[clug-talk] Why is CLUG such a struggle?

[Jesse Kline]

My theory: CLUG was forged in an environment of chaos and anarchy. Under
these conditions, it thrived. A number of years ago, we went through a
process to formalize the group, its administration, and its structure. In
the process, we tamed it and it lost its spirit.

I am reminded of this quote from Frank Herbert's Dune series:

"Most civilization is based on cowardice. It's so easy to civilize by
teaching cowardice. You water down the standards which would lead to
bravery. You restrain the will. You regulate the appetites. You fence in the
horizons. You make a law for every movement. You deny the existence of
chaos. You teach even the children to breath slowly. You tame."
-Leto Atreides II, God Emperor of Dune

The decline you recognize is the result of the process to displace the
self-governing mechanisms developed in a community that was built from the
bottom-up with an institutionalized, bureaucratized, and formalized
governing structure.

Sorry if I sound overly negative, I still love you guys,

Jesse

On Sat, Dec 12, 2009 at 8:10 AM, Pat <testing.ubuntu at gmail.com> wrote:

> A few years ago this was a lively list with lots of traffic, but it has
> severely dwindled, and appears to have almost expired.
>
> I'd like to hear your explanations or theories regarding CLUG's decline.
>
> Is it because Linux user groups tend to be mainly technical people, and for
> them, Linux is already pretty much mainstream -- so they don't need CLUG?
>
> Or is it just Calgary? Are Linux user groups in other major centres just as
> lively as they were a few years ago?
>
> Does the group have a clearly defined goal or purpose? If so, what?
>
> Pat
>
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