We held our latest Lincoln LUG meeting on 16th November, and again, we made Ye Olde Crowne pub our venue of choice. We were joined yet again by the intrepid Hull LUG crew (this time just Dave and Jon), and as well as Lincoln LUG regulars Neal, Jo, Philip and myself, we were also joined by 2 new members – Simon from Lincoln and Kevin who drove down from Scunthorpe.

This LUG meeting was billed as a hands-on “techy” event with some mobile phone rooting going on, as well as a distro install-fest on an old, steam powered laptop brought along by Jo. We were also going to attempt a live Google+ hang-out so that our on-line friends could join in. Well, an achievement of 2 out of 3 ain’t bad!

We can see you!

Jo arrived early (first!) and she was keen to get her tech out, so Philip set about installing a custom version of CrunchBang Linux onto her old lappy whilst I got the beers in! Then Dave and Jon arrived (with Dave brandishing his shiny, brand new Thinkpad) and they set about initiating the Google+ hangout. Neal was researching Philip’s mobile phone type to make sure he had the right Cyanogen Mod ROM and I was welcoming and chatting to our 2 new members, Simon and Kevin.

In the end, we ran out of time to root the phone, much to Neal’s relief! He was so nervous about “bricking” Philip’s phone that he had only had half a pint of Guinness all night. You should have seen him make up for lost time once he knew his services weren’t going to be called upon!

Yet again, the evening went by so quickly, with much Linux banter and swapping/sharing of ideas to help each other. I even took my knitting needles along and got Jo to show me how to knit in the round so that I could knit some winter socks on circular needles! See that’s what you get when there are ladies involved We ended the evening with a promise to Hull LUG that some of us would make their Christmas LUG meeting on 6th December.

For Lincoln LUG’s next meeting, we decided to miss the December one as it would only be a few days before Christmas. We shall next meet on Wednesday 18th January 2012 at Ye Olde Crowne pub again, starting at 7.30pm.

Once the introductions were out of the way, and the food and drink ordered, we all quickly settled into discussions about our work; favourite distro’s; favourite podcasts; shared interests and our favourite sci-fi viewing. Steve tried to ruin Battlestar Galactica for Philip and I by telling us the plotlines, but luckily we managed to shut him up before too much info was given away. Jo and I even talked about knitting and crocheting, and I put her in touch with my friend Hanna, who has a shared passion for all things wool-related. There was the usual tech out on display, and being the resourceful lady that she is, Jo also brought an extension lead which was heavily utilised. We did a quick straw poll on who had updated to the new and shiny Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot release which then prompted Carl to tell us about how he was still using Slackware as his distribution of choice. Everybody then proceeded to get out their business cards and play business card Top Trumps, trying to out-do each other on size, design, & graphics. Philip and I didn’t play as neither of us have business cards – something we really need to remedy for the future! We all got together for a team photo holding our Linux Format magazines (see photo below). We really are a diverse bunch!

Linux Format magazine rules!

The beer and food were excellent, and the bar owner even brought over an extra bowl of chips for us. He did make the mistake of asking us who we were and what we were doing, and I watched his eyes glaze over as I mentioned Linux and open source – I really must improve on my marketing/selling skills!

All too quickly closing time was upon us and it was time to say our goodbyes and leave, but not before we had agreed to go back to the venue for November’s meeting which will be on Wednesday 16th November starting at 7.30pm. We all agreed that for the next meeting we would try and sit in either the Library bar area or the tiered seating area, as it was too cold sitting by the door!

I am really enjoying the Lincoln LUG meetings (including the organisation and promotion of them) and I am so glad that I persisted and got this LUG up and running. Getting to meet new and unique people with a shared passion for Linux and tech over a few beers every month has made it all worth it!

Adrian had brought along his wife’s laptop and explained that he was having problems auto-connecting to his home wi-fi without having to keep inputting the password every time. The laptop was duly passed over and fault diagnosis ensued but it was unable to be tested until Adrian got the laptop home. Adrian also announced that it was his 65th birthday, so we all wished him a Happy Birthday (no, we didn’t sing!), we bought him a non-alcoholic beer (as he was driving) and then offered him a fresh Linux install of Linux Mint

The Hull LUG guys had brought along their tech, and Philip and I had a drool over Steve’s Kindle. Linda was also interested in the Kindle, as she is an avid reader. Dave then got out his Android Tablet and fresh drooling commenced. There were numerous conversations going on throughout the whole group including Thinkpads, The Big Bang Theory, an exchange of knowledge on must-see Sci Fi programmes, our various real-life jobs, how we got into Linux, installing Qwit as a Linux Twitter client, a hands-up on who was an active KDE user (no-one was!) and much, much more.

Doing what we do best ... geeking out with friends!

I did get a chance to pose my questions about how often the Lincoln LUG should meet, when and where, and the format of the meetings. Everyone was pretty easy-going with the decision making but we finally agreed on holding Lincoln LUG meetings on the 3rd Wednesday of every month. We discussed how a last-minute change of venue had deterred a couple of LUG members from attending due to transport issues, and I agreed that I would source a more central venue for our meetings. We also discussed that the format of the meetings should take the form of an informal social gathering at a pub in central Lincoln.

All in all, I think our first meeting was a great success and I hope that the other members who joined us enjoyed themselves too. I want to thank everyone who attended, especially those who had driven over an hour and a half to join us. I had a wonderful evening, meeting new friends and old, and am looking forward to the next meeting.

I wish Philip good luck in his new venture

We promised Emma a make-over for her room, something more fitting for a young lady but on a budget (Philip is now self-employed, after all!).  Emma went all Homes and Gardens on us, and chose to have a complete colour-scheme change including a brand new carpet, a papered feature wall, and new textiles to match her chosen theme of Ubuntu Aubergine!

Philip and I are very happy with the finished result, and Emma is ecstatic.  Not bad for a couple of computer geeks who detest DIY, though worry not, the rest of the house is safe as we’re not in a hurry to start any more decorating any time soon!

Thanks love!

Listening to member feedback, I am pleased to be able to announce the start of Lincoln LUG. I am currently in the process of sourcing a venue for our first meet in September, and I will post details via the Lincoln LUG mailing list of the date, time and venue.

The Lincoln LUG membership is open to any existing Lincolnshire LUG or neighbouring LUG members who can travel and want the opportunity to meet with like-minded GNU/Linux people over a drink or two.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all of the Lincolnshire LUG mailing list members for their support and ideas, and the lug.ork.uk admins for helping me to make this happen. I would also like to thank my husband, Philip, for his offer of taste-testing all the local hostelries in an effort to find a venue suitable for us.

I have always had more belief in Philip’s abilities as a web developer, programmer and sys admin than he has, but he has finally listened to she-who-must-be-obeyed and agreed that now is the time to see if he can make a go of it on his own.  I even managed to blag him his first job today; giving a talk about CrunchBang Linux to Hull LUG on the 6th September. Just a pity I forgot to negotiate a rate of pay!

Philip has my full support and backing, and I wish him the very best of luck as he strikes out on his new venture.  Exciting times ahead and here’s hoping for a long and successful career for him as a freelancer.

You can see that I have had a lot of positive responses, including a couple from members of neighbouring LUGs.  This has greatly encouraged me and lets me know that there is appetite out there for an active LUG in Lincolnshire.

If this is something that interests you; you live in Lincolnshire and aren’t already a member of the mailing list, please join so that you can contribute to the conversation and help us create a more active Lincolnshire LUG

I’m hoping to get a few responses to see whether it is viable to establish the LUG again, and I’m optimistic that it will happen.  I’m certainly fired full of enthusiasm to make a go of it.  If I build it, they will come