_Rule_of_Order|Audio Conferencing Virtual Meetings Special Rule of Order]], I think the only conflict between it and the Bylaws exists in the last sentence. It would be perfectly acceptable under the rule to have an audio conference meeting where all members but one were present in the same room. The last sentence, however, is a problem: Robert's Rules requires exceptions to face-to-face meetings to be authorized by the bylaws, and I don't think the bylaws provide the latitude for the rule's provision that the Chair can permit attendance by phone. The solution may be to simply redefine such a meeting to be an audio conference meeting at which most of the members simply happen to be in the same place.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
===Justin Smith===<br />
<br />
Some of what I suggest may seem over-the-top to people who are used to hearing conservative suggestions. I'm an idealist; what I say is generally just an open-ended expression of an underlying principle that I wish to convey. I'm always willing to negotiate on the end result.<br />
<br />
''Section 10: Amendment of Bylaws''<br />
<br />
If we're interested in electronic voting, we should amend <br />
<br />
<br />
''Robert's Rules''<br />
<br />
I believe that our reliance on Robert's Rules contributes to the perception that WPLUG is too formal and structured. We should consider alternatives. Many of my ideas here come from conversations I've had with John.<br />
<br />
* ACCESS<br />
<br />
In many ways, WPLUG operates in accordance with the principles of free software: we allow anyone to come to our meetings, our mailing lists are open to the public, and we use a wiki for our Web site so that everyone can contribute. The principle behind all of this is ''universal access'', and we agree that this is good.<br />
<br />
Using the latest edition of Robert's Rules as our parliamentary authority is in direct conflict with universal access. Members are unable to obtain a copy unless they pay for it, and even if they do, they aren't permitted to redistribute it because it is copyrighted. This is the same business model used by proprietary software.<br />
<br />
Even if you don't care about the ethical aspect, you cannot deny that it's incredibly inconvenient to not have easy access to WPLUG's fundamental rules. If I want to know what the secretary is responsible for, I can't just look it up in the WPLUG wiki; it refers me to Robert's Rules. I can't even look it up on an e-reader because Robert's Rules isn't available as an e-book. Everyone has to buy and rely on a physical book, which is about as old-fashioned and low-tech as it gets.<br />
<br />
Bottom line: everyone should have easy access to WPLUG's rules and the ability to redistribute them.<br />
<br />
* COMPLEXITY<br />
<br />
An organization's rules should be designed with its size in mind.<br />
<br />
Robert's Rules is over 800 pages long because it was originally written to be used by the U.S. Congress. WPLUG has less than 30 members. Do we really need so many regulations?<br />
<br />
* PROPOSED ALTERNATIVES<br />
<br />
1. Replace the outside references to Robert's Rules in our bylaws with actual instructions that are paraphrased from the earlier, public domain editions of Robert's Rules. Place our bylaws under a Creative Commons license. This would solve universal access, but it wouldn't reduce the complexity.<br />
<br />
2. Create a hybrid derivative: do everything in Idea 1, but try to tie in material from Open Space (http://www.communitywiki.org/en/OpenSpace) to make a new system of bylaws that is less formal than Robert's Rules (more encouraging of open discussion) but with more structure than pure Open Space (being able to hold group votes, etc). In particular, I'd be interested to try holding part of a GUM under Open Space rules to see if people like it.<br />
<br />
3. Replace Robert's Rules with a leaner alternative that supports universal access. <br />
<br />
Most of the alternatives seem to be variants on consensus-building. "Consensus," in this context, does not mean unanimous agreement; rather, it means a decision that the group can overwhelmingly "live with." I'm not so sure this would work in our group.<br />
<br />
===Pat Barron (follow-up 12/13/12)===<br />
<br />
With regard to waiver of notice of meetings, if there's a well established "no harm, no foul" doctrine that would cover us in this instance, I would be OK with withdrawing this proposal. What I guess I don't understand well enough is, who has standing to raise a complaint about a meeting conducted like this in violation of the bylaws - who has standing to call "foul"? My concern would be the scenario where an impromptu meeting would be held with no notice, but all directors in attendance, where some decision is taken - later, could a non-Board member of the organization raise a complaint that the meeting was invalid, and the actions taken during that meeting void, because it wasn't held with the notice required by the bylaws?<br />
<br />
With regard to virtual meetings, my ultimate goal would be to have there be absolutely no distinction between virtual meetings and in-person meetings - and in fact, that the norm might be "hybrid meetings", where some parties may attend in person, and some parties may attend from a distance. The bootstrap requirement that says virtual meetings must be announced at a prior meeting limits the usefulness of virtual meetings in one of the very circumstances where they'd be most useful - when something unexpected comes up. As an example, when I first talked to the folks at Hack Pittsburgh about holding a joint event with them, they would have really liked to have an answer that very day, if possible - but there was no practical way to get them an answer until the next in-person board meeting. The last clause in the audioconference Special Rule of Order was put in in an attempt to "save" meetings where people might not be able to show up at the last minute due to extenuating circumstances, like weather. As an example, I just plain don't drive anywhere if it's snowing, conditions in my neighborhood get too dangerous. But there could also be other circustances where someone could potentially "attend" virtually, but perhaps have had to travel out of the area for work on no notice. As the bylaws are currently written, the only real alternatives seem to be to postpone the meeting (delaying any pending business), or let it carry on without the input of the affected Director (even though they'd be willing and able to contribute, if they could do so from the location they happened to be in at the time). Ultimately, I'd like to see WPLUG's processes get a lot more agile, where in the typical case things can be dealt with within hours, rather than days or weeks - if I identify an unplanned issue at 4:00pm on some given day, and can get in touch with all of the Directors, I'd like to be able to be on an IRC chat with everyone at 6:00pm, and have it resolved by 7:00pm, that day - and ultimately, I'd like to see that become the norm as far as how the Board conducts business (in addition to having regularly scheduled meetings, virtual or in person, to make sure we're all executing on plan and getting things done). This overall goal is probably out of scope for what we're doing in the short term, but I think we can get there by incremental improvements.<br />
<br />
With respect to online voting, I don't think Section 10 of the bylaws would need to be amended. What would need to change, however, would be the Special Rule of Order regarding Absentee Ballotting.<br />
<br />
I had the same thought as Justin expresses above, that Robert's Rules of Order is simply too "heavyweight" of a process for an organization like WPLUG to use to govern it's operations. I also looked up the size of the latest edition on Amazon last night - 816 pages, and I also discovered last night (as Justin mentions above) that it is only available in "dead trees" format. We would have to be careful if we tried to create a lightweight derivative and publish it under a Creative Commons license, given that we don't have IP rights to the source material. I also agree that the governance documents should be self-contained and should not "incorporate by reference" any materials not present on the WPLUG wiki, though I don't have any kind of plan at the moment for how that could be accomplished. I have been trying to look at the governance documents for other groups with similar goals to WPLUG, though. So far, I've looked at Hack Pittsburgh's "Constitution", and the bylaws of PACS (the Philadelphia Area Computer Society). Both are organizations with much more activity than WPLUG currently has, that process a lot more funds through their treasuries than WPLUG does. The Hack Pittsburgh "Constitution" is literally about 20 lines, total. The PACS bylaws are 20 pages - of which about 4 pages are change history, and there are a few pages of administrivia they're required to deal with because they're a 501(c)3 organization. But both are completely self-contained. I don't necessarily hold them up as shining examples to be followed, I just point out that they get a lot done (and PACS in particular is very large, having a few hundred members as far as I'm aware), and their governance is fairly lightweight. On the other hand, I observe that two other groups that are very active, the Pittsburgh Ruby Users Group, and PLUG (the Philadelphia Linux Users Group) have no formal governance whatsoever, and I don't necessarily think that's such a great idea either - but both of these groups get an awful lot done. I believe that instituting a more lightweight, agile form of goverance would not only make WPLUG more effective, but would also get more members interested in participating in the leadership of WPLUG (remember, we only had 5 candidates total who ran for election in the most recent Board of Directors election), but would also get more people interested in pariticpating in WPLUG activities in general. Sadly, I have no solution to offer at the moment, but it's something I'm glad we're thinking about.<br />
<br />
With respect to Open Space, I will admit (and this is primarily a matter of taste), I am not much of a fan of the Open Space philosophy. There is a group in Pittsburgh that operates according to Open Space guidelines, and I've attended some events, and have been left unsatisfied. Primarily, I think, because if I'm going to commit the time to participate in an event, I prefer to see an agenda published in advance (rather than the Open Space "build the agenda as you go" strategy). That being said, WPLUG did at one point in the past host an "un-conference" type event in conjunction with a GUM. The results were mixed, primaily I think because it wasn't heavily attended. It is something we could try again if there is sufficient interest.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Vance Kochenderfer (2) ===<br />
<br />
''Meeting Notice''<br />
<br />
The 11th edition of Robert's Rules apparently [http://robertsrules.forumflash.com/index.php?/topic/14906-board-of-3-small-company/page__view__findpost__p__72164 makes it explicit] that if there are no absentees, then a rule protecting absentees (such as notice of a meeting) cannot be violated. This was only implied in the 10th edition.<br />
<br />
''Decision-making Is Too Cumbersome under Robert's Rules''<br />
<br />
Yes, the full edition is over 800 pages. The [http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/roberts-rules-of-order-newly-revised-in-brief-2nd-edition-henry-m-iii-robert/1101001915?ean=9780306820199 In Brief] version of Robert's Rules can be read in an hour and covers 90%+ of the situations you will encounter. It is also available for the Kindle (but apparently no other e-book formats).<br />
<br />
Pat's example of a joint event with HackPittsburgh is a good one to use. I'll add another hypothetical example: the coffee maker breaks at an installfest, and the Treasurer buys a new one for $100 without approval since there's no membership or Board meeting that day and we ''really'' need coffee at the installfest.<br />
<br />
For the HackPittsburgh example, what is the decision being undertaken? Really, it's just putting WPLUG's name on an event. No organizational business is going to be transacted at the event. There are three bodies which could approve this: the Program Committee, which has been delegated responsibility for making arrangements for events by section 7.2 of the bylaws; the Board of Directors; or the membership. Were I in Pat's shoes, I would have called the other Board members to see if they agreed with holding such an event. If most of them were in favor, I'd call HackPittsburgh back and say we were on board. Then at the next Board meeting, I'd report on the action and make a motion to ratify it, which as a main motion requires only a majority vote for adoption.<br />
<br />
For the coffee maker example, the decision is to spend $100 on a coffee maker for WPLUG events. If there is already $100 in the refreshment fund, the Treasurer could just use that, since it's already been created for this purpose. If there's only $50 in the fund, then he could spend that plus $50 out of his own pocket if he's feeling generous. In both cases, no further approval is needed since the action taken has already been approved.<br />
<br />
Suppose, however, that the Treasurer buys the coffee maker using the WPLUG debit card, spending $100 from the checking account. He could then go to the Board or the membership to seek ratification for the expense. In the worst case, the motion would be defeated, and the Treasurer would be personally liable to WPLUG for $100. (As consolation, he'd get to keep the coffee maker.) Or maybe it would be amended, and only approved for $75, in which case the Treasurer would face a decision: pay WPLUG $100 and keep the machine, or pay WPLUG $25 and turn over the machine to WPLUG.<br />
<br />
Depending on the decision being made, there may be more flexibility available than you think.<br />
<br />
''Alternatives to Robert's Rules''<br />
<br />
Writing our own rulebook is a lot like saying "PHP is too bloated and ugly; let's create our own web scripting language instead." The new language starts out lean and efficient, and then you start adding missing features, and realize there are corner cases that need to be covered, and eventually you end up with something that's worse than what you set out to replace.<br />
<br />
It is absolutely true that the current Robert's Rules is non-Free (as in freedom) documentation. (I will point out that you can buy copies of both the full and "in brief" editions for less than it costs to join WPLUG for a year.) Back when we were working on the 2005 bylaws, I considered writing a parliamentary procedure manual, putting it under the GFDL, and setting it up as a community project. The scope of making such a project complete and properly maintaining it proved too daunting, however. Many non-Free knock-offs of Robert's Rules have been published, every one of which I looked at being inferior. In the end, I accepted that while a Free set of rules would be desirable, I was not the person with the brains or the energy to undertake such a project. I would refer anyone who wants to try to the public domain [http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/9097 1876 edition] or [http://constitution.org/rror/rror--00.htm 1915 edition] as a starting point. Note that they are relatively slim, but a century of necessary interpretations has resulted in the current version.<br />
<br />
Pat mentioned a couple of other organizations. The [http://pacsnet.org/documents/PACS_bylaws.pdf PACS bylaws] (Article XI, Section 4) reference Robert's Rules as the parliamentary authority (without calling it that). The [http://www.hackpittsburgh.org/wiki/index.php?title=Constitution HackPittsburgh constitution] isn't really self-contained, it just leaves a lot of things unspecified. If a legal dispute arose concerning a HackPittsburgh decision, the courts would apply the general parliamentary law. The most common codification being -- you guessed it -- Robert's Rules (the only real alternative being [http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/american-institute-of-parliamentarians-standard-code-of-parliamentary-procedure-american-institute-of-parliamentarians/1108021780?ean=9780071778640 AIP's Standard Code]). If HackPittsburgh had specified an alternative parliamentary authority, then that would be used for interpretation, but any ambiguities would probably be resolved using one of the above.<br />
<br />
Jumping back to my "let's write a new web scripting language" remark, sometimes there are valid reasons for doing so. Maybe you want something like Python with a completely different syntax and data model. Maybe you want your language to be under a different license than PHP. But "let's do the same thing, just simpler" is rarely a good idea, as over time you're going to accumulate all the cruft that PHP has, for the same reasons that PHP has.<br />
<br />
To paraphrase the famous Henry Spencer quote: Those who do not understand Robert's Rules are condemned to reinvent them, poorly. I'm happy to help people understand them.<br />
<br />
''OpenSpace''<br />
<br />
As one of the commenters on that page noted, OpenSpace meetings and Robert's Rules meetings have fundamentally different purposes. We did have one BarCamp after a GUM, which I agree with Pat's recollection was not hugely successful.<br />
<br />
My view is that potential attendees want:<br />
* To know when and where the meeting will be held<br />
* To know what the topic will be (and to a lesser extent, who the speaker will be)<br />
* To be informed of these things at least a week, preferably a month in advance of the meeting, so they can plan their schedule accordingly.<br />
<br />
=== Pat's response (and thanks!) to Vance - 12/13/12 ===<br />
<br />
I think what I'm seeing (from Vance's examples, and a few other things I've read), is "Use good judgement in exceeding your authority, and bank on later ratification". I guess I just get a little twitchy when I think about things like that - (There was something I looked at a little while ago in some kind of Robert's Rules FAQ or something, where the author of the FAQ made a statement like, "A procedure violation not cited is not a violation" - I wish I could find it again right now - that kind of thing makes me nervous too). I will admit, part of that is probably from coming from involvment in things with compliance requirements, where you can get raked over the coals simply by circumventing a requirement, regardless of whether it was "the right thing to do" or not. I'll be the first to admit, maybe there are some old habits I need to unlearn in this context...<br />
<br />
I did miss the part in the PACS bylaws where they mention Robert's Rules - though I note, they seem to cite it as kind of an "escape hatch". The exact quote in their bylaws is, "When there is a dispute among the Directors, or during the annual membership meeting, as to procedures, then the current “Roberts Rules of Order” shall be followed." In other words, Robert's Rules only come out in the event of a procedure disagreement. And thinking about it, I could probably actually live with something like that (whether it be Robert's Rules, or some other parliamentary authority). As to the point of Hack Pittsburgh's Constitution leaving a lot of things unspecified - I get the sense that there's a taste for exactly that feature, under the premise that we're all well-meaning, reasonably intelligent, and (in theory) all trying to accomplish the same stuff within a relatively limited sphere, so there's no need to have so much codified ahead of time, as we can figure out what the right thing to do is from context. I mean, I think that's where the ideas of "lightweight" and "agile" eventually lead. I wonder if using the parliamentary authority as an "emergency escape hatch" doesn't accomplish most of the same thing. Need to think about that further... (And admittely, if there were some kind of a legal dispute, in the absence of other guidance, a court would use parliamentary law to resolve it, regardless of what the intent of the framers might have been...) For my own part, I'm less concerned about the "universal access" concerns around using Robert's Rules, and more concerned with just the sheer size of it, when considered along with how much of it would probably ever be applicable to WPLUG.<br />
<br />
I'm still quite keen on the idea of converging the concepts of in-person meetings and virtual meetings into just one overarching idea of just "meeting", where participants may have multiple options to attend, and no distinction is made between attendance in person, via audio conference, via video conference, etc. (Of course, it would be very difficult to hold a meeting with both "live" and IRC attendees...) That, along with being able to waive notice of meetings (by bylaw, or just "by default" as discussed earlier) resolves an awful lot of my own concerns.<br />
<br />
I certainly agree with Vance's assessment of what the members want out of this. Whatever we end up doing (or just clarifying how the existing infrastructure supports it) has to support the end result of the members having a positive experience.<br />
<br />
I very much appreciate Vance taking the time to provide all this information and food for thought!<br />
<br />
=== Pat Barron - 12/14/12 ===<br />
<br />
After further review of Vance's comments, and the materials he provided pointers to, I agree that my proposal to amend Section 4.5 of the bylaws is moot, and I withdraw it.<br />
<br />
===Justin Smith 12/14/12 ===<br />
<br />
''Robert's Rules''<br />
<br />
My research on Robert's Rules alternatives turned up exactly what Vance said. If we rule that out, what remains? <br />
<br />
* Create a simplified Robert's Rules derivative based on the 1915 public domain edition (which may, as Vance notes, become just as complex)<br />
* Create our own summary of Robert's Rules that tells WPLUG members most of what they'll need to know <br />
* Do nothing<br />
<br />
EDIT: I've changed my mind about the first option. WPLUG needs immediate change; creating a Robert's Rules derivative would take too long.<br />
<br />
If Robert's Rules can be summarized, then who's to say we couldn't create our own summary? Even in the existing summary Vance linked to, there's probably a lot of material that the average WPLUG attendee wouldn't need to know. At the botched December 4th board meeting, for instance, Pat gave me a four-page guide to Robert's Rules that he found somewhere on the Internet. That's similar to the kind of "summary" I have in mind.<br />
<br />
We wouldn't necessarily have to make our summary a handout, of course. We could just replace some of the wiki's Robert Rules references with instructions that would cover the most common topics.<br />
<br />
I think it would be a grave mistake to ignore the negative feedback we've received about our rules. Even if they actually aren't that complicated, if people ''think'' they are, that discourages participation, which we need now more than ever. We need to address this.<br />
<br />
<br />
''Open Space''<br />
<br />
I brought up Open Space because at least a few members have suggested that they'd like "free" time during meetings to do what they want. I recognize that Open Space would have many deficiencies for a group like ours, which is why I proposed only pulling certain ideas from it: say, we could have a "formal period" for official business and then a "free period" for Open Space.<br />
<br />
My overarching goal here is to raise enthusiasm. We need people to ''want'' to participate, and '''if''' Open Space would do that, I think it's worth exploring.<br />
<br />
<br />
''Poll''<br />
<br />
In the end, none of us really knows what would motivate people because all we have are anecdotal accounts. Why don't we ask those who aren't in CRW to take a survey where they rate their interest in these "simplification" changes that we're throwing around?<br />
<br />
Like G.I. Joe said, knowing is half the battle.<br />
<br />
=== Pat Barron - 12/14/12, part deux ===<br />
<br />
After reading Justin's comments above, I'd like to step back and ask a question, and I promise I'm not being flippant here...<br />
<br />
Really, what problem are we solving?<br />
<br />
Justin mentions the complaints about the organization's complexity, and I've heard those complaints too. But most "user experience" is at GUM's. A typical GUM includes two portions - a business meeting, and a presentation or other event. The presentation/event (which is what most attendees are probably interested in) isn't run according to Robert's Rules of Order. The business meeting portion is run according to RROR, but most of the procedural stuff is handled by the chair of the meeting, and the business meetings generally primarily consist of delivering some reports about WPLUG's current status (financial, member count, upcoming events). Members typically don't need to know anything about RROR, unless there's a proposal to consider, or they want to introduce a proposal themselves. The last time I can remember a proposal being offered at a GUM (and admittedly, I didn't attend all of them, so I could have incomplete information) was when we considered the last amendment to the bylaws. And that was something like two years ago. Most of the parliamentary complexity really affects the Board (and any Committees, though I don't think any of the Committees even held any meetings last year that I'm aware of); members rarely have to think about parliamentary procedure.<br />
<br />
So my question is, from the perspective of a member, where is this complexity that they object to? I don't think it's at GUMs. Is it more a perception that the Board is sufficiently tangled up in procedural complexity that they're not getting enough done (and therefore harming the member experience)? Is it just a "gut feel" kind of thing?<br />
<br />
I'm truly not trying to obstruct - I just want to make sure that, whatever problem we're addressing, is the right problem to be addressing...<br />
<br />
Regarding "free time" at GUMs ... this is kind of where we were going with the "lightning talks" kind of thing. Let everyone who wants to take a few minutes to talk about something they've been working on, or some topic of personal interest related to Linux and open source. I think that's good. If there's a renewal of interest in the Open Spaces style of event, we could do one of those again and see what happens, assuming there's a critical mass of people willing to commit to it. I'd be happy to help facilitate it, in fact. I just want to make sure that we're not going to spend a bunch of time planning something like this, and have three people show up...<br />
<br />
Re: a poll. I'd love to do something more "organized" to reach out to our constituency (both members and non-members) to ask what they're looking for from WPLUG. I was actually hoping we'd get there last year, but we never quite got to a point where it happened. Just have to figure out what you want to ask about, and design the poll properly - it's too easy to design a poll with "leading questions", that end up guaranteeing the results you're already looking for....<br />
<br />
===Justin Smith (12/14/12)===<br />
<br />
Ultimately, we're trying to improve enthusiasm. Lack of enthusiasm is responsible for why we're losing members, why we have trouble gaining new members, and why our meetings aren't as good as they could be.<br />
<br />
There hasn't been enough progress in WPLUG over the past few years. If we can show people that we're at least attempting to address their concerns, rather than just talking about it, they'll probably be more interested in working with us. Since Reform Package 1 will presumably focus on bylaw changes, I thought I'd bring up a common criticism - complexity - and see if we can do something to address it.<br />
<br />
But you're right that we don't have a clear sense of what the problem actually is. I say the "complexity" lies in one area, you say it's somewhere else, and maybe a third person has something in mind that neither one of us thinks is complex in the least. If we're going to do this right, we need to know what we're dealing with. I suggest we spend time coming up with a survey during tomorrow's meeting.<br />
<br />
January is our deadline for RP1. The later we wait to put out a poll, the more likely people will be away for the holidays, and the less we'll have to work with between now and January.<br />
<br />
===Justin Smith (1/1)===<br />
<br />
I'd like us to have the CRW survey ready to go by the January GUM. That's an aggressive deadline, as Pat said on Sunday, but I don't think we can afford to be anything but aggressive if we hope to turn around WPLUG. <br />
<br />
The major sticking point is the "general direction" section. There are a vast number of ideas we could discuss; rather than go over them one at a time, I suggest that we start at the most general level and work our way down. Specific ideas will be eliminated in great numbers along the way, and we'll arrive at a basic theme that we can ask about. This will make the CRW survey easier to design and shorter to take.<br />
<br />
The most basic question I can think of is whether WPLUG should be primarily a casual or professional group. This decision will influence our events, our relationships, and where our social media home should be (assuming that the group decides to have one).<br />
<br />
Just so I'm clear: no matter what we choose, desktop Linux will always be a mainstay.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Casual'''<br />
<br />
This is basically where we are right now. There ''is'' a market for casual Linux, but we're not taking full advantage of it because we limit ourselves to very specific usage of desktop Linux. Android is growing exponentially. Thanks to Steam, Linux may finally become usable for gamers. In short, there's a lot more that we could be doing. <br />
<br />
''Events Ideas''<br />
*A general "open culture" event instead of InstallFest<br />
*Linux gaming party (with Android, Steam, Ouya, etc)<br />
*Presentations on how to use your favorite desktop Linux utilities on Android<br />
<br />
''Connections''<br />
*The "open culture" movement<br />
*Android users<br />
*Gamers<br />
<br />
''Project Ideas''<br />
*Relaunch the Open Pitt as a (regional?) netcast, perhaps as a collaboration with other casual technology groups<br />
*Host an Icecast (Internet radio) station that plays tracks from "open culture" or local/indie artists<br />
<br />
''Possible social media center''<br />
<br />
*Google+. Read up on WAG (http://www.wplug.org/wiki/Meeting-20121110#Justin_Smith) for my thoughts on this. G+ seems to be more global than regional, however.<br />
*Facebook. I despise it, but it's casual, has a large audience, and contains many regional groups. We can't afford to ignore any options that would allow us to reach people.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Professional'''<br />
<br />
America's business engine could put a lot of people under our roof, particularly if the economy heads south because of the "fiscal cliff" business. People will be eager to network with other professionals and acquire new skills. Work is a higher priority than hobbies for most people; therefore, people who wouldn't come to WPLUG for kicks may come to it if they think it can help them move ahead in their career.<br />
<br />
''Event Ideas''<br />
*A representative from a local business gives a presentation about how her company uses open source<br />
*A professional networking event with a well-known featured speaker<br />
*Organize a cram session for people who are studying for some sort of certification test<br />
<br />
''Connections''<br />
*Recruiting firms<br />
*Local businesses<br />
*Each other (professional networking)<br />
<br />
''Project Ideas''<br />
*Invite local businesses to sponsor WPLUG<br />
*Working together on an open source project like LibreOffice<br />
<br />
''Possible social media center''<br />
<br />
*LinkedIn. No ifs, ands, or buts: if you're a professional group, this is where you need to be.<br />
<br />
===Pat Barron (01/04/13)===<br />
<br />
Just a few comments...<br />
<br />
I don't think our "focus" issue is so much casual users vs. professional users - I think it's more like, committed users vs. those who are just exploring. This is a conversation we've had on and off for a while now - do we focus our efforts towards the interests of those who have already decided to use Linux, or do we focus more on trying to bring "undecided" users into the fold? (That distinction may also overlap a lot with the notion of "casual" vs. "professional" users...) My own opinion is, we should focus primarily on those who've already chosen Linux.<br />
<br />
I think brainstorming about any kind of open source-related events is good. We traditionally do something for Software Freedom Day (which is really an "open culture" event), though it didn't happen in 2012 - I think primarily because we really couldn't find anyplace suitable to hold the event. The hardest parts of event organizing for us have really been finding venues, and finding people who are interested enough to help put events together.<br />
<br />
I was thinking the same thing about doing some kind of netcast, though admittedly I hadn't thought about recasting The Open Pitt in that way. I don't know enough about Icecast/Shoutcast/etc. streaming type things to really comment on those, other than to say that I find them interesting, but we would need to host them somewhere other than our Linode server (because we actually have a bandwidth cap, or at least a level above which we need to pay extra - we've never hit it with mainly wiki and mailing list use, but I can easily imagine us hitting our cap with audio streaming). And, of course, we'd need to be really, really paranoid about rights and clearances.<br />
<br />
WPLUG actually does have a Facebook group already. But, it's hardly used, because hardly anyone knows about it. We really haven't done anything to promote it; the only way people find it right now is that they just sort of stumble across it. I don't think it's even mentioned on our wiki. There are only about 15 members of the group.<br />
<br />
We have a Linkedin group too, I'm a member of it, but I will admit that I don't use it (or even look at it) because I find Linkedin's user interface very annoying. I should investigate to see if there's any way to have group messages redirected to e-mail (rather than having to visit their web site to read the group).<br />
<br />
I'm working on extracting "our" name out of Twitter. Whatever happens, someone should register a "wplug" community on G+ ASAP, if for no other reason than to avoid a repeat of the Twitter situation (even if we never end up using it).<br />
<br />
We need to go full-bore on promoting the heck out of our group via social media. The reason I bring up the existing social media stuff is that all these things are stuff that WPLUG (as an organization) has considered before, and actually started making efforts with - and then, for one reason or another, they dropped on the floor, or were never seen through to completion. We really need to change that.<br />
<br />
===Pat Barron (01/04/13 - part 2)===<br />
<br />
Regarding sponsorships: This is actually something we've explored before. We did some "beating the bushes" looking for corporate sponsors last year, and only got one who expressed interest. And the interested organization was looking accommodations that I think our community would have found onerous (for instance, an ad automatically appended to the signature block of each message sent through our mailing lists). I did have some discussions last year with a friend of mine who is a partner in a local venture capital firm, hoping to leverage his connections to the local high-tech community for pointers to potential sponsors, and he had some good advice for me about what to look for in sponsors who might have some synergy with what the group is doing - but ultimately, ending with a conclusion that in his opinion, what WPLUG does would not make a good sponsorship fit with any of the local companies that he's been working with recently. It might be good to have a "fresh set of eyes" looking at this problem from different angles.<br />
<br />
=== Vance Kochenderfer survey comments ===<br />
<br />
Thanks to Justin for putting this together. I was going to e-mail my comments, but figured this was a better place for them.<br />
<br />
I was thinking much along the same lines as Justin's comments on where people are coming from. On the first demographics page, it might be worthwhile to ask the following.<br />
<br />
''What is your interest in Linux and other open source software?''<br />
* Entirely professional<br />
* Both personal and professional, but primarily professional<br />
* Equally personal and professional<br />
* Both personal and professional, but primarily personal<br />
* Entirely personal<br />
<br />
This would give us an idea of which audience to target with our presentation topics. Pat's note on experience level is also worth asking about; a simple novice/intermediate/expert question would collect data along that axis, or you could get more fancy.<br />
<br />
On the second page, I would rephrase the question ''How effective has the leadership of WPLUG been to date?'' to something more like ''How effective has the leadership of WPLUG been over the past three years?'' This bounds the question to be within the institutional memory of the current Board.<br />
<br />
I'm not sure if there was more intended to be put on the third page other than the copyright status of Robert's Rules, but it seems a little lonely on the page by itself. Perhaps a question about whether you would like access to more explanation of the rules?<br />
<br />
On the fourth page, we have a general question about the direction of WPLUG, but this needs to be fleshed out so people can give more specific feedback. I'd add the following questions.<br />
<br />
''What things do you think WPLUG does well?'' (free-form textbox)<br />
<br />
''What things do you think WPLUG does poorly?'' (free-form textbox)<br />
<br />
''What types of events are you most interested in attending?'' (multi-select checkboxes)<br />
* Hour-long pre-selected presentations<br />
* OpenSpace-style presentations (shorter, subjects determined on the fly)<br />
* Installfests<br />
* Tutorials<br />
* Professional networking events<br />
* Other (textbox)<br />
* (I'm sure you can think of other things to add to the list)<br />
<br />
You could also add a question on what subjects are most interesting, but this may duplicate the "technology interests" question on the first page.<br />
<br />
I think the idea of an audio netcast can be accommodated; without actually checking, my recollection is that we use a tiny fraction of our 200GB bandwidth allowance each month. There was a [http://www.wplug.org/pipermail/wplug-radio/ previous attempt] at this which pre-dated my involvement with WPLUG. Unfortunately, I can't really contribute to such an effort, so it will require finding the people motivated to put it together.<br />
<br />
===Pat Barron (01/07/13)===<br />
<br />
I like Vance's suggestions about the survey. I think that for Section 3 and Section 4, we don't necessarily want to get too specific about questions - like, not sure it's the best plan to prompt for specific answers (like, if we ask something like "Are the bylaws too complicated" and we don't phrase it just right, it might look like we're "fishing" for that particular answer - when there could be other things that complicate Life in WPLUG that the user might not describe). Questions of the style Vance suggested, which instead prompt the user to discuss their experiences, "What do you like?", "What do you not like?", types of questions, I suspect are more likely to get us where we really want to be.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Reform Package 2==<br />
<br />
===Justin Smith 1/20===<br />
<br />
I wasn't able to complete the CRW survey in time for January's GUM, but I ''will'' have it done by Monday. I'd like to present its results at the February GUM, either as a running tally (we still leave the survey open for a little while longer) or the final totals.<br />
<br />
While most of our "general direction" planning will have to wait until we've seen the survey results, there are a few items we can still take action on in the mean time:<br />
<br />
* Using a project management tool so that we don't forget about stuff. Pat recommends using [https://trello.com/ | Trello], which is the virtual equivalent of a corkboard with post-it notes. Trello isn't free (as in freedom) software, but it ''is'' extremely simple and, I think, effective. It as a very nice Android app.<br />
<br />
* Should the Internet Committee be responsible for going through the wiki every so often and archiving old content? If not, how else should we deal with outdated pages? We can't let them continue to accumulate. If someone clicked on the LiveCD link on the main page, for instance, he'd see that it hasn't been updated since 2007. Problems like that make us looks ''really'' bad.<br />
<br />
Terry proposed seeing if we could use some sort of script to automatically archive content. I still think a "human touch" is necessary; therefore, I think that a script of that sort should simply produce a list of everything that needs reviewed. It's entirely possible that old pages can be refurbished and used again.<br />
<br />
* Is there ''any'' possible way we could accept online payments for dues? I know it's been brought up before, but this is important enough to merit another look.<br />
<br />
* What can we do to persuade more people to join WPLUG as dues-paying members?<br />
<br />
<br />
===Justin Smith 1/24===<br />
<br />
'''IMPORTANT:''' CRW has released a [http://js-wordsmith.com/lime/index.php/survey/index/sid/726771/newtest/Y/lang/en general user survey] designed to help us chart a new path for WPLUG in 2013. Please take the survey if you've got a moment.<br />
<br />
<br />
===Justin Smith 1/28===<br />
<br />
Some suggestions from the CRW survey I'd like to see implemented:<br />
<br />
'''Membership'''<br />
<br />
* Give WPLUG members a "name@wplug.org" email address that forwards messages to an account of their choice; it advertises our group and provides an incentive for people to renew. Are there privacy advocates among us? If so, maybe they would appreciate being able to have an email account that's not tied to a major provider.<br />
<br />
* Web services of some sort. Since $20 per member doesn't give us a lot of cash to work with, offer members exclusive access to services that would be a pain to set up on their own. <br />
<br />
* Send people who join WPLUG as members a well-written "thank you" note. Since new members give us a physical address, why not go the extra mile to send an actual letter? <br />
<br />
* Give people who join a membership card. When you join the FSF, they give you a cool "credit card" USB drive that's pre-loaded with Linux: http://www.fsf.org/associate/benefits<br />
<br />
What if we did that? You can buy blank 2GB credit card drives from eBay for $5 or less, depending on how many you buy: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-Blank-Credit-Card-Shape-USB-Flash-Drive-Memory-2-0-2GB-4GB-8GB-16GB-32GB-64G-/310568756176?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item484f5723d0<br />
<br />
I bet people would appreciate being able to take Linux with them in such a convenient way, and every time they'd plug it in, it would be free PR for us. We would need to figure out how to print labels for them, though. Each member would only be given a membership card like that once, so while we make less during their initial year, we'd get the full $20 when they renew.<br />
<br />
If we wanted to get really fancy, we could include WPLUG wallpaper or other promotional materials on the distro.<br />
<br />
*Try to partner with local organizations for membership discounts. When I talked with Pat about this earlier, he mentioned O'Reilly as a possibility. That's a good start, but there just have to be others. I'll look into this.<br />
<br />
'''Meetings'''<br />
<br />
* I get the impression that some people aren't satisfied with our current selection of food at meetings. A couple of people mentioned donuts, someone brought up gourmet coffee, and another still talked about catering. I'm not sure we can afford to provide much more with $20 per member, but it's something worth considering.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Events/Other Activities'''<br />
<br />
* We - and by we, I mean the Events Committee - should definitely plan a trip to Ohio Linux Fest.<br />
<br />
* There's virtually no support for an "open culture" event, so we're back to the drawing board if we want to replace InstallFests with something else.<br />
<br />
* There's a lot of support for group programming events. There's also a decent amount of interest in Android, if we'd care to lift the moratorium on mobile Linux. I'd be willing to work with the Events Committee regarding Android.<br />
<br />
* Having a bowling night would be great, but, as one person said, let's do it with other tech groups! Let's face it: we're a social group, but we don't have too many regular attendees. Involving other groups is a good way to compensate.<br />
<br />
* Only a few people don't like my idea to re-launch The Open Pitt as a netcast. We've even got a couple of people who are willing to help produce it! I didn't take the survey, but you can count me among them. I've been told that I have an announcer's voice; maybe I could put it to good use. If we broadcasted netcasts live over Google+ Hangouts (live on YouTube), that could tie in with our social media strategy. If CRW supports this idea, I'd like to hold some initial meetings with the people who are interested.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Other'''<br />
<br />
* I put in the question about indie culture on a whim. This comment made me change my mind as soon as I read it: "Linux and groups that support it should refrain from becoming too political one way or another. Stick to the penguin."<br />
<br />
* We need to finish our work at Wilkins and get out of there. I'm going to contact everyone I know to see about finding a more suitable location.<br />
<br />
* As chair of the PR committee, I'd like us to decide on a social media strategy. My flagging support for Google+ was renewed over this weekend because an article I found stated that it's now the second-largest social media network out there. Most of our respondents use it.<br />
<br />
=== Pat Barron 01/28/13 ===<br />
<br />
I have to apologize that I haven't gotten a chance to update this page for a while. Here are some of my thoughts regarding things that have previously been added here.<br />
<br />
* The duties of the Internet Committee are laid out in the Bylaws, and I think that making sure the content on WPLUG's web site is current is out of scope for the Internet Committee. If you think about it in terms of a business, the Internet Committee is basically WPLUG's "IT Department", or sysadmins - basically, a technology function, primarily concerned with making sure the content is available and accessible when someone wants to access it, not so much concerned with the creation and maintenance of the content itself. That being said, I certainly do agree that, even though the maintenance of the wiki is supposed to be a distributed effort, there does need to be someone(s) assigned the responisbility to actually keep the content current and relevant. In a business, that would generally be considered a Marketing function. In the context of WPLUG, my opinion is that that responsbility should fall to the Public Relations Committee (though of course the Internet Committee may need to be engaged if something needs to be done that requires Sysop or Bureaucrat permissions on the wiki, such as making a page "disappear" entirely). The Board should solicit more participation in the Public Relations Committee; as with any Committee, this Committee serves at the pleasure of the Board - but I have difficulty believing that the Board would not appoint anyone to the Committee who would express an interest in participating.<br />
<br />
* I'm all for enabling online payments - I'll take the blame for the fact that this hasn't moved forward much. I don't think we need to "take another look" at it, in that I think just about everyone is in agreement that it's desirable, and I think we even have a high-level plan. I was supposed to lead this project, and it's really my fault that we're not any closer to a solution now than we were four months ago. Let's do it!<br />
<br />
* I like the e-mail forwarder idea. It would be a lot easier to implement this if we got some kind of online member information portal working (which also ties into the online payments issue), so that a person doesn't need to manually edit the aliases DB on the server to add/remove/change someone's forwarder. But I think it's a desirable thing that really doesn't cost anything.<br />
<br />
* We've talked about the "give members USB flash drives with Linux on them" idea, though never in the context of making that a membership card too - that's actually a neat idea. Cost has always been the sticking point. With the current membership numbers, WPLUG takes in about $350/year in dues, and has about $625/year in fixed expenses. So we're already operating at a deficit; eventually, we'll have to try to make up the deficits via sponsorship or voluntary donations. Last year, we talked about how we might get sponsors to foot the bill for some of this stuff, though we never really found any plausible solutions.<br />
<br />
* Even if it's not a USB flash drive, members should get some kind of membership credential. It's the least we can do, and it opens the door to other types of partnerships. We can't really pursue partnerships where other organizations offer special benefits to our members, when our members have no way to identify themselves. Plus, in any type of dues-based organization, I would say that a hardcopy membership credential of some sort is about the minimum people expect - at the very least, it would serve as a reminder of their expiration date.<br />
<br />
* I love the idea of catering meetings, though see above regarding the finances of that... My best guess is that a minimalistic "bagels/donuts and coffee" level of catering would cost at least $30 per meeting. The refreshment fund typically does not collect any more than $4.00 per meeting.<br />
<br />
* I don't think there's any kind of "moratorium" on mobile Linux, I think it's just more that no one has offered to present on it. Certainly last year, we talked several times about whether we could get the author of Cyanogenmod to come and present, though he's left the area and is probably beyond our reach at this point.<br />
<br />
* Whatever the Public Relations Committee decides on as a social media strategy, I think it should still include the "big two" - Facebook, and (especially) Twitter. Twitter in particular because it's a lot easier for people to "accidentally" stumble across your content. We have an existing Facebook group, which has had minimal participation - but I think that is mostly because hardly anyone knows about it.<br />
<br />
* I'm all for exploring other options for meeting space, but meeting space is not as easily obtainable as some appear to think. I'm aware that people have made assertions that there are "plenty" of venues that would be "happy" to host us without cost - but I have to say, if those places exist, I'm not aware of who or where they are, particularly if you're looking for a decent place to do a presentation, that has the possibility of using a projector and such... We did have one local technology company tell us that we would be able to meet in their space (which is very nice space, if I do say so) - but that one of their full-time employees would need to be present at all times during events, and that they require a complete list of attendees in advance - for the typical GUM, that doesn't work for us (though it could be OK for special events like presentations that we expect might draw heavy interest).<br />
<br />
* Also regarding meeting space, I do notice that pretty much everyone who responded to the survey and expressed an opinion on the subject, suggested that the meeting location be moved to somewhere more centrally located within the actual City of Pittsburgh.<br />
<br />
=== Justin Smith 1/30/13 ===<br />
<br />
It makes sense to assign content creation to the PR Committee. I don't want to make a unilateral decision on our social media strategy, but let's just say that I'm leaning strongly toward Google+ as our HQ and Twitter as our secondary.<br />
<br />
* Google+ has a ''lot'' to offer. It's growing rapidly (it's now the #2 social media network behind Facebook), it would improve our rank in the Google search engine since it's tied to Google, and the possibilities for G+ Hangouts are very promising. Most people who have taken the survey already use it.<br />
<br />
* Twitter is growing as well. We could use it to "live tweet" from conferences, etc. that we're at and generally just get our name out there. Since tweets have to be short, Twitter is perfect for simple WPLUG event advertisements.<br />
<br />
* In the interest of full disclosure, I think Facebook is a cesspool of idiocy. In more objective terms, Facebook has peaked, and there aren't really any unique qualities that make it stand out like G+ (hangouts) or Twitter (live tweet/event ads) other than the sheer number of users. Is that really an advantage? Maybe not, since most survey respondents who use Facebook also use G+.<br />
<br />
* Regarding LinkedIn, the survey results show in no uncertain terms that this is by and large a personal interest group, so it wouldn't make sense for us to spend resources on something that might have limited appeal.<br />
<br />
A couple more ideas...<br />
<br />
*Decommission the Newsletter Committee since it isn't currently producing anything. Make the secretary responsible for publishing a newsletter-style announcement at the start of each month like what I released today. OR fold the Newsletter Committee into the PR Committee and give them the responsibility of producing such an announcement, perhaps making the secretary an ex officio member.<br />
<br />
*Decommission the WSCC Networking Committee since we apparently aren't even working on it in an official capacity any longer. We need to know what's going on with it, too, but that goes without saying. I've written to Ted, but he hasn't responded. Does anyone know him personally?<br />
<br />
*Rename committees so that their purpose is crystal clear. Examples: rename the Program Committee to the Events Planning Committee; rename Internet Committee to Technology Maintenance Committee; rename PR Committee to Marketing & Communications Committee<br />
<br />
*Assuming that we switch to a CMS, hold a group programming event where we all get together for a day and hack together the new Web site (idea courtesy of someone on the CRW survey)<br />
<br />
*Pick an open source project that we want to work on. Hold a study group that teaches people about the required programming language, and work our way up to contributing to the project.<br />
<br />
*Produce a short "meet the board" video where we talk about ourselves and describe what we do in our official capacities. We could do this easily over a Google+ Hangout.<br />
<br />
== Reform Package 3 Ideas ==<br />
<br />
=== Vance Kochenderfer ===<br />
<br />
==== Event frequency ====<br />
<br />
In my view, WPLUG needs to have at least one event per month. Even better is if we can have three or four months with two events (say, September with Software Freedom Day and another event).<br />
<br />
==== Types of events ====<br />
<br />
There need not be a General User Meeting (GUM) each month. I think some variety encourages different types of people to attend. [[InstallFest|Installfests]] and social events are acceptable. I do think the GUM is the long-standing "standard" event, and we should probably shoot for at least six of these in a given year.<br />
<br />
==== Meeting [[Venues|venues]] ====<br />
<br />
I really am a fan of the [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]. I recognize that they charge for room use, and that there are fewer public transportation options. The big difference to me is that we are welcomed there, rather than simply tolerated as was the case at CMU, and it serves as a stable home base. Carnegie Library is OK for occasional events, but AFAIK will not permit us to hold all our meetings there.<br />
<br />
A company or university meeting room is a fine location, but relies on having a person connected with that company or university to secure it for us. I'm glad Pat has been able to get us into IBM, but attendance doesn't seem to have been very high there - despite survey comments, I don't think the downtown location is preferred over Regent Square by our audience.<br />
<br />
If we are facing cash flow problems with the small amount WSCC charges for rooms, I'm happy to pony up for that, and we can solicit contributions in addition to membership dues.<br />
<br />
- [[User:Vance|Vance]] ([[User talk:Vance|talk]]) 02:30, 26 November 2013 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Justin Smith ===<br />
<br />
The way I see it, we've got three main problems.<br />
<br />
====Too many GUMs====<br />
<br />
Having formal meetings on a monthly basis is fine if you've got people clamoring to present, but we don't. Therefore, I think we'd do well to have them once every 2-4 months. Since we're not sure how people would react to the social events I presume we'd be filling our off-months with, I recommend taking a conservative approach. Let's start with having GUMs every other month and see how that goes. If it's still too often, we can increase the interval to once every three months.<br />
<br />
====Event planning takes too long====<br />
<br />
We should be mindful of how long our event planning takes. Every time we want to hold an event, we have to start planning from scratch because we don't carry over themes from one event to the next. That's inefficient, and it isn't easy on our already-limited resources. Instead, let's split up the year into blocks of two months (or however often we agree to hold GUMs) and agree that all events in a given block will follow a given theme. We can either hold social events that build up to a GUM or hold a GUM and then have social events that build on the idea that was presented.<br />
<br />
====Not enough cohesion between events====<br />
<br />
For instance, let's say our theme for the January-February block is running your own Linux server. (This is an example, not a suggestion.) Someone gives a presentation about the uses for a Linux VPS and leaves people with suggestions for providers they can use to get started. (This is also an opportunity for us to earn commissions - just saying!) At the end of January, we hold an IRC chat session where people can come in and talk about how they're doing so far. In February, we hold a "Project Night" at some physical location where people come in and work on VPS stuff together - kind of like we did at the last GUM, except it's more targeted.<br />
<br />
Remember how we were talking about holding classes? I still don't think we have the resources to do that, but linking events together might give us some of the same appeal. We'd be taking the time to really drive home particular topics. Maybe that would make people more likely to attend!<br />
<br />
=== Pat Barron ===<br />
<br />
==== GUMs, Events, and Business Meetings ====<br />
<br />
I believe there is some confusion among potential attendees about what they are going to encounter when they attend one of our events - particularly among those potential attendees who aren't fans of a lot of "rules", and don't want to sit through a business meeting. I think there isn't sufficient awareness that we don't hold a business meeting at every GUM (the Bylaws now require us to have only one business meeting per year, though I in no way recommend that - I think we should have a business meeting at least quarterly). Even on occasions when we don't hold a business meeting, I think it should be made completely clear in the schedule when the business meeting starts, and when it ends (and we need to stick to it) - and, we should have a specific committed time when the technical or event programming starts, and emphasize in the meeting announcement that non-members (and members who simply don't want to attend a business meeting) need not arrive until the time designated for the programming to start. Even though this is normally listed in the event schedule, I believe we should actively emphasize it in our meeting announcements.<br />
<br />
==== Not enough programming content ====<br />
<br />
I don't think it's necessarily the case that we hold too many GUMs, and it would certainly be my preference to hold one event per month on a reliably predictable schedule. However, I don't think we should even attempt to hold an event if we don't have some kind of solid programming. If we're coming up on a "normal" GUM date and don't have a solid program already booked, we're probably better off just not having the GUM at all.<br />
<br />
==== Too much programming when we do have programming ====<br />
<br />
We shouldn't try to stuff too much programming into a given event. Unless we're doing a lightning talk event (where we really do need to enforce a hard time limit - the entire concept of lightning talks is almost a "game", where you see if you can get enough content into the very limited timeframe available, that's actually part of the fun of it...), I don't think we should ever program more than one speaker or presentation per GUM. This is especially important when we're meeting at a facility like WSCC, where "time is money" and we really do have a hard stop time. Plus, from a speaker perspective, it is not particularly desirable to a potential speaker to have to sit through another speaker's presentation before doing his or her own presentation.<br />
<br />
If we find ourselves in the unusual situation where we have multiple presentations that could potentially go on during a given GUM, we should do our best to push the "extra" presentations out to future GUMs.<br />
<br />
==== Consistency in event announcements ====<br />
<br />
There should be an event announcement each month, without fail. Even if the announcement is, "We're not holding an event this month". At least this reassures people that we're still here, and thinking about the event schedule - and reminds them that we do hold events, even if we're not having one during that specific month.<br />
<br />
==== Event planning cycles are much too short ====<br />
<br />
This may just be another way of stating Justin's point about "Event planning takes too long" - it's not that it takes too long, it's that we don't acknowledge how long it really takes. We seem to be in a pattern of not really starting to plan most GUMs until the board meeting immediately preceding that GUM. If the board is sitting in a meeting hashing out, "So, are we going to have a GUM next month, and if so, what should it be?", then we're doing it wrong... My view has long been, at the time we hold a GUM, we should already know what's on the program for the *next* GUM (speaker or program committed, venue booked, program already announced to the membership, etc.) - and, preferably, the one after that too. I know, this is much easier said than done - as has already been noted, we aren't exactly overflowing with programming available to offer. But establishing a longer event planning cycle should be a goal.<br />
<br />
==== Venues - positive and negative ====<br />
<br />
I have some comments about meeting venues that, for various reasons, I think are more appropriate to share outside of this forum. Check your e-mail.<br />
<br />
Ultimately, though, the primary advantage I see regarding meeting at WSCC is that providing meeting space is what they do. That's their mission. One of the biggest problems with "borrowed" space is that such space is controlled by organizations who have no investment in WPLUG, and whose primary missions don't align with WPLUG's mission. For all kinds of reasons - for example, we lose our "internal advocate" within that organization, or they just have something come up that's more aligned with their mission - we're always at risk of losing such space on very short notice, or even on no notice at all. We're simply not important to them. Oh, of course, we're not *anti-important* to them, they wish us no ill will or anything. It's just that, they larger organizations who control these spaces don't care about WPLUG, per se - we're not on their radar, at all. At best, such organizations let us use such space on the basis of, "if it's not inconvenient for us". At worst, we may become inconvenient, or even somewhat annoying, to other organizations who permit us to use their space.<br />
<br />
==== Make sure the venue is on board ====<br />
<br />
One thing we need to keep in mind, as we plan alternate events (such as social events and such) that might take place at a public venue - we absolutely must engage with the venue to make sure that we are welcome, and that they are willing to accommodate us, and we need to do this before any announcement is made of the event or the venue. This is a mistake that we made with the failed bowling event, which we don't want to repeat - we showed up unannounced, assuming the venue would surely be happy to accommodate us - and, as it turned out, they weren't.<br />
<br />
==== Remember that there is an Event Committee ====<br />
<br />
Section 7.2 of the Bylaws gives the Event Committee the authority to plan events in the name of the organization. The full board doesn't need to be involved with, and approve, each event. This is, of course, more important in an environment where the Event Committee is not a proper subset of the board (which it now is for the first time, I think, in the last three years), and particularly if we can get more people involved. The reason I point this out is that of late, the event planning cycle has mostly been demarcated by board meetings, and it doesn't need to be that way. The event committee can hold it's own meetings, on it's own schedule, and we should leverage this (especially, as I said, if we can get additional people involved in event planning).<br />
<br />
=== Vance Kochenderfer (2) ===<br />
<br />
==== Justin - Too many GUMs ====<br />
<br />
I think an every-other-month schedule sounds good for GUMs. Even if we can't decide exactly what will happen in the other months, we should at least develop a plan of what we ''want'' to do.<br />
<br />
==== Justin - Not enough cohesion between events ====<br />
<br />
It's a great idea to link events in this way so they build on each other - especially with employing different formats.<br />
<br />
==== Pat - Business meetings ====<br />
<br />
If there are no proposals for the membership to act on, a business meeting should take no more than ten or twenty minutes. I'm more than happy to go over with the board the basics of a meeting agenda, what is necessary and what is extraneous. I think the schedule we put on the wiki page for each meeting makes the distinction between the business meeting and presentation, but if people think it's not clear enough it could be reinforced.<br />
<br />
==== Pat - Event announcements ====<br />
<br />
A thousand times yes - we need to put out notice well in advance. IMO, a wiki page should be created 3 months before the event, and notice sent to wplug-announce 1 month prior. Even if all the details aren't known, we need to send the signal that we're alive and kicking and get on people's calendars.<br />
<br />
==== Pat - Venues ====<br />
<br />
As above, we need to line up meeting space well ahead of time, otherwise we'll either be denied or get a less-preferable selection. IMO, we should try to reserve now all the space we'll need at the WSCC for 2014.<br />
<br />
=== Justin Smith (2) ===<br />
<br />
==== Event planning ====<br />
<br />
When I said that event planning taking too long, I wasn't trying to say that we should plan in advance. I'm not opposed to planning in advance, but even if we did that, we still have to come up with events from scratch. Last year, that sometimes took us longer than necessary, IMO. Pairing off events into themed blocks would make everything a bit easier and, as Vance noted, have the more important effect of giving WPLUG more consistent and effective programming.<br />
<br />
Limiting GUMs to one speaker seems like a good idea. However, we'd need to have a reliable group of backups ready to go in case the presenter isn't able to come. Since I can't think of any outside parties that would have that level of interest in WPLUG, I think we should consider ourselves the backups. With our combined knowledge, there probably aren't many topics we couldn't fill in for. Let's let others do the heavy lifting in GUMs this year so we can focus on ironing out WPLUG's ongoing problems.<br />
<br />
Social events are only as good as the number of people there. Since our turnout isn't quite where we'd like it to be, maybe we can work with other local groups to hold joint social events. For that matter, I don't see anything wrong with planning joint meetings, either. Either way, more people would be there and it might help us get around our venue limitations: we simply use someone else's. For instance, if we wanted to take up Bitcoin again, we could meet the Pittsburgh Bitcoin Users down at the BeerHive.<br />
<br />
If the Event Committee is willing to take these ideas and run with them, I'm perfectly fine with that. This is merely a discussion forum.<br />
<br />
==== Event announcements ====<br />
<br />
Posting event notices in advance is a good start, but we have to make sure that people actually read them. Some groups, like SNAPGH, give notice about a month in advance but still manage to attract a respectable audience. What are they doing that we aren't? That's probably a topic for another day.<br />
<br />
Don't forget that we can use Twitter for event announcements as well.<br />
<br />
==== Venue ====<br />
<br />
Here's an excerpt from my FAQ for the new WordPress site:<br />
<br />
''Some social groups only use no-cost services or rely on the generosity of a few individuals to pay their bills. Unfortunately, free services and members come and go. We feel that it’s better to offer membership for a low annual fee so that we can afford to deliver consistent quality.''<br />
<br />
That's why I think we're better off using a paid venue as long as we can afford to do so.<br />
<br />
=== Pat Barron ===<br />
<br />
==== Backup presentations ====<br />
<br />
I definitely agree that we should have some "ready to go" backup presentations in our pockets at all times, just in case something goes wrong with a scheduled presentation at the last minute. I have one that I will volunteer to prepare one on OpenAFS (duh! Why didn't I think of that before, I only worked for a company that sold AFS as a product for 10 years... ;-) )<br />
<br />
==== Ideas for social(ish) events ====<br />
<br />
I'm still thinking about ideas for this. One idea for an event that would be good to hold (and would be in line with some of the things we've done in the past) would be a PGP key signing "party".<br />
<br />
==== Venue FAQ ====<br />
<br />
I like Justin's text, I think something like that should definitely be in our FAQ.</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/Commission_to_Reform_WPLUGCommission to Reform WPLUG2013-12-04T14:14:38Z<p>Centinel: /* Accepted Reform Package 3 Proposals */ Updated with the results of our meeting last night.</p>
<hr />
<div>The Commission to Reform WPLUG (CRW) is an informal group created to draft proposals that fix long-standing problems in WPLUG. It was created on December 9, 2012.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Purpose ==<br />
<br />
WPLUG is struggling to compete against other technology groups. CRW's purpose is to expedite the reform process so that WPLUG can become competitive again as soon as possible:<br />
<br />
*Update the bylaws<br />
*Chart a new direction for WPLUG<br />
*Explore ways to make WPLUG less formal/political<br />
*Bring WPLUG's resources up to par with current technological standards<br />
<br />
== Operation ==<br />
<br />
CRW has no membership requirements. If you decide to join, add your name to the membership list on this page.<br />
<br />
Each month, CRW gathers its best ideas into a "reform package" that is formally proposed during the following month's WPLUG general user meeting. Ideas can be proposed or voted on at any time, but it is recommended to propose ideas outside of meetings and vote on them during the meetings so that people have time to think before they vote.<br />
<br />
If an idea is approved by a majority of CRW members, it will be added to the current reform package. <br />
<br />
Since CRW is not an official WPLUG organization, it doesn't receive official funding and is not governed by the WPLUG bylaws. Members are encouraged to apply the same "free and flexible" mindset to their deliberations: check your preconceptions at the door, be open-minded, and support the best ideas to reform WPLUG. Everyone who wants to present ideas will have an equal opportunity to do so.<br />
<br />
== Members ==<br />
<br />
* Justin Smith<br />
* Terry Golightly<br />
* Pat Barron<br />
* Vance Kochenderfer<br />
* Joseph Prostko<br />
<br />
== Meeting Logs ==<br />
<br />
[http://wplug.org/w/images/4/48/Wplug-2012-12-15.txt Saturday, December 15, 2012]<br />
<br />
[http://wplug.org/w/images/8/83/Wplug_2012-12-20.txt Thursday, December 20, 2012]<br />
<br />
[http://www.wplug.org/w/images/1/17/CRW_meeting_3-28-13.txt Thursday, March 28, 2013]<br />
<br />
[http://www.wplug.org/w/images/d/d0/CRW_6-30-13.txt Sunday, June 30, 2013]<br />
<br />
== Upcoming Meetings ==<br />
<br />
None at this time.<br />
<br />
== Reform Package History ==<br />
<br />
[[CRW Discussion Archives]]<br />
<br />
[[CRW Reform Packages]]<br />
<br />
'''Reform Package 1:''' Bylaw changes, presented at January 2013 GUM.<br />
<br />
'''Reform Package 2:''' WPLUG's general direction, to be presented at February 2013 GUM.<br />
<br />
'''Reform Package 3:''' Focus TBD. To be presented TBD.<br />
<br />
== Reform Package 3 Ideas ==<br />
<br />
=== Vance Kochenderfer ===<br />
<br />
==== Event frequency ====<br />
<br />
In my view, WPLUG needs to have at least one event per month. Even better is if we can have three or four months with two events (say, September with Software Freedom Day and another event).<br />
<br />
==== Types of events ====<br />
<br />
There need not be a General User Meeting (GUM) each month. I think some variety encourages different types of people to attend. [[InstallFest|Installfests]] and social events are acceptable. I do think the GUM is the long-standing "standard" event, and we should probably shoot for at least six of these in a given year.<br />
<br />
==== Meeting [[Venues|venues]] ====<br />
<br />
I really am a fan of the [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]. I recognize that they charge for room use, and that there are fewer public transportation options. The big difference to me is that we are welcomed there, rather than simply tolerated as was the case at CMU, and it serves as a stable home base. Carnegie Library is OK for occasional events, but AFAIK will not permit us to hold all our meetings there.<br />
<br />
A company or university meeting room is a fine location, but relies on having a person connected with that company or university to secure it for us. I'm glad Pat has been able to get us into IBM, but attendance doesn't seem to have been very high there - despite survey comments, I don't think the downtown location is preferred over Regent Square by our audience.<br />
<br />
If we are facing cash flow problems with the small amount WSCC charges for rooms, I'm happy to pony up for that, and we can solicit contributions in addition to membership dues.<br />
<br />
- [[User:Vance|Vance]] ([[User talk:Vance|talk]]) 02:30, 26 November 2013 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Justin Smith ===<br />
<br />
The way I see it, we've got three main problems.<br />
<br />
====Too many GUMs====<br />
<br />
Having formal meetings on a monthly basis is fine if you've got people clamoring to present, but we don't. Therefore, I think we'd do well to have them once every 2-4 months. Since we're not sure how people would react to the social events I presume we'd be filling our off-months with, I recommend taking a conservative approach. Let's start with having GUMs every other month and see how that goes. If it's still too often, we can increase the interval to once every three months.<br />
<br />
====Event planning takes too long====<br />
<br />
We should be mindful of how long our event planning takes. Every time we want to hold an event, we have to start planning from scratch because we don't carry over themes from one event to the next. That's inefficient, and it isn't easy on our already-limited resources. Instead, let's split up the year into blocks of two months (or however often we agree to hold GUMs) and agree that all events in a given block will follow a given theme. We can either hold social events that build up to a GUM or hold a GUM and then have social events that build on the idea that was presented.<br />
<br />
====Not enough cohesion between events====<br />
<br />
For instance, let's say our theme for the January-February block is running your own Linux server. (This is an example, not a suggestion.) Someone gives a presentation about the uses for a Linux VPS and leaves people with suggestions for providers they can use to get started. (This is also an opportunity for us to earn commissions - just saying!) At the end of January, we hold an IRC chat session where people can come in and talk about how they're doing so far. In February, we hold a "Project Night" at some physical location where people come in and work on VPS stuff together - kind of like we did at the last GUM, except it's more targeted.<br />
<br />
Remember how we were talking about holding classes? I still don't think we have the resources to do that, but linking events together might give us some of the same appeal. We'd be taking the time to really drive home particular topics. Maybe that would make people more likely to attend!<br />
<br />
=== Pat Barron ===<br />
<br />
==== GUMs, Events, and Business Meetings ====<br />
<br />
I believe there is some confusion among potential attendees about what they are going to encounter when they attend one of our events - particularly among those potential attendees who aren't fans of a lot of "rules", and don't want to sit through a business meeting. I think there isn't sufficient awareness that we don't hold a business meeting at every GUM (the Bylaws now require us to have only one business meeting per year, though I in no way recommend that - I think we should have a business meeting at least quarterly). Even on occasions when we don't hold a business meeting, I think it should be made completely clear in the schedule when the business meeting starts, and when it ends (and we need to stick to it) - and, we should have a specific committed time when the technical or event programming starts, and emphasize in the meeting announcement that non-members (and members who simply don't want to attend a business meeting) need not arrive until the time designated for the programming to start. Even though this is normally listed in the event schedule, I believe we should actively emphasize it in our meeting announcements.<br />
<br />
==== Not enough programming content ====<br />
<br />
I don't think it's necessarily the case that we hold too many GUMs, and it would certainly be my preference to hold one event per month on a reliably predictable schedule. However, I don't think we should even attempt to hold an event if we don't have some kind of solid programming. If we're coming up on a "normal" GUM date and don't have a solid program already booked, we're probably better off just not having the GUM at all.<br />
<br />
==== Too much programming when we do have programming ====<br />
<br />
We shouldn't try to stuff too much programming into a given event. Unless we're doing a lightning talk event (where we really do need to enforce a hard time limit - the entire concept of lightning talks is almost a "game", where you see if you can get enough content into the very limited timeframe available, that's actually part of the fun of it...), I don't think we should ever program more than one speaker or presentation per GUM. This is especially important when we're meeting at a facility like WSCC, where "time is money" and we really do have a hard stop time. Plus, from a speaker perspective, it is not particularly desirable to a potential speaker to have to sit through another speaker's presentation before doing his or her own presentation.<br />
<br />
If we find ourselves in the unusual situation where we have multiple presentations that could potentially go on during a given GUM, we should do our best to push the "extra" presentations out to future GUMs.<br />
<br />
==== Consistency in event announcements ====<br />
<br />
There should be an event announcement each month, without fail. Even if the announcement is, "We're not holding an event this month". At least this reassures people that we're still here, and thinking about the event schedule - and reminds them that we do hold events, even if we're not having one during that specific month.<br />
<br />
==== Event planning cycles are much too short ====<br />
<br />
This may just be another way of stating Justin's point about "Event planning takes too long" - it's not that it takes too long, it's that we don't acknowledge how long it really takes. We seem to be in a pattern of not really starting to plan most GUMs until the board meeting immediately preceding that GUM. If the board is sitting in a meeting hashing out, "So, are we going to have a GUM next month, and if so, what should it be?", then we're doing it wrong... My view has long been, at the time we hold a GUM, we should already know what's on the program for the *next* GUM (speaker or program committed, venue booked, program already announced to the membership, etc.) - and, preferably, the one after that too. I know, this is much easier said than done - as has already been noted, we aren't exactly overflowing with programming available to offer. But establishing a longer event planning cycle should be a goal.<br />
<br />
==== Venues - positive and negative ====<br />
<br />
I have some comments about meeting venues that, for various reasons, I think are more appropriate to share outside of this forum. Check your e-mail.<br />
<br />
Ultimately, though, the primary advantage I see regarding meeting at WSCC is that providing meeting space is what they do. That's their mission. One of the biggest problems with "borrowed" space is that such space is controlled by organizations who have no investment in WPLUG, and whose primary missions don't align with WPLUG's mission. For all kinds of reasons - for example, we lose our "internal advocate" within that organization, or they just have something come up that's more aligned with their mission - we're always at risk of losing such space on very short notice, or even on no notice at all. We're simply not important to them. Oh, of course, we're not *anti-important* to them, they wish us no ill will or anything. It's just that, they larger organizations who control these spaces don't care about WPLUG, per se - we're not on their radar, at all. At best, such organizations let us use such space on the basis of, "if it's not inconvenient for us". At worst, we may become inconvenient, or even somewhat annoying, to other organizations who permit us to use their space.<br />
<br />
==== Make sure the venue is on board ====<br />
<br />
One thing we need to keep in mind, as we plan alternate events (such as social events and such) that might take place at a public venue - we absolutely must engage with the venue to make sure that we are welcome, and that they are willing to accommodate us, and we need to do this before any announcement is made of the event or the venue. This is a mistake that we made with the failed bowling event, which we don't want to repeat - we showed up unannounced, assuming the venue would surely be happy to accommodate us - and, as it turned out, they weren't.<br />
<br />
==== Remember that there is an Event Committee ====<br />
<br />
Section 7.2 of the Bylaws gives the Event Committee the authority to plan events in the name of the organization. The full board doesn't need to be involved with, and approve, each event. This is, of course, more important in an environment where the Event Committee is not a proper subset of the board (which it now is for the first time, I think, in the last three years), and particularly if we can get more people involved. The reason I point this out is that of late, the event planning cycle has mostly been demarcated by board meetings, and it doesn't need to be that way. The event committee can hold it's own meetings, on it's own schedule, and we should leverage this (especially, as I said, if we can get additional people involved in event planning).<br />
<br />
=== Vance Kochenderfer (2) ===<br />
<br />
==== Justin - Too many GUMs ====<br />
<br />
I think an every-other-month schedule sounds good for GUMs. Even if we can't decide exactly what will happen in the other months, we should at least develop a plan of what we ''want'' to do.<br />
<br />
==== Justin - Not enough cohesion between events ====<br />
<br />
It's a great idea to link events in this way so they build on each other - especially with employing different formats.<br />
<br />
==== Pat - Business meetings ====<br />
<br />
If there are no proposals for the membership to act on, a business meeting should take no more than ten or twenty minutes. I'm more than happy to go over with the board the basics of a meeting agenda, what is necessary and what is extraneous. I think the schedule we put on the wiki page for each meeting makes the distinction between the business meeting and presentation, but if people think it's not clear enough it could be reinforced.<br />
<br />
==== Pat - Event announcements ====<br />
<br />
A thousand times yes - we need to put out notice well in advance. IMO, a wiki page should be created 3 months before the event, and notice sent to wplug-announce 1 month prior. Even if all the details aren't known, we need to send the signal that we're alive and kicking and get on people's calendars.<br />
<br />
==== Pat - Venues ====<br />
<br />
As above, we need to line up meeting space well ahead of time, otherwise we'll either be denied or get a less-preferable selection. IMO, we should try to reserve now all the space we'll need at the WSCC for 2014.<br />
<br />
=== Justin Smith (2) ===<br />
<br />
==== Event planning ====<br />
<br />
When I said that event planning taking too long, I wasn't trying to say that we should plan in advance. I'm not opposed to planning in advance, but even if we did that, we still have to come up with events from scratch. Last year, that sometimes took us longer than necessary, IMO. Pairing off events into themed blocks would make everything a bit easier and, as Vance noted, have the more important effect of giving WPLUG more consistent and effective programming.<br />
<br />
Limiting GUMs to one speaker seems like a good idea. However, we'd need to have a reliable group of backups ready to go in case the presenter isn't able to come. Since I can't think of any outside parties that would have that level of interest in WPLUG, I think we should consider ourselves the backups. With our combined knowledge, there probably aren't many topics we couldn't fill in for. Let's let others do the heavy lifting in GUMs this year so we can focus on ironing out WPLUG's ongoing problems.<br />
<br />
Social events are only as good as the number of people there. Since our turnout isn't quite where we'd like it to be, maybe we can work with other local groups to hold joint social events. For that matter, I don't see anything wrong with planning joint meetings, either. Either way, more people would be there and it might help us get around our venue limitations: we simply use someone else's. For instance, if we wanted to take up Bitcoin again, we could meet the Pittsburgh Bitcoin Users down at the BeerHive.<br />
<br />
If the Event Committee is willing to take these ideas and run with them, I'm perfectly fine with that. This is merely a discussion forum.<br />
<br />
==== Event announcements ====<br />
<br />
Posting event notices in advance is a good start, but we have to make sure that people actually read them. Some groups, like SNAPGH, give notice about a month in advance but still manage to attract a respectable audience. What are they doing that we aren't? That's probably a topic for another day.<br />
<br />
Don't forget that we can use Twitter for event announcements as well.<br />
<br />
==== Venue ====<br />
<br />
Here's an excerpt from my FAQ for the new WordPress site:<br />
<br />
''Some social groups only use no-cost services or rely on the generosity of a few individuals to pay their bills. Unfortunately, free services and members come and go. We feel that it’s better to offer membership for a low annual fee so that we can afford to deliver consistent quality.''<br />
<br />
That's why I think we're better off using a paid venue as long as we can afford to do so.<br />
<br />
=== Pat Barron ===<br />
<br />
==== Backup presentations ====<br />
<br />
I definitely agree that we should have some "ready to go" backup presentations in our pockets at all times, just in case something goes wrong with a scheduled presentation at the last minute. I have one that I will volunteer to prepare one on OpenAFS (duh! Why didn't I think of that before, I only worked for a company that sold AFS as a product for 10 years... ;-) )<br />
<br />
==== Ideas for social(ish) events ====<br />
<br />
I'm still thinking about ideas for this. One idea for an event that would be good to hold (and would be in line with some of the things we've done in the past) would be a PGP key signing "party".<br />
<br />
==== Venue FAQ ====<br />
<br />
I like Justin's text, I think something like that should definitely be in our FAQ.<br />
<br />
== Accepted Reform Package 3 Proposals ==<br />
<br />
-WPLUG has business meetings too often; we recommend having them every other GUM instead of at every GUM.<br />
-WPLUG holds GUMs too often: we recommend having them every other month instead of every month.<br />
-During our "off-months," WPLUG should have a social event.<br />
-Generally, each month should have one activity, be it a GUM or a social event. However, some months could have two events, such as a GUM ''and'' a separate celebration for Software Freedom Day.<br />
-In the interest of consistent programming, each GUM and its corresponding off-month should hold to a particular theme. For instance, someone could give a presentation about becoming involved with the Linux community at a GUM, and the following month, we could have a "hackathon" where we work on a community project.</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/Commission_to_Reform_WPLUGCommission to Reform WPLUG2013-11-27T14:31:59Z<p>Centinel: /* Event planning */</p>
<hr />
<div>The Commission to Reform WPLUG (CRW) is an informal group created to draft proposals that fix long-standing problems in WPLUG. It was created on December 9, 2012.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Purpose ==<br />
<br />
WPLUG is struggling to compete against other technology groups. CRW's purpose is to expedite the reform process so that WPLUG can become competitive again as soon as possible:<br />
<br />
*Update the bylaws<br />
*Chart a new direction for WPLUG<br />
*Explore ways to make WPLUG less formal/political<br />
*Bring WPLUG's resources up to par with current technological standards<br />
<br />
== Operation ==<br />
<br />
CRW has no membership requirements. If you decide to join, add your name to the membership list on this page.<br />
<br />
Each month, CRW gathers its best ideas into a "reform package" that is formally proposed during the following month's WPLUG general user meeting. Ideas can be proposed or voted on at any time, but it is recommended to propose ideas outside of meetings and vote on them during the meetings so that people have time to think before they vote.<br />
<br />
If an idea is approved by a majority of CRW members, it will be added to the current reform package. <br />
<br />
Since CRW is not an official WPLUG organization, it doesn't receive official funding and is not governed by the WPLUG bylaws. Members are encouraged to apply the same "free and flexible" mindset to their deliberations: check your preconceptions at the door, be open-minded, and support the best ideas to reform WPLUG. Everyone who wants to present ideas will have an equal opportunity to do so.<br />
<br />
== Members ==<br />
<br />
* Justin Smith<br />
* Terry Golightly<br />
* Pat Barron<br />
* Vance Kochenderfer<br />
* Joseph Prostko<br />
<br />
== Meeting Logs ==<br />
<br />
[http://wplug.org/w/images/4/48/Wplug-2012-12-15.txt Saturday, December 15, 2012]<br />
<br />
[http://wplug.org/w/images/8/83/Wplug_2012-12-20.txt Thursday, December 20, 2012]<br />
<br />
[http://www.wplug.org/w/images/1/17/CRW_meeting_3-28-13.txt Thursday, March 28, 2013]<br />
<br />
[http://www.wplug.org/w/images/d/d0/CRW_6-30-13.txt Sunday, June 30, 2013]<br />
<br />
== Upcoming Meetings ==<br />
<br />
None at this time.<br />
<br />
== Reform Package History ==<br />
<br />
[[CRW Discussion Archives]]<br />
<br />
[[CRW Reform Packages]]<br />
<br />
'''Reform Package 1:''' Bylaw changes, presented at January 2013 GUM.<br />
<br />
'''Reform Package 2:''' WPLUG's general direction, to be presented at February 2013 GUM.<br />
<br />
'''Reform Package 3:''' Focus TBD. To be presented TBD.<br />
<br />
== Reform Package 3 Ideas ==<br />
<br />
=== Vance Kochenderfer ===<br />
<br />
==== Event frequency ====<br />
<br />
In my view, WPLUG needs to have at least one event per month. Even better is if we can have three or four months with two events (say, September with Software Freedom Day and another event).<br />
<br />
==== Types of events ====<br />
<br />
There need not be a General User Meeting (GUM) each month. I think some variety encourages different types of people to attend. [[InstallFest|Installfests]] and social events are acceptable. I do think the GUM is the long-standing "standard" event, and we should probably shoot for at least six of these in a given year.<br />
<br />
==== Meeting [[Venues|venues]] ====<br />
<br />
I really am a fan of the [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]. I recognize that they charge for room use, and that there are fewer public transportation options. The big difference to me is that we are welcomed there, rather than simply tolerated as was the case at CMU, and it serves as a stable home base. Carnegie Library is OK for occasional events, but AFAIK will not permit us to hold all our meetings there.<br />
<br />
A company or university meeting room is a fine location, but relies on having a person connected with that company or university to secure it for us. I'm glad Pat has been able to get us into IBM, but attendance doesn't seem to have been very high there - despite survey comments, I don't think the downtown location is preferred over Regent Square by our audience.<br />
<br />
If we are facing cash flow problems with the small amount WSCC charges for rooms, I'm happy to pony up for that, and we can solicit contributions in addition to membership dues.<br />
<br />
- [[User:Vance|Vance]] ([[User talk:Vance|talk]]) 02:30, 26 November 2013 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Justin Smith ===<br />
<br />
The way I see it, we've got three main problems.<br />
<br />
====Too many GUMs====<br />
<br />
Having formal meetings on a monthly basis is fine if you've got people clamoring to present, but we don't. Therefore, I think we'd do well to have them once every 2-4 months. Since we're not sure how people would react to the social events I presume we'd be filling our off-months with, I recommend taking a conservative approach. Let's start with having GUMs every other month and see how that goes. If it's still too often, we can increase the interval to once every three months.<br />
<br />
====Event planning takes too long====<br />
<br />
We should be mindful of how long our event planning takes. Every time we want to hold an event, we have to start planning from scratch because we don't carry over themes from one event to the next. That's inefficient, and it isn't easy on our already-limited resources. Instead, let's split up the year into blocks of two months (or however often we agree to hold GUMs) and agree that all events in a given block will follow a given theme. We can either hold social events that build up to a GUM or hold a GUM and then have social events that build on the idea that was presented.<br />
<br />
====Not enough cohesion between events====<br />
<br />
For instance, let's say our theme for the January-February block is running your own Linux server. (This is an example, not a suggestion.) Someone gives a presentation about the uses for a Linux VPS and leaves people with suggestions for providers they can use to get started. (This is also an opportunity for us to earn commissions - just saying!) At the end of January, we hold an IRC chat session where people can come in and talk about how they're doing so far. In February, we hold a "Project Night" at some physical location where people come in and work on VPS stuff together - kind of like we did at the last GUM, except it's more targeted.<br />
<br />
Remember how we were talking about holding classes? I still don't think we have the resources to do that, but linking events together might give us some of the same appeal. We'd be taking the time to really drive home particular topics. Maybe that would make people more likely to attend!<br />
<br />
=== Pat Barron ===<br />
<br />
==== GUMs, Events, and Business Meetings ====<br />
<br />
I believe there is some confusion among potential attendees about what they are going to encounter when they attend one of our events - particularly among those potential attendees who aren't fans of a lot of "rules", and don't want to sit through a business meeting. I think there isn't sufficient awareness that we don't hold a business meeting at every GUM (the Bylaws now require us to have only one business meeting per year, though I in no way recommend that - I think we should have a business meeting at least quarterly). Even on occasions when we don't hold a business meeting, I think it should be made completely clear in the schedule when the business meeting starts, and when it ends (and we need to stick to it) - and, we should have a specific committed time when the technical or event programming starts, and emphasize in the meeting announcement that non-members (and members who simply don't want to attend a business meeting) need not arrive until the time designated for the programming to start. Even though this is normally listed in the event schedule, I believe we should actively emphasize it in our meeting announcements.<br />
<br />
==== Not enough programming content ====<br />
<br />
I don't think it's necessarily the case that we hold too many GUMs, and it would certainly be my preference to hold one event per month on a reliably predictable schedule. However, I don't think we should even attempt to hold an event if we don't have some kind of solid programming. If we're coming up on a "normal" GUM date and don't have a solid program already booked, we're probably better off just not having the GUM at all.<br />
<br />
==== Too much programming when we do have programming ====<br />
<br />
We shouldn't try to stuff too much programming into a given event. Unless we're doing a lightning talk event (where we really do need to enforce a hard time limit - the entire concept of lightning talks is almost a "game", where you see if you can get enough content into the very limited timeframe available, that's actually part of the fun of it...), I don't think we should ever program more than one speaker or presentation per GUM. This is especially important when we're meeting at a facility like WSCC, where "time is money" and we really do have a hard stop time. Plus, from a speaker perspective, it is not particularly desirable to a potential speaker to have to sit through another speaker's presentation before doing his or her own presentation.<br />
<br />
If we find ourselves in the unusual situation where we have multiple presentations that could potentially go on during a given GUM, we should do our best to push the "extra" presentations out to future GUMs.<br />
<br />
==== Consistency in event announcements ====<br />
<br />
There should be an event announcement each month, without fail. Even if the announcement is, "We're not holding an event this month". At least this reassures people that we're still here, and thinking about the event schedule - and reminds them that we do hold events, even if we're not having one during that specific month.<br />
<br />
==== Event planning cycles are much too short ====<br />
<br />
This may just be another way of stating Justin's point about "Event planning takes too long" - it's not that it takes too long, it's that we don't acknowledge how long it really takes. We seem to be in a pattern of not really starting to plan most GUMs until the board meeting immediately preceding that GUM. If the board is sitting in a meeting hashing out, "So, are we going to have a GUM next month, and if so, what should it be?", then we're doing it wrong... My view has long been, at the time we hold a GUM, we should already know what's on the program for the *next* GUM (speaker or program committed, venue booked, program already announced to the membership, etc.) - and, preferably, the one after that too. I know, this is much easier said than done - as has already been noted, we aren't exactly overflowing with programming available to offer. But establishing a longer event planning cycle should be a goal.<br />
<br />
==== Venues - positive and negative ====<br />
<br />
I have some comments about meeting venues that, for various reasons, I think are more appropriate to share outside of this forum. Check your e-mail.<br />
<br />
Ultimately, though, the primary advantage I see regarding meeting at WSCC is that providing meeting space is what they do. That's their mission. One of the biggest problems with "borrowed" space is that such space is controlled by organizations who have no investment in WPLUG, and whose primary missions don't align with WPLUG's mission. For all kinds of reasons - for example, we lose our "internal advocate" within that organization, or they just have something come up that's more aligned with their mission - we're always at risk of losing such space on very short notice, or even on no notice at all. We're simply not important to them. Oh, of course, we're not *anti-important* to them, they wish us no ill will or anything. It's just that, they larger organizations who control these spaces don't care about WPLUG, per se - we're not on their radar, at all. At best, such organizations let us use such space on the basis of, "if it's not inconvenient for us". At worst, we may become inconvenient, or even somewhat annoying, to other organizations who permit us to use their space.<br />
<br />
==== Make sure the venue is on board ====<br />
<br />
One thing we need to keep in mind, as we plan alternate events (such as social events and such) that might take place at a public venue - we absolutely must engage with the venue to make sure that we are welcome, and that they are willing to accommodate us, and we need to do this before any announcement is made of the event or the venue. This is a mistake that we made with the failed bowling event, which we don't want to repeat - we showed up unannounced, assuming the venue would surely be happy to accommodate us - and, as it turned out, they weren't.<br />
<br />
==== Remember that there is an Event Committee ====<br />
<br />
Section 7.2 of the Bylaws gives the Event Committee the authority to plan events in the name of the organization. The full board doesn't need to be involved with, and approve, each event. This is, of course, more important in an environment where the Event Committee is not a proper subset of the board (which it now is for the first time, I think, in the last three years), and particularly if we can get more people involved. The reason I point this out is that of late, the event planning cycle has mostly been demarcated by board meetings, and it doesn't need to be that way. The event committee can hold it's own meetings, on it's own schedule, and we should leverage this (especially, as I said, if we can get additional people involved in event planning).<br />
<br />
=== Vance Kochenderfer (2) ===<br />
<br />
==== Justin - Too many GUMs ====<br />
<br />
I think an every-other-month schedule sounds good for GUMs. Even if we can't decide exactly what will happen in the other months, we should at least develop a plan of what we ''want'' to do.<br />
<br />
==== Justin - Not enough cohesion between events ====<br />
<br />
It's a great idea to link events in this way so they build on each other - especially with employing different formats.<br />
<br />
==== Pat - Business meetings ====<br />
<br />
If there are no proposals for the membership to act on, a business meeting should take no more than ten or twenty minutes. I'm more than happy to go over with the board the basics of a meeting agenda, what is necessary and what is extraneous. I think the schedule we put on the wiki page for each meeting makes the distinction between the business meeting and presentation, but if people think it's not clear enough it could be reinforced.<br />
<br />
==== Pat - Event announcements ====<br />
<br />
A thousand times yes - we need to put out notice well in advance. IMO, a wiki page should be created 3 months before the event, and notice sent to wplug-announce 1 month prior. Even if all the details aren't known, we need to send the signal that we're alive and kicking and get on people's calendars.<br />
<br />
==== Pat - Venues ====<br />
<br />
As above, we need to line up meeting space well ahead of time, otherwise we'll either be denied or get a less-preferable selection. IMO, we should try to reserve now all the space we'll need at the WSCC for 2014.<br />
<br />
=== Justin Smith (2) ===<br />
<br />
==== Event planning ====<br />
<br />
When I said that event planning taking too long, I wasn't trying to say that we should plan in advance. I'm not opposed to planning in advance, but even if we did that, we still have to come up with events from scratch. Last year, that sometimes took us longer than necessary, IMO. Pairing off events into themed blocks would make everything a bit easier and, as Vance noted, have the more important effect of giving WPLUG more consistent and effective programming.<br />
<br />
Limiting GUMs to one speaker seems like a good idea. However, we'd need to have a reliable group of backups ready to go in case the presenter isn't able to come. Since I can't think of any outside parties that would have that level of interest in WPLUG, I think we should consider ourselves the backups. With our combined knowledge, there probably aren't many topics we couldn't fill in for. Let's let others do the heavy lifting in GUMs this year so we can focus on ironing out WPLUG's ongoing problems.<br />
<br />
Social events are only as good as the number of people there. Since our turnout isn't quite where we'd like it to be, maybe we can work with other local groups to hold joint social events. For that matter, I don't see anything wrong with planning joint meetings, either. Either way, more people would be there and it might help us get around our venue limitations: we simply use someone else's. For instance, if we wanted to take up Bitcoin again, we could meet the Pittsburgh Bitcoin Users down at the BeerHive.<br />
<br />
If the Event Committee is willing to take these ideas and run with them, I'm perfectly fine with that. This is merely a discussion forum.<br />
<br />
==== Event announcements ====<br />
<br />
Posting event notices in advance is a good start, but we have to make sure that people actually read them. Some groups, like SNAPGH, give notice about a month in advance but still manage to attract a respectable audience. What are they doing that we aren't? That's probably a topic for another day.<br />
<br />
Don't forget that we can use Twitter for event announcements as well.<br />
<br />
==== Venue ====<br />
<br />
Here's an excerpt from my FAQ for the new WordPress site:<br />
<br />
''Some social groups only use no-cost services or rely on the generosity of a few individuals to pay their bills. Unfortunately, free services and members come and go. We feel that it’s better to offer membership for a low annual fee so that we can afford to deliver consistent quality.''<br />
<br />
That's why I think we're better off using a paid venue as long as we can afford to do so.<br />
<br />
== Accepted Reform Package 3 Proposals ==<br />
<br />
None at this time</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/Commission_to_Reform_WPLUGCommission to Reform WPLUG2013-11-27T14:23:45Z<p>Centinel: /* Event planning */</p>
<hr />
<div>The Commission to Reform WPLUG (CRW) is an informal group created to draft proposals that fix long-standing problems in WPLUG. It was created on December 9, 2012.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Purpose ==<br />
<br />
WPLUG is struggling to compete against other technology groups. CRW's purpose is to expedite the reform process so that WPLUG can become competitive again as soon as possible:<br />
<br />
*Update the bylaws<br />
*Chart a new direction for WPLUG<br />
*Explore ways to make WPLUG less formal/political<br />
*Bring WPLUG's resources up to par with current technological standards<br />
<br />
== Operation ==<br />
<br />
CRW has no membership requirements. If you decide to join, add your name to the membership list on this page.<br />
<br />
Each month, CRW gathers its best ideas into a "reform package" that is formally proposed during the following month's WPLUG general user meeting. Ideas can be proposed or voted on at any time, but it is recommended to propose ideas outside of meetings and vote on them during the meetings so that people have time to think before they vote.<br />
<br />
If an idea is approved by a majority of CRW members, it will be added to the current reform package. <br />
<br />
Since CRW is not an official WPLUG organization, it doesn't receive official funding and is not governed by the WPLUG bylaws. Members are encouraged to apply the same "free and flexible" mindset to their deliberations: check your preconceptions at the door, be open-minded, and support the best ideas to reform WPLUG. Everyone who wants to present ideas will have an equal opportunity to do so.<br />
<br />
== Members ==<br />
<br />
* Justin Smith<br />
* Terry Golightly<br />
* Pat Barron<br />
* Vance Kochenderfer<br />
* Joseph Prostko<br />
<br />
== Meeting Logs ==<br />
<br />
[http://wplug.org/w/images/4/48/Wplug-2012-12-15.txt Saturday, December 15, 2012]<br />
<br />
[http://wplug.org/w/images/8/83/Wplug_2012-12-20.txt Thursday, December 20, 2012]<br />
<br />
[http://www.wplug.org/w/images/1/17/CRW_meeting_3-28-13.txt Thursday, March 28, 2013]<br />
<br />
[http://www.wplug.org/w/images/d/d0/CRW_6-30-13.txt Sunday, June 30, 2013]<br />
<br />
== Upcoming Meetings ==<br />
<br />
None at this time.<br />
<br />
== Reform Package History ==<br />
<br />
[[CRW Discussion Archives]]<br />
<br />
[[CRW Reform Packages]]<br />
<br />
'''Reform Package 1:''' Bylaw changes, presented at January 2013 GUM.<br />
<br />
'''Reform Package 2:''' WPLUG's general direction, to be presented at February 2013 GUM.<br />
<br />
'''Reform Package 3:''' Focus TBD. To be presented TBD.<br />
<br />
== Reform Package 3 Ideas ==<br />
<br />
=== Vance Kochenderfer ===<br />
<br />
==== Event frequency ====<br />
<br />
In my view, WPLUG needs to have at least one event per month. Even better is if we can have three or four months with two events (say, September with Software Freedom Day and another event).<br />
<br />
==== Types of events ====<br />
<br />
There need not be a General User Meeting (GUM) each month. I think some variety encourages different types of people to attend. [[InstallFest|Installfests]] and social events are acceptable. I do think the GUM is the long-standing "standard" event, and we should probably shoot for at least six of these in a given year.<br />
<br />
==== Meeting [[Venues|venues]] ====<br />
<br />
I really am a fan of the [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]. I recognize that they charge for room use, and that there are fewer public transportation options. The big difference to me is that we are welcomed there, rather than simply tolerated as was the case at CMU, and it serves as a stable home base. Carnegie Library is OK for occasional events, but AFAIK will not permit us to hold all our meetings there.<br />
<br />
A company or university meeting room is a fine location, but relies on having a person connected with that company or university to secure it for us. I'm glad Pat has been able to get us into IBM, but attendance doesn't seem to have been very high there - despite survey comments, I don't think the downtown location is preferred over Regent Square by our audience.<br />
<br />
If we are facing cash flow problems with the small amount WSCC charges for rooms, I'm happy to pony up for that, and we can solicit contributions in addition to membership dues.<br />
<br />
- [[User:Vance|Vance]] ([[User talk:Vance|talk]]) 02:30, 26 November 2013 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Justin Smith ===<br />
<br />
The way I see it, we've got three main problems.<br />
<br />
====Too many GUMs====<br />
<br />
Having formal meetings on a monthly basis is fine if you've got people clamoring to present, but we don't. Therefore, I think we'd do well to have them once every 2-4 months. Since we're not sure how people would react to the social events I presume we'd be filling our off-months with, I recommend taking a conservative approach. Let's start with having GUMs every other month and see how that goes. If it's still too often, we can increase the interval to once every three months.<br />
<br />
====Event planning takes too long====<br />
<br />
We should be mindful of how long our event planning takes. Every time we want to hold an event, we have to start planning from scratch because we don't carry over themes from one event to the next. That's inefficient, and it isn't easy on our already-limited resources. Instead, let's split up the year into blocks of two months (or however often we agree to hold GUMs) and agree that all events in a given block will follow a given theme. We can either hold social events that build up to a GUM or hold a GUM and then have social events that build on the idea that was presented.<br />
<br />
====Not enough cohesion between events====<br />
<br />
For instance, let's say our theme for the January-February block is running your own Linux server. (This is an example, not a suggestion.) Someone gives a presentation about the uses for a Linux VPS and leaves people with suggestions for providers they can use to get started. (This is also an opportunity for us to earn commissions - just saying!) At the end of January, we hold an IRC chat session where people can come in and talk about how they're doing so far. In February, we hold a "Project Night" at some physical location where people come in and work on VPS stuff together - kind of like we did at the last GUM, except it's more targeted.<br />
<br />
Remember how we were talking about holding classes? I still don't think we have the resources to do that, but linking events together might give us some of the same appeal. We'd be taking the time to really drive home particular topics. Maybe that would make people more likely to attend!<br />
<br />
=== Pat Barron ===<br />
<br />
==== GUMs, Events, and Business Meetings ====<br />
<br />
I believe there is some confusion among potential attendees about what they are going to encounter when they attend one of our events - particularly among those potential attendees who aren't fans of a lot of "rules", and don't want to sit through a business meeting. I think there isn't sufficient awareness that we don't hold a business meeting at every GUM (the Bylaws now require us to have only one business meeting per year, though I in no way recommend that - I think we should have a business meeting at least quarterly). Even on occasions when we don't hold a business meeting, I think it should be made completely clear in the schedule when the business meeting starts, and when it ends (and we need to stick to it) - and, we should have a specific committed time when the technical or event programming starts, and emphasize in the meeting announcement that non-members (and members who simply don't want to attend a business meeting) need not arrive until the time designated for the programming to start. Even though this is normally listed in the event schedule, I believe we should actively emphasize it in our meeting announcements.<br />
<br />
==== Not enough programming content ====<br />
<br />
I don't think it's necessarily the case that we hold too many GUMs, and it would certainly be my preference to hold one event per month on a reliably predictable schedule. However, I don't think we should even attempt to hold an event if we don't have some kind of solid programming. If we're coming up on a "normal" GUM date and don't have a solid program already booked, we're probably better off just not having the GUM at all.<br />
<br />
==== Too much programming when we do have programming ====<br />
<br />
We shouldn't try to stuff too much programming into a given event. Unless we're doing a lightning talk event (where we really do need to enforce a hard time limit - the entire concept of lightning talks is almost a "game", where you see if you can get enough content into the very limited timeframe available, that's actually part of the fun of it...), I don't think we should ever program more than one speaker or presentation per GUM. This is especially important when we're meeting at a facility like WSCC, where "time is money" and we really do have a hard stop time. Plus, from a speaker perspective, it is not particularly desirable to a potential speaker to have to sit through another speaker's presentation before doing his or her own presentation.<br />
<br />
If we find ourselves in the unusual situation where we have multiple presentations that could potentially go on during a given GUM, we should do our best to push the "extra" presentations out to future GUMs.<br />
<br />
==== Consistency in event announcements ====<br />
<br />
There should be an event announcement each month, without fail. Even if the announcement is, "We're not holding an event this month". At least this reassures people that we're still here, and thinking about the event schedule - and reminds them that we do hold events, even if we're not having one during that specific month.<br />
<br />
==== Event planning cycles are much too short ====<br />
<br />
This may just be another way of stating Justin's point about "Event planning takes too long" - it's not that it takes too long, it's that we don't acknowledge how long it really takes. We seem to be in a pattern of not really starting to plan most GUMs until the board meeting immediately preceding that GUM. If the board is sitting in a meeting hashing out, "So, are we going to have a GUM next month, and if so, what should it be?", then we're doing it wrong... My view has long been, at the time we hold a GUM, we should already know what's on the program for the *next* GUM (speaker or program committed, venue booked, program already announced to the membership, etc.) - and, preferably, the one after that too. I know, this is much easier said than done - as has already been noted, we aren't exactly overflowing with programming available to offer. But establishing a longer event planning cycle should be a goal.<br />
<br />
==== Venues - positive and negative ====<br />
<br />
I have some comments about meeting venues that, for various reasons, I think are more appropriate to share outside of this forum. Check your e-mail.<br />
<br />
Ultimately, though, the primary advantage I see regarding meeting at WSCC is that providing meeting space is what they do. That's their mission. One of the biggest problems with "borrowed" space is that such space is controlled by organizations who have no investment in WPLUG, and whose primary missions don't align with WPLUG's mission. For all kinds of reasons - for example, we lose our "internal advocate" within that organization, or they just have something come up that's more aligned with their mission - we're always at risk of losing such space on very short notice, or even on no notice at all. We're simply not important to them. Oh, of course, we're not *anti-important* to them, they wish us no ill will or anything. It's just that, they larger organizations who control these spaces don't care about WPLUG, per se - we're not on their radar, at all. At best, such organizations let us use such space on the basis of, "if it's not inconvenient for us". At worst, we may become inconvenient, or even somewhat annoying, to other organizations who permit us to use their space.<br />
<br />
==== Make sure the venue is on board ====<br />
<br />
One thing we need to keep in mind, as we plan alternate events (such as social events and such) that might take place at a public venue - we absolutely must engage with the venue to make sure that we are welcome, and that they are willing to accommodate us, and we need to do this before any announcement is made of the event or the venue. This is a mistake that we made with the failed bowling event, which we don't want to repeat - we showed up unannounced, assuming the venue would surely be happy to accommodate us - and, as it turned out, they weren't.<br />
<br />
==== Remember that there is an Event Committee ====<br />
<br />
Section 7.2 of the Bylaws gives the Event Committee the authority to plan events in the name of the organization. The full board doesn't need to be involved with, and approve, each event. This is, of course, more important in an environment where the Event Committee is not a proper subset of the board (which it now is for the first time, I think, in the last three years), and particularly if we can get more people involved. The reason I point this out is that of late, the event planning cycle has mostly been demarcated by board meetings, and it doesn't need to be that way. The event committee can hold it's own meetings, on it's own schedule, and we should leverage this (especially, as I said, if we can get additional people involved in event planning).<br />
<br />
=== Vance Kochenderfer (2) ===<br />
<br />
==== Justin - Too many GUMs ====<br />
<br />
I think an every-other-month schedule sounds good for GUMs. Even if we can't decide exactly what will happen in the other months, we should at least develop a plan of what we ''want'' to do.<br />
<br />
==== Justin - Not enough cohesion between events ====<br />
<br />
It's a great idea to link events in this way so they build on each other - especially with employing different formats.<br />
<br />
==== Pat - Business meetings ====<br />
<br />
If there are no proposals for the membership to act on, a business meeting should take no more than ten or twenty minutes. I'm more than happy to go over with the board the basics of a meeting agenda, what is necessary and what is extraneous. I think the schedule we put on the wiki page for each meeting makes the distinction between the business meeting and presentation, but if people think it's not clear enough it could be reinforced.<br />
<br />
==== Pat - Event announcements ====<br />
<br />
A thousand times yes - we need to put out notice well in advance. IMO, a wiki page should be created 3 months before the event, and notice sent to wplug-announce 1 month prior. Even if all the details aren't known, we need to send the signal that we're alive and kicking and get on people's calendars.<br />
<br />
==== Pat - Venues ====<br />
<br />
As above, we need to line up meeting space well ahead of time, otherwise we'll either be denied or get a less-preferable selection. IMO, we should try to reserve now all the space we'll need at the WSCC for 2014.<br />
<br />
=== Justin Smith (2) ===<br />
<br />
==== Event planning ====<br />
<br />
When I said that event planning taking too long, I wasn't trying to say that we should plan in advance. I'm not opposed to planning in advance, but even if we did that, we still have to come up with events from scratch. Last year, that sometimes took us longer than necessary, IMO. Pairing off events into themed blocks would make everything a bit easier and, as Vance noted, have the more important effect of giving WPLUG more consistent and effective programming.<br />
<br />
Limiting GUMs to one speaker seems like a good idea. However, we'd need to have a reliable group of backups ready to go in case the presenter isn't able to come. Since I can't think of any outside parties that would have that level of interest in WPLUG, I think we should consider ourselves the backups. With our combined knowledge, there probably aren't many topics we couldn't fill in for. Let's let others do the heavy lifting in GUMs this year so we can focus on ironing out WPLUG's ongoing problems.<br />
<br />
Social events are only as good as the number of people there. Since our turnout isn't quite where we'd like it to be, maybe we can work with other local groups to hold joint social events. For that matter, I don't see anything wrong with planning joint meetings, either: say, if we ever wanted to take up Bitcoin again, maybe we could agree to meet the Pittsburgh Bitcoin Users down at the BeerHive.<br />
<br />
If the Event Committee is willing to take these ideas and run with them, I'm perfectly fine with that. This is merely a discussion forum.<br />
<br />
==== Event announcements ====<br />
<br />
Posting event notices in advance is a good start, but we have to make sure that people actually read them. Some groups, like SNAPGH, give notice about a month in advance but still manage to attract a respectable audience. What are they doing that we aren't? That's probably a topic for another day.<br />
<br />
Don't forget that we can use Twitter for event announcements as well.<br />
<br />
==== Venue ====<br />
<br />
Here's an excerpt from my FAQ for the new WordPress site:<br />
<br />
''Some social groups only use no-cost services or rely on the generosity of a few individuals to pay their bills. Unfortunately, free services and members come and go. We feel that it’s better to offer membership for a low annual fee so that we can afford to deliver consistent quality.''<br />
<br />
That's why I think we're better off using a paid venue as long as we can afford to do so.<br />
<br />
== Accepted Reform Package 3 Proposals ==<br />
<br />
None at this time</div>Centinel//www.wplug.org/wiki/Commission_to_Reform_WPLUGCommission to Reform WPLUG2013-11-27T14:22:28Z<p>Centinel: /* Reform Package 3 Ideas */</p>
<hr />
<div>The Commission to Reform WPLUG (CRW) is an informal group created to draft proposals that fix long-standing problems in WPLUG. It was created on December 9, 2012.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Purpose ==<br />
<br />
WPLUG is struggling to compete against other technology groups. CRW's purpose is to expedite the reform process so that WPLUG can become competitive again as soon as possible:<br />
<br />
*Update the bylaws<br />
*Chart a new direction for WPLUG<br />
*Explore ways to make WPLUG less formal/political<br />
*Bring WPLUG's resources up to par with current technological standards<br />
<br />
== Operation ==<br />
<br />
CRW has no membership requirements. If you decide to join, add your name to the membership list on this page.<br />
<br />
Each month, CRW gathers its best ideas into a "reform package" that is formally proposed during the following month's WPLUG general user meeting. Ideas can be proposed or voted on at any time, but it is recommended to propose ideas outside of meetings and vote on them during the meetings so that people have time to think before they vote.<br />
<br />
If an idea is approved by a majority of CRW members, it will be added to the current reform package. <br />
<br />
Since CRW is not an official WPLUG organization, it doesn't receive official funding and is not governed by the WPLUG bylaws. Members are encouraged to apply the same "free and flexible" mindset to their deliberations: check your preconceptions at the door, be open-minded, and support the best ideas to reform WPLUG. Everyone who wants to present ideas will have an equal opportunity to do so.<br />
<br />
== Members ==<br />
<br />
* Justin Smith<br />
* Terry Golightly<br />
* Pat Barron<br />
* Vance Kochenderfer<br />
* Joseph Prostko<br />
<br />
== Meeting Logs ==<br />
<br />
[http://wplug.org/w/images/4/48/Wplug-2012-12-15.txt Saturday, December 15, 2012]<br />
<br />
[http://wplug.org/w/images/8/83/Wplug_2012-12-20.txt Thursday, December 20, 2012]<br />
<br />
[http://www.wplug.org/w/images/1/17/CRW_meeting_3-28-13.txt Thursday, March 28, 2013]<br />
<br />
[http://www.wplug.org/w/images/d/d0/CRW_6-30-13.txt Sunday, June 30, 2013]<br />
<br />
== Upcoming Meetings ==<br />
<br />
None at this time.<br />
<br />
== Reform Package History ==<br />
<br />
[[CRW Discussion Archives]]<br />
<br />
[[CRW Reform Packages]]<br />
<br />
'''Reform Package 1:''' Bylaw changes, presented at January 2013 GUM.<br />
<br />
'''Reform Package 2:''' WPLUG's general direction, to be presented at February 2013 GUM.<br />
<br />
'''Reform Package 3:''' Focus TBD. To be presented TBD.<br />
<br />
== Reform Package 3 Ideas ==<br />
<br />
=== Vance Kochenderfer ===<br />
<br />
==== Event frequency ====<br />
<br />
In my view, WPLUG needs to have at least one event per month. Even better is if we can have three or four months with two events (say, September with Software Freedom Day and another event).<br />
<br />
==== Types of events ====<br />
<br />
There need not be a General User Meeting (GUM) each month. I think some variety encourages different types of people to attend. [[InstallFest|Installfests]] and social events are acceptable. I do think the GUM is the long-standing "standard" event, and we should probably shoot for at least six of these in a given year.<br />
<br />
==== Meeting [[Venues|venues]] ====<br />
<br />
I really am a fan of the [[Wilkins School Community Center|WSCC]]. I recognize that they charge for room use, and that there are fewer public transportation options. The big difference to me is that we are welcomed there, rather than simply tolerated as was the case at CMU, and it serves as a stable home base. Carnegie Library is OK for occasional events, but AFAIK will not permit us to hold all our meetings there.<br />
<br />
A company or university meeting room is a fine location, but relies on having a person connected with that company or university to secure it for us. I'm glad Pat has been able to get us into IBM, but attendance doesn't seem to have been very high there - despite survey comments, I don't think the downtown location is preferred over Regent Square by our audience.<br />
<br />
If we are facing cash flow problems with the small amount WSCC charges for rooms, I'm happy to pony up for that, and we can solicit contributions in addition to membership dues.<br />
<br />
- [[User:Vance|Vance]] ([[User talk:Vance|talk]]) 02:30, 26 November 2013 (EST)<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Justin Smith ===<br />
<br />
The way I see it, we've got three main problems.<br />
<br />
====Too many GUMs====<br />
<br />
Having formal meetings on a monthly basis is fine if you've got people clamoring to present, but we don't. Therefore, I think we'd do well to have them once every 2-4 months. Since we're not sure how people would react to the social events I presume we'd be filling our off-months with, I recommend taking a conservative approach. Let's start with having GUMs every other month and see how that goes. If it's still too often, we can increase the interval to once every three months.<br />
<br />
====Event planning takes too long====<br />
<br />
We should be mindful of how long our event planning takes. Every time we want to hold an event, we have to start planning from scratch because we don't carry over themes from one event to the next. That's inefficient, and it isn't easy on our already-limited resources. Instead, let's split up the year into blocks of two months (or however often we agree to hold GUMs) and agree that all events in a given block will follow a given theme. We can either hold social events that build up to a GUM or hold a GUM and then have social events that build on the idea that was presented.<br />
<br />
====Not enough cohesion between events====<br />
<br />
For instance, let's say our theme for the January-February block is running your own Linux server. (This is an example, not a suggestion.) Someone gives a presentation about the uses for a Linux VPS and leaves people with suggestions for providers they can use to get started. (This is also an opportunity for us to earn commissions - just saying!) At the end of January, we hold an IRC chat session where people can come in and talk about how they're doing so far. In February, we hold a "Project Night" at some physical location where people come in and work on VPS stuff together - kind of like we did at the last GUM, except it's more targeted.<br />
<br />
Remember how we were talking about holding classes? I still don't think we have the resources to do that, but linking events together might give us some of the same appeal. We'd be taking the time to really drive home particular topics. Maybe that would make people more likely to attend!<br />
<br />
=== Pat Barron ===<br />
<br />
==== GUMs, Events, and Business Meetings ====<br />
<br />
I believe there is some confusion among potential attendees about what they are going to encounter when they attend one of our events - particularly among those potential attendees who aren't fans of a lot of "rules", and don't want to sit through a business meeting. I think there isn't sufficient awareness that we don't hold a business meeting at every GUM (the Bylaws now require us to have only one business meeting per year, though I in no way recommend that - I think we should have a business meeting at least quarterly). Even on occasions when we don't hold a business meeting, I think it should be made completely clear in the schedule when the business meeting starts, and when it ends (and we need to stick to it) - and, we should have a specific committed time when the technical or event programming starts, and emphasize in the meeting announcement that non-members (and members who simply don't want to attend a business meeting) need not arrive until the time designated for the programming to start. Even though this is normally listed in the event schedule, I believe we should actively emphasize it in our meeting announcements.<br />
<br />
==== Not enough programming content ====<br />
<br />
I don't think it's necessarily the case that we hold too many GUMs, and it would certainly be my preference to hold one event per month on a reliably predictable schedule. However, I don't think we should even attempt to hold an event if we don't have some kind of solid programming. If we're coming up on a "normal" GUM date and don't have a solid program already booked, we're probably better off just not having the GUM at all.<br />
<br />
==== Too much programming when we do have programming ====<br />
<br />
We shouldn't try to stuff too much programming into a given event. Unless we're doing a lightning talk event (where we really do need to enforce a hard time limit - the entire concept of lightning talks is almost a "game", where you see if you can get enough content into the very limited timeframe available, that's actually part of the fun of it...), I don't think we should ever program more than one speaker or presentation per GUM. This is especially important when we're meeting at a facility like WSCC, where "time is money" and we really do have a hard stop time. Plus, from a speaker perspective, it is not particularly desirable to a potential speaker to have to sit through another speaker's presentation before doing his or her own presentation.<br />
<br />
If we find ourselves in the unusual situation where we have multiple presentations that could potentially go on during a given GUM, we should do our best to push the "extra" presentations out to future GUMs.<br />
<br />
==== Consistency in event announcements ====<br />
<br />
There should be an event announcement each month, without fail. Even if the announcement is, "We're not holding an event this month". At least this reassures people that we're still here, and thinking about the event schedule - and reminds them that we do hold events, even if we're not having one during that specific month.<br />
<br />
==== Event planning cycles are much too short ====<br />
<br />
This may just be another way of stating Justin's point about "Event planning takes too long" - it's not that it takes too long, it's that we don't acknowledge how long it really takes. We seem to be in a pattern of not really starting to plan most GUMs until the board meeting immediately preceding that GUM. If the board is sitting in a meeting hashing out, "So, are we going to have a GUM next month, and if so, what should it be?", then we're doing it wrong... My view has long been, at the time we hold a GUM, we should already know what's on the program for the *next* GUM (speaker or program committed, venue booked, program already announced to the membership, etc.) - and, preferably, the one after that too. I know, this is much easier said than done - as has already been noted, we aren't exactly overflowing with programming available to offer. But establishing a longer event planning cycle should be a goal.<br />
<br />
==== Venues - positive and negative ====<br />
<br />
I have some comments about meeting venues that, for various reasons, I think are more appropriate to share outside of this forum. Check your e-mail.<br />
<br />
Ultimately, though, the primary advantage I see regarding meeting at WSCC is that providing meeting space is what they do. That's their mission. One of the biggest problems with "borrowed" space is that such space is controlled by organizations who have no investment in WPLUG, and whose primary missions don't align with WPLUG's mission. For all kinds of reasons - for example, we lose our "internal advocate" within that organization, or they just have something come up that's more aligned with their mission - we're always at risk of losing such space on very short notice, or even on no notice at all. We're simply not important to them. Oh, of course, we're not *anti-important* to them, they wish us no ill will or anything. It's just that, they larger organizations who control these spaces don't care about WPLUG, per se - we're not on their radar, at all. At best, such organizations let us use such space on the basis of, "if it's not inconvenient for us". At worst, we may become inconvenient, or even somewhat annoying, to other organizations who permit us to use their space.<br />
<br />
==== Make sure the venue is on board ====<br />
<br />
One thing we need to keep in mind, as we plan alternate events (such as social events and such) that might take place at a public venue - we absolutely must engage with the venue to make sure that we are welcome, and that they are willing to accommodate us, and we need to do this before any announcement is made of the event or the venue. This is a mistake that we made with the failed bowling event, which we don't want to repeat - we showed up unannounced, assuming the venue would surely be happy to accommodate us - and, as it turned out, they weren't.<br />
<br />
==== Remember that there is an Event Committee ====<br />
<br />
Section 7.2 of the Bylaws gives the Event Committee the authority to plan events in the name of the organization. The full board doesn't need to be involved with, and approve, each event. This is, of course, more important in an environment where the Event Committee is not a proper subset of the board (which it now is for the first time, I think, in the last three years), and particularly if we can get more people involved. The reason I point this out is that of late, the event planning cycle has mostly been demarcated by board meetings, and it doesn't need to be that way. The event committee can hold it's own meetings, on it's own schedule, and we should leverage this (especially, as I said, if we can get additional people involved in event planning).<br />
<br />
=== Vance Kochenderfer (2) ===<br />
<br />
==== Justin - Too many GUMs ====<br />
<br />
I think an every-other-month schedule sounds good for GUMs. Even if we can't decide exactly what will happen in the other months, we should at least develop a plan of what we ''want'' to do.<br />
<br />
==== Justin - Not enough cohesion between events ====<br />
<br />
It's a great idea to link events in this way so they build on each other - especially with employing different formats.<br />
<br />
==== Pat - Business meetings ====<br />
<br />
If there are no proposals for the membership to act on, a business meeting should take no more than ten or twenty minutes. I'm more than happy to go over with the board the basics of a meeting agenda, what is necessary and what is extraneous. I think the schedule we put on the wiki page for each meeting makes the distinction between the business meeting and presentation, but if people think it's not clear enough it could be reinforced.<br />
<br />
==== Pat - Event announcements ====<br />
<br />
A thousand times yes - we need to put out notice well in advance. IMO, a wiki page should be created 3 months before the event, and notice sent to wplug-announce 1 month prior. Even if all the details aren't known, we need to send the signal that we're alive and kicking and get on people's calendars.<br />
<br />
==== Pat - Venues ====<br />
<br />
As above, we need to line up meeting space well ahead of time, otherwise we'll either be denied or get a less-preferable selection. IMO, we should try to reserve now all the space we'll need at the WSCC for 2014.<br />
<br />
=== Justin Smith (2) ===<br />
<br />
==== Event planning ====<br />
<br />
When I said that event planning taking too long, I wasn't trying to say that we should plan in advance. I'm not opposed to planning in advance, but even if we did that, we're still faced with coming up with events from scratch. Last year, that sometimes took us longer than necessary, IMO. Pairing off events into themed blocks would make everything a bit easier and, as Vance noted, give WPLUG more consistent and effective programming.<br />
<br />
Limiting GUMs to one speaker seems like a good idea. However, we'd need to have a reliable group of backups ready to go in case the presenter isn't able to come. Since I can't think of any outside parties that would have that level of interest in WPLUG, I think we should consider ourselves the backups. With our combined knowledge, there probably aren't many topics we couldn't fill in for. Let's let others do the heavy lifting in GUMs this year so we can focus on ironing out WPLUG's ongoing problems.<br />
<br />
Social events are only as good as the number of people there. Since our turnout isn't quite where we'd like it to be, maybe we can work with other local groups to hold joint social events. For that matter, I don't see anything wrong with planning joint meetings, either: say, if we ever wanted to take up Bitcoin again, maybe we could agree to meet the Pittsburgh Bitcoin Users down at the BeerHive.<br />
<br />
If the Event Committee is willing to take these ideas and run with them, I'm perfectly fine with that. This is merely a discussion forum.<br />
<br />
==== Event announcements ====<br />
<br />
Posting event notices in advance is a good start, but we have to make sure that people actually read them. Some groups, like SNAPGH, give notice about a month in advance but still manage to attract a respectable audience. What are they doing that we aren't? That's probably a topic for another day.<br />
<br />
Don't forget that we can use Twitter for event announcements as well.<br />
<br />
==== Venue ====<br />
<br />
Here's an excerpt from my FAQ for the new WordPress site:<br />
<br />
''Some social groups only use no-cost services or rely on the generosity of a few individuals to pay their bills. Unfortunately, free services and members come and go. We feel that it’s better to offer membership for a low annual fee so that we can afford to deliver consistent quality.''<br />
<br />
That's why I think we're better off using a paid venue as long as we can afford to do so.<br />
<br />
== Accepted Reform Package 3 Proposals ==<br />
<br />
None at this time</div>Centinel