User groups
We look at the changing face of user groups.
Les Pounder knows what the LUGs did last summer, also this month.
Things are changing. In the past five years of writing this page, I’ve noticed that the number of hack and maker spaces is increasing but does this spell the end of the LUG?
My own LUG has now become Blackpool Makerspace and our projects span much more than hacking a Linux distro, eg we do things like prototype projects with 3D printers and laser cutters now, too. The rise of maker culture is driving such activities and gatherings into the mainstream.
Maker culture is typically a hackercentric activity, which goes beyond electronics enthusiasts to crafters, potters and musicians, and creates an exciting crossover with art-based groups. This mix of people comes together in a space in town and produce work that interests them. It doesn’t have to be a commercially viable product, rather it’s a hobby they wish to pursue.
Many of these projects are powered by a micro controller, such as an Arduino, Teensy or the mighty singleboard computer, the Raspberry Pi. The micro controllers need a computer to program them and commonly at spaces, we find old PCs that can no longer run Windows or OSX competently so they naturally turn to Linux, of course, where the LUG crossover occurs.
There’s space for both LUGs and makerspaces, but their crossover has reached a point where it’s possible for one space to serve many groups, eg MadLab in Manchester hosts a diverse range of groups from board gamers to kernel hackers. We should embrace this diversity and freedom that Linux provides and forge ever onwards.