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Ask HN: Students unaware/apathetic about Linux group at college; how do we grow?

5 points by aaron-lebo ↗ HN
I attend UT Dallas, which isn't a major college by any means but it is one of the largest public colleges in the DFW metroplex which has a lot of tech talent around it and has potential for even more (both the college and area).

We have a Linux user group (lug.utdallas.edu) and it is a struggle to get people involved. Personally I can't imagine being involved in tech without being interested/involved in open source stuff; it is kind of the whole point to me. But that does not seem to be the case for a lot of the students who are there for the degree and to get out of there (which is fine and dandy on its own). In the last three months we have had a Steam meeting, a cryptocurrency meeting, and Amazon came and presented AWS; each with varying degrees of success, but not overwhelmingly.

I envy colleges like MIT or Stanford that have a proud history of a tech/startup/open source culture on campus. Is there something that our Linux user group can do to foster something similar?

Thanks.

8 comments

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mootle
gorgeous website. Note that most colleges in the world are like that: Most people just want to get the degree and get out. Do it for yourself not for others.
squidsoup
If your interest is open source generally, you may find a more open technology/programming meetup rather than something specifically aimed at linux might garner a better response.
rajacombinator
Marketing tip: "Linux user group" sounds boring and excessively nerdy, the kind of thing you can imagine pocket-protector wearing Dilbert engineers to attend. The mission statement is silly, Linux is not something to be advocated, it's a tool for getting shit done.
jesusmichael
I agree... Call it the Open Computing Club, invite some girls... booze..
phantom_oracle
Forgive my tone, but don't give a shit if students aren't interested.

I've found that a love for OSS and linux is something that will attract hobbyists and tinkerers more than students.

Turn you LUG into a Dallas one, not a college one. I guarantee you'll get at least 1 guy over 60 years old, a ton of devs in the area, tinkerers/hobbyists and a lot more knowledge than a couple of 2nd year noobs trying to make their tarballs run and getting compile errors for CS assignments.

Try it and please do share your feedback.

jackgolding
I agree with phantom, you will have to reduce quality soo much if you want to appeal to college students. 90% (from my experience) only care about free pizza and jobs.
twunde
One thing that could get your fellow students excited is to get fellow peers to show off small, fun projects they've done a la Hack and Tell (http://www.meetup.com/hack-and-tell). And when you're first starting it, you can also use it as a way to show off something cool you've found, like cowsay

And definitely change the name. You seem to be aiming for a general tech club, not a linux club. Linux is often a means to that end, but doesn't need to be the focus.

rprospero
As a bit of background, I've been using linux since the mid 90's. I convinced my last employer to replace out proprietary tool chain with an open source one. I've converted three people to the Emacs religion. I've spent the past thirteen years in college. I say all these things to make a simple point: I am pretty darned close to being your target audience.

With that established, why should I attend your meetings? I'm about to switch universities again. I never attended a single LUG meeting at my current one and I only attended two at my last one. I didn't see the point, but I'm probably missing something and am willing to be convinced to join the LUG at my school. What are the benefits of being in your LUG?