[sf-lug] [new-sfwow] (tech) learning Python and Ruby

[jim stockford]

> ...Some guy I shave...
must be a handsome devil.

On Mar 23, 2006, at 11:42 AM, Rick Moen wrote:

> Quoting jim stockford (jim at well.com):
>
>> python.org and baypiggies.net for python,
>> rubyonrails.org and http://ruby.meetup.com/6/ for ruby
>>
>> http://www.sf-lug.org for general, if a little out of control
>> info and discussion.
>>
>> other bay area-ish active groups with busy and
>> informative email discussions:
>> svlug.org silicon valley linux user group
>> lugod.org davis linux user group
>> penlug.org sfbay peninsula linux user group
>
> Some guy I shave tracks the comings and goings (and calendar events) of
> most of those at http://linuxmafia.com/bale/ ("BALE").
>
> I'm considering adding the SF PHP Meetup Group, SF Ruby Meetup Group,
> San Jose PHP Meetup Group, and Bay Area Squackers (San Jose -- group 
> for
> fans of Squeak, an update of Smalltalk).  Those are referenced on Rich
> Morin's extremely useful "SF Bay Area Scripting Groups" page:
> http://www.cfcl.com/rdm/bass/groups.php
>
> Bay Area Squackers has no Web presence other than this static entry on
> http://minnow.cc.gatech.edu/squeak/1288:
>
>    Squackers - first-wednesdays Bay Area Squeak meeting, email Craig
>                [mailto link] for directions.
>
> The problem with my adding an ongoing entry for a group like that is:
> How do I know the group hasn't folded (unless I happen to attend
> regularly)?  As a general rule, BALE lists as recurring events only
> groups whose continued existence can be confirmed via the Web, for that
> reason.
>
> As to the others, I'm pretty down on Meetup Groups, based on my
> less-than-thrilling experience with that Web 2.0 company concerning
> Linux Journal Meetups:  To participate (including finding out where the
> events physically meet), you need to sign up for the Meetup "service",
> which means they then spam you a _lot_ with various e-mail nags and
> upsell efforts.  To _fully_ participate, you have to pay their annual
> "membership" fee.  I get tired of being hustled, marketed, and spammed
> to death by people whose business model involves selling _me_ (my
> eyeball time) to their real customers and trying to cajole me into
> buying "premium services" that I have no interest in.
>
> Therefore, I am presently inclined to ignore (on BALE) all groups for
> which participation requires "membership" in Meetup or similar
> hassle-filled commercial Web 2.0 services.[1]  However, I am definitely
> considering a cross-link to Rich Morin's page.
>
> [1] See also:  http://linuxmafia.com/faq/Essays/winolj.html
> By way of comparison, some Bay Area groups like SJSU Linux User Group
> (http://sjsulug.engr.sjsu.edu/) rely on Google Groups or Yahoo Groups
> in lieu of running their own mailing lists -- but you can at least find
> out where/when they _meet_ without having to sign up with those
> commercial services.
>
>
>
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