[ale] ALE-* dying?

Fri Jan 2 17:26:58 EST 2015

Many times we've been asked to try and find a way to do recordings of
meetings, but ultimately it takes additional resources to do this work
(capture, sync audio, decent size data pipe/server to relay) that few have
ever contributed (thank you Aaron, for doing pretty much all of the capture
and editing the last couple of years at Central). But there's a lot of work
and time wrapped up in producing the videos and getting them available for
folks, and it is a pretty thankless job.

If we moved to a video conference set up, I could see a bit more
involvement from members, but, like so many things in the linux world,
you'll have arguments over platforms because they aren't free in any sense,
to free but restricted, to free in all ways, but not really all that good.
And again, all of those will require some bandwidth to provide a decent
experience.  It's doable, but you will have naysayers, no matter what
platform is chosen, and considering how fun we make the political flare ups
here, folks shy away from trying this.  I know *I* have, and that was at
times when I had resources to bring to bear on the problem.

If we can't agree on a video conference platform, I very highly doubt we'll
get agreement on what a certification would look like.  And frankly, that
would be something more attuned to something a national organization should
undertake (LOPSA or LPI).  Oh wait, yeah, LPI still isn't considered a
serious certification even after developing a curriculum and tests...and
LOPSA is for sysadmins of all OS platforms.

bnm

On Fri, Jan 2, 2015 at 4:49 PM, Michael Brodeur <mikejoebro at yahoo.com>
wrote:

> Well, something I wrote before was recording the meetings where we discuss
> relevant material for Linux users. This can be a session focused upon a
> useful feature, or maybe one that will assist with certifications.
>
> That way, even if people can't attend, there will be something on the web
> for them to view at their convenience. We can use a video conferencing
> application for remote viewers, and record the meetings using whatever
> software is appropriate.
>
> Hell, maybe we should create our own certification that's relevant for
> jobs here in the US?
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Jan 2, 2015, at 4:11 PM, Brian MacLeod <nym.bnm at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Not to mention that as far as the whole helping users get jobs front, that
> was part of what was driving the formation of a LOPSA chapter here in
> Atlanta last year.  Mentoring, instilling ethics into operations and all
> that.
>
> Then everyone got busy there, too.
>
> If ALE takes up this mantle, then there is less need for LOPSA here.  If
> LOPSA gets restarted, then it could take some folks here away.  I'm not
> saying everyone will go either/or.  But people are busy, and they'll make
> choices that best benefit them, and with as many groups as there are in
> Atlanta, you can't possibly attend everything in your circles of interest.
>
> But that's why I said something.  If we don't want it to die, we need to
> look at what ALE *CAN* do to stay relevant and interesting enough for folks
> to dedicate some time to it, even it is the occasional post on the mailing
> list and attending a meeting here or there.  It'd be really great if we
> could get more presenters too, but I already know that particular well is
> pretty dry right now.
>
> bnm
>
> On Fri, Jan 2, 2015 at 2:40 PM, Michael Brodeur <mikejoebro at yahoo.com>
> wrote:
>
>> I've mentioned this before, but I think the group needs to expand beyond
>> a hobbyist base. If we start focusing more on helping Linux users get
>> certified and get jobs, that may help mitigate dwindling numbers.
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> > On Jan 2, 2015, at 11:55 AM, Leam Hall <leamhall at gmail.com> wrote:
>> >
>> > Want an outsiders opinion?
>> >
>> > Whether or not ALE meetings continue I personally find the mailing list
>> very useful. It's my "go to" resource for linux stuff that isn't distro
>> specific or when I want an educated but diverse set of opinions.
>> >
>> > The question every organization; be it business, government, or social,
>> must answer is "why do we exist?". The answer changes, often faster than
>> the organization. Some orgs die, some linger on, and a few actually manage
>> to grow through change.
>> >
>> > There have always been lower grade admins. The same goes for
>> programmers, "business analysts", writers, educators, etc. There are lots
>> of needs out there; slow websites, where to find the best hosting package,
>> open source project needs devs/testers/docs, small office networking, the
>> list goes on.
>> >
>> > For a group of people who help others succeed, the members need chances
>> to help and time to grow themselves. So my recommendation would be to take
>> a group look at the options, figure out what is fun for you, and start
>> moving in that direction.
>> >
>> > Leam
>> >
>> > --
>> > http://31challenge.net
>> > http://31challenge.net/insight
>> > _______________________________________________
>> > Ale mailing list
>> > Ale at ale.org
>> > http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale
>> > See JOBS, ANNOUNCE and SCHOOLS lists at
>> > http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Ale mailing list
>> Ale at ale.org
>> http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale
>> See JOBS, ANNOUNCE and SCHOOLS lists at
>> http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo
>>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Ale mailing list
> Ale at ale.org
> http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale
> See JOBS, ANNOUNCE and SCHOOLS lists at
> http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Ale mailing list
> Ale at ale.org
> http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale
> See JOBS, ANNOUNCE and SCHOOLS lists at
> http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo
>
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mail.ale.org/pipermail/ale/attachments/20150102/e368a5e0/attachment.html>