Evan Leibovitch via Talk wrote on 2025-08-26 21:10:
I have personally spoken to other LUG leaders who watched helplessly as their membership literally died off without any care -- let alone plan -- regarding succession or attracting a new generation. (We are far from alone in the FOSS world with this problem.) Are we on this same path?
Yes. But... This thread has gone in many divergent directions with approximately 35 messages, so there's life left in the patient and sometimes there's even vitality. As long as the culture doesn't shift to a bunch of ossified curmudgeons bemoaning all new technology since ~Y2K, or spewing derision at programmers that don't use $language with $compiler, there's still value here.
There will always be email lists, as Karen suggested, but there will be ever-fewer live LUG events aimed at non-developers. Never mind growth; GTALUG already has a critical shortage of people willing to help maintain the group in its current state, find speakers or even make a presentation themselves. Without some new support it seems inevitable that the monthly calls will be just round tables, the usual suspects are burning out and no replacements are in sight.
Somebody please offer a cause for optimism.
I'll try. I've attended one in-person meeting in the past year+ (VanLUG). I've cut *way* back on my weekly+ online / hybrid meetings in the past several months. Yet, I get more Linux news & commentary than ever. Podcasts & YouTube to the rescue. There's Dave's YSAP YouTube channel with its deep dives into bash. Lately I've finally overcome my ... mild distaste(?) of Brodie Robertson's YouTube channel, so I get his take on what he finds in the Linux world. Often his takes are discussions of someone else's posts, so the net is fairly wide with multiple sides of issues presented. I find out about new things and events, I sometimes follow links to "do my own research", I have content to post here & elsewhere, and it's pretty good. I sometimes read but do not ever post in the YouTube comments, but there is a thriving community, and YouTube keeps recommending other tech channels. The LUG provides me the interaction with other enthusiasts. Also, Late Night Linux family of podcasts covers news, developer topics (Linux Devtime), cloud tech (Hybrid Cloud Show), systems admin (2.5admins.com aka 2½ Admins -- a great podcast), general tech topics of interest from former Canonical employees and devs (Linux Matters). There is a deep and broad pool of talent having conversations that I get to listen in on, just like a LUG meeting but with more convenience. i.e. Alan Pope who was on the snaps team - he's very knowledgeable and quite a nice character. Hearing him talk about them has tempered my view on snaps greatly. As a radio junky from decades ago, it feels like a bunch of favourite radio shows but more convenient, and a tiny bit of the parasocial aspects one gets from listening to some nice people talk. They feel kind of like friends that I haven't exactly met. So, Linux is going strong, there are lots of venues for discussion still. I'll keep posting tidbits I find on these other sites and hopefully spark some conversations here and drive some traffic to those sites I find so valuable.