[wplug] [wplug-announce] February announcements + events

Justin at js-wordsmith.com Justin at js-wordsmith.com
Wed Jan 30 12:03:18 EST 2013


FROM THE SECRETARY'S DESK

We are listening to your feedback, guys, and we want to implement your
suggestions as soon as possible. Since some respondents wanted a newsletter
of sorts, I decided to make this announcement into something like that. Let
me know how you like this format.

Have you ever watched Office Space? Even if you haven't, I'm guessing
you've seen the scene where the main characters take their office's copy
machine into a field and smash it with a baseball bat while violent rap
music plays in the background. They finally had enough of its paper jams
and cryptic error messages.

I'd love to see what they'd do to my old Canon printer. The interface is a
bad knockoff of the iPod spinning wheel, it guzzles ink like crazy, and
Canon refuses to lift a finger - well, maybe the middle finger - for Linux
users. When it started leaving streaks all over my documents, that was the
last straw. I wanted to pay a fair price for a product that respects free
software.

HP supports Linux, but my experience with their products has been almost
universally negative. I ended up buying a Brother MFC-J825DW
(http://www.brother-usa.com/MFC/ModelDetail/4/MFCJ825DW). Like HP, Brother
has a Web site dedicated to supporting Linux, but the ink is cheaper (both
OEM and third-party) and their products give you a lot of value for the
money. At just S99 on sale, the 825 comes with high-end features like
direct CD printing and an automatic document feeder. 

I've been using my 825 for about two weeks now, and I really like it. The
instructions for installing their Linux drivers are so simple that
virtually anyone could do it. They even show you how to adjust its settings
in the CUPS Web interface. The starter cartridges aren't very big, but
since you can pick up a pack of 10 highly-rated third-party replacements on
Amazon
(http://www.amazon.com/LC75-MFC-J5910DW-MFC-J6510DW-MFC-J6710DW-MFC-J6910DW/dp/B005ZHHVSW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359564980&sr=8-1&keywords=brother+lc-75)
for S7 (not a typo), I'm not worried about it. If you're looking for a new
printer, I highly recommend buying a Brother. The 825 goes on sale for S99
periodically, so if you're interested, just wait for its price to drop. 
THE MONTH IN REVIEW

January was a small step in the right direction for WPLUG. The Commission
to Reform WPLUG (CRW) presented the first in what will be a series of
monthly reform packages designed to get our group back on the right track.
Here's a quick summary of Reform Package 1:

-Eliminate distinctions between virtual meetings and physical meetings for
the WPLUG board so that it's able to get things done more efficiently.
Currently, you need to have a physical meeting in order to schedule a
virtual meeting, which kind of defeats the purpose.
-The board will focus on meeting efficiency so that matters don't drag on
-The board will appoint a non-board member as the official timekeeper at
each meeting

The first item in RP1 is a bylaws change that members can vote on via
absentee ballot from now through February 9th: Here's a link to the ballot
and voting instructions:
http://www.wplug.org/w/images/0/01/Jan2013BylawsAmend.pdf
(http://www.wplug.org/w/images/0/01/Jan2013BylawsAmend.pdf)
UPCOMING EVENTS

1. GUM

 February's WPLUG general user meeting will take place on Saturday,
February 9th at the Wilkins School Community Center from 2:00-3:30 p.m.
We've got a lot planned:

-The final votes will be tallied for the bylaws change described above
-We'll have major updates from several committees
-Pat will give a presentation entitled "Build Your Own Certificate
Authority Using xca"
-I will give the first in a series of presentations about mobile Linux.
Sure, Android is interesting, but what about its seldom-discussed
Linux-based competitors? This month, I'll be talking about the rise and
fall of the webOS operating system. In the span of just three years, it
went from being a media darling to a running gag. What happened? How did it
end up contributing to Android's development?
I'll also be giving a hands-on demonstration of Open WebOS, the most
current iteration of webOS, since I own one of the three Android devices
that are capable of running it.

2. CRW

The Commission to Reform WPLUG will meet on Saturday, February 2nd in the
WPLUG IRC channel from 2-4:00 p.m. Anyone is welcome to attend. We'll be
discussing the results of our general user survey and drafting proposals
for Reform Package 2. Here are some of our top priorities:

-Adding benefits for WPLUG members
-New types of events
-Revamping the WPLUG Web site
-Certain other things I'm not at liberty to discuss here

If you're curious, stop on by!
REMINDERS

-If you haven't taken CRW's general user survey, it's not too late! It
doesn't take long to complete, and your responses will go a long way toward
making WPLUG the best technology group in Western PA! Here's the link:
http://js-wordsmith.com/lime/index.php/survey/index/sid/726771/lang/en (
http://js-wordsmith.com/lime/index.php/survey/index/sid/726771/lang/en)

-Got something on your mind? If you'd like to share it with the rest of us
at a general user meeting, send an email to events at wplug.org. 
THOUGHT OF THE MOMENT

It's February, and you know what that means: Valentine's Day! Do you think
Apple employees give out patented valentines? They seem to have "protected"
virtually everything else. The latest addition to their intellectual
property portfolio is their store layout. Yes, that's right - you're not
allowed to display your merchandise on rows of rectangular tables any
longer! No word yet on whether they're actually going to patent rectangular
tables.
Justin Smith
WPLUG vice chair/secretary
http://www.wplug.org


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