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Oops! The meeting is also virtual!!

by Tim Keller

The meeting will also be online at our usual Jitsi location! https://meet.jit.si/WlugMA Later, Tim. -- I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers".

Sept. 11, 2024

Reminder! Meeting tomorrow Sept 12th, 2024!

by Tim Keller

Hey Everybody, We've got a meeting tomorrow! Time: 7pm Date: September 12th, 2024 Physical Location: 44 Portland St, Worcester MA Topic(s): Last month we dove into the history of Linux distros. I thought this month we might talk a bit more about some more practical linux desktop stuff. How to install software, window managers, etc. Then I thought we might dive into filesystems with a foray into LVM. Afterwards we'll head out for dinner and keep up the conversation! Later, Tim. -- I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers".

Sept. 11, 2024

We've got a meeting next week!

by Tim Keller

It's been an exciting month in the FOSS world! YubiKey clone attacks, Ubuntu upgrade breakage! Microsoft has decided it's win 11 AI recall feature can't be removable.. I suspect lots of people are going to get real interested in linux.. bcachefs drama. If someone has a topic they've like to talk to about, let me know! Later, Tim. -- I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers".

Sept. 8, 2024

Everyone needs to watch this lecture

by John Stoffel

Guys, You should all spend some time to watch Captain (then) Grace Hopper's recently released levture. It's fantastic! https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/08/we-can-now-watch-grace-hoppers-fame…

Aug. 30, 2024

Re: Intersection of Open Source and Social Change

by Gregory Boyce

That sounds great, but I'm typically not available on Thursday evenings. I'll definitely keep it in mind for the rare occasions I am available. On Thu, Aug 15, 2024 at 9:26 AM Kevin Harrington <mad.hephaestus(a)gmail.com> wrote: > I would also like to invite yall to come to Open Hacks, technocopia's open > house night. We host an open house every Thursday night 7-9. WLUG is only > once a month, overlapping Open Hacks, but yall are welcome to come every > week to hang out and chat. > > On Wed, Aug 14, 2024, 7:45 PM Gregory Boyce <gregory.boyce(a)gmail.com> > wrote: > >> >> >> On Wed, Aug 14, 2024, 12:47 PM Kevin Harrington <mad.hephaestus(a)gmail.com> >> wrote: >> >>> Odoo is very FOSS friendly: https://github.com/odoo/odoo >>> >>> I have been mulling over the problem posed by automation and software >>> participating in the labor market alongside people for quite a few >>> years now. I love hearing about localized solutions to problems. The >>> closer people are to the control of what they need to survive, the >>> better. >>> >> >> Definitely agreed. >> >> COVID really highlighted some problems with global economies. >> >> Along with the bigger issues we see with abundance, waste and poverty. >> We have more than enough, but would rather let resources go to waste than >> provide them to people who need them. >> >> >>> One of the ways to localize control are what David Graeber calls Debt >>> Loops: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZIINXhGDcs >>> >>> Thanks! I'm about 30 minutes in so far, and it's interesting. >> > -- Greg

Aug. 23, 2024

Re: Intersection of Open Source and Social Change

by Gregory Boyce

I see two approaches to the Capital problem. 1) Find ways to raise people up. 2) Find ways to bring institutions down. After all, they're working with our investments, our labor and our commerce. Institutions have been funding the commons through things like Open Source software, and we could leverage the same tools to build competition instead of collaborating. On Wed, Aug 21, 2024 at 10:07 AM Jansen Smith <Jansen(a)bstarengineering.com> wrote: > The mention of the phenomenology of increasing productivity being > accompanied by stagnant wages going back to the 90s reminds me of Thomas > Piketty's findings. Put simply, a wealth of economic data suggests that the > issue of increased productivity resulting in centralized wealth extraction > from communities to consolidated investment centers runs alongside > aggregate rates of return on capital outpacing aggregate growth rates of an > economy. This principle ALSO plays out on somewhat local levels (provinces, > municipalities), meaning that a vibrant community generating wealth > requires two things: > - open source and commons-managed productive capacity, for unfettered > productive growth > - limitations on investment capital, which can come in the form of > limitations on possible returns > > The question then becomes... How do we shove enough capital into the > commons to do wondrous things, without subjecting ourselves to the same > fiduciary responsibility traps that have destroyed like-minded well-meaning > endeavors? > Open source chains are a great start, but they do not themselves solve the > capital problem. Thoughts? > > On Wed, Aug 14, 2024, 7:46 PM Gregory Boyce via WLUG <wlug(a)lists.wlug.org> > wrote: > >> >> >> On Wed, Aug 14, 2024, 12:47 PM Kevin Harrington <mad.hephaestus(a)gmail.com> >> wrote: >> >>> Odoo is very FOSS friendly: https://github.com/odoo/odoo >>> >>> I have been mulling over the problem posed by automation and software >>> participating in the labor market alongside people for quite a few >>> years now. I love hearing about localized solutions to problems. The >>> closer people are to the control of what they need to survive, the >>> better. >>> >> >> Definitely agreed. >> >> COVID really highlighted some problems with global economies. >> >> Along with the bigger issues we see with abundance, waste and poverty. >> We have more than enough, but would rather let resources go to waste than >> provide them to people who need them. >> >> >>> One of the ways to localize control are what David Graeber calls Debt >>> Loops: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZIINXhGDcs >>> >>> Thanks! I'm about 30 minutes in so far, and it's interesting. >> _______________________________________________ >> WLUG mailing list -- wlug(a)lists.wlug.org >> To unsubscribe send an email to wlug-leave(a)lists.wlug.org >> Create Account: https://wlug.mailman3.com/accounts/signup/ >> Change Settings: >> https://wlug.mailman3.com/postorius/lists/wlug.lists.wlug.org/ >> Web Forum/Archive: >> https://wlug.mailman3.com/hyperkitty/list/wlug@lists.wlug.org/message/EGNHI… >> > -- Greg

Aug. 23, 2024

Re: Intersection of Open Source and Social Change

by Jansen Smith

The mention of the phenomenology of increasing productivity being accompanied by stagnant wages going back to the 90s reminds me of Thomas Piketty's findings. Put simply, a wealth of economic data suggests that the issue of increased productivity resulting in centralized wealth extraction from communities to consolidated investment centers runs alongside aggregate rates of return on capital outpacing aggregate growth rates of an economy. This principle ALSO plays out on somewhat local levels (provinces, municipalities), meaning that a vibrant community generating wealth requires two things: - open source and commons-managed productive capacity, for unfettered productive growth - limitations on investment capital, which can come in the form of limitations on possible returns The question then becomes... How do we shove enough capital into the commons to do wondrous things, without subjecting ourselves to the same fiduciary responsibility traps that have destroyed like-minded well-meaning endeavors? Open source chains are a great start, but they do not themselves solve the capital problem. Thoughts? On Wed, Aug 14, 2024, 7:46 PM Gregory Boyce via WLUG <wlug(a)lists.wlug.org> wrote: > > > On Wed, Aug 14, 2024, 12:47 PM Kevin Harrington <mad.hephaestus(a)gmail.com> > wrote: > >> Odoo is very FOSS friendly: https://github.com/odoo/odoo >> >> I have been mulling over the problem posed by automation and software >> participating in the labor market alongside people for quite a few >> years now. I love hearing about localized solutions to problems. The >> closer people are to the control of what they need to survive, the >> better. >> > > Definitely agreed. > > COVID really highlighted some problems with global economies. > > Along with the bigger issues we see with abundance, waste and poverty. We > have more than enough, but would rather let resources go to waste than > provide them to people who need them. > > >> One of the ways to localize control are what David Graeber calls Debt >> Loops: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZIINXhGDcs >> >> Thanks! I'm about 30 minutes in so far, and it's interesting. > _______________________________________________ > WLUG mailing list -- wlug(a)lists.wlug.org > To unsubscribe send an email to wlug-leave(a)lists.wlug.org > Create Account: https://wlug.mailman3.com/accounts/signup/ > Change Settings: > https://wlug.mailman3.com/postorius/lists/wlug.lists.wlug.org/ > Web Forum/Archive: > https://wlug.mailman3.com/hyperkitty/list/wlug@lists.wlug.org/message/EGNHI… >

Aug. 21, 2024

Re: Intersection of Open Source and Social Change

by Kevin Harrington

I would also like to invite yall to come to Open Hacks, technocopia's open house night. We host an open house every Thursday night 7-9. WLUG is only once a month, overlapping Open Hacks, but yall are welcome to come every week to hang out and chat. On Wed, Aug 14, 2024, 7:45 PM Gregory Boyce <gregory.boyce(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > > On Wed, Aug 14, 2024, 12:47 PM Kevin Harrington <mad.hephaestus(a)gmail.com> > wrote: > >> Odoo is very FOSS friendly: https://github.com/odoo/odoo >> >> I have been mulling over the problem posed by automation and software >> participating in the labor market alongside people for quite a few >> years now. I love hearing about localized solutions to problems. The >> closer people are to the control of what they need to survive, the >> better. >> > > Definitely agreed. > > COVID really highlighted some problems with global economies. > > Along with the bigger issues we see with abundance, waste and poverty. We > have more than enough, but would rather let resources go to waste than > provide them to people who need them. > > >> One of the ways to localize control are what David Graeber calls Debt >> Loops: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZIINXhGDcs >> >> Thanks! I'm about 30 minutes in so far, and it's interesting. >

Aug. 15, 2024

Re: Intersection of Open Source and Social Change

by Gregory Boyce

On Wed, Aug 14, 2024, 12:47 PM Kevin Harrington <mad.hephaestus(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Odoo is very FOSS friendly: https://github.com/odoo/odoo > > I have been mulling over the problem posed by automation and software > participating in the labor market alongside people for quite a few > years now. I love hearing about localized solutions to problems. The > closer people are to the control of what they need to survive, the > better. > Definitely agreed. COVID really highlighted some problems with global economies. Along with the bigger issues we see with abundance, waste and poverty. We have more than enough, but would rather let resources go to waste than provide them to people who need them. > One of the ways to localize control are what David Graeber calls Debt > Loops: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZIINXhGDcs > > Thanks! I'm about 30 minutes in so far, and it's interesting.

Aug. 14, 2024

Re: Intersection of Open Source and Social Change

by Gregory Boyce

I don't think it's a tangent at all. Just another piece of a bigger picture. Replicate all the pieces of an economy to be managed locally. Job/gig boards, stores, delivery (door dash style), transaction processing, etc. A relatively small local company can manage it using open source tools, and then other communities can use the same tools following their lead. Local economies can scale better, and can help rebuild community. On Wed, Aug 14, 2024, 11:27 AM Tim Keller <turbofx(a)gmail.com> wrote: > This is a tangent, but on the same vein. > > I find myself with my wife and kids at lots of craft fairs, etc. In all > cases, the conversation goes something like: > > "Oh, those earrings.. $12.50 with a card, $10 with cash." I know in all > those cases, it's a situation where they're getting boned by a company like > Toast or one of these other middleman transaction processors. > > I think it would be cool if there was a more local option, but offered the > same level of ease of use that [insert POS system] I see things like odoo > out there, but I don't know how FOSS friendly they are. > > Tim. > > On Tue, Aug 13, 2024 at 9:06 PM Gregory Boyce via WLUG < > wlug(a)lists.wlug.org> wrote: > >> For the last 5 years or so, I"ve been putting a lot of thought into what >> I would like the tech industry to look like in the future, and what steps >> we could take in order to achieve it. >> >> What I see is locally managed tech infrastructure focused on local >> communities. Communities can share the same open source tools instead of >> depending on large centralized platforms. This would mean that the people >> who make the decisions about how online commerce operates in the area could >> actually be close to the users and acting on their best interests. >> >> I see this looking like community sales platforms connecting people to >> the local stores, various Fediverse compatible platforms for Social Media, >> video sharing, chat systems, and jobs boards. >> >> Each service is an opportunity to help people pay each other instead of >> sending money out of the community. >> >> The services could be hosted on existing cloud platforms, but I've been >> looking at building community clouds, hopefully partnered with municipal >> fiber. >> >> To me, it's more about a philosophical shift around the motivations of >> developers more than anything, but I'd love to meet with people who'd like >> to help build a proof of concept. >> >> On Mon, Aug 12, 2024 at 6:14 PM Mike kantrowitz < >> mike.kantrowitz01(a)gmail.com> wrote: >> >>> Sorry I couldn't join for dinner after the last meeting. Sounds like it >>> was a good conversation. >>> I'm definitely interested in further conversation about tech and social >>> change. >>> >>> /mike >>> >>> >>> >>> On Mon, Aug 12, 2024 at 2:55 PM John Stoffel via WLUG < >>> wlug(a)lists.wlug.org> wrote: >>> >>>> >>>>> "Gregory" == Gregory Boyce via WLUG <wlug(a)lists.wlug.org> writes: >>>> >>>> > Awesome. I'll have to try to make it to an upcoming event. >>>> >>>> And we will be sure to publicize this on the wlug.org web site as >>>> well. >>>> >>>> > I was thinking about setting up either a Matrix server for chat, or >>>> > a Lemmy server for a reddit-like set of discussion forums. >>>> >>>> Would the chats be logged for later viewing? I'm not familiar with >>>> either setup. I honestly prefer email lists, but that's because I >>>> find interacting in a web browser for forums to be a pain in the rear >>>> because I have to use the mouse for some much, which just slows me >>>> down. >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> > On Sun, Aug 11, 2024 at 7:48 PM Kevin Harrington < >>>> mad.hephaestus(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>>> >>>> > Count me in! I have been working on a book on the topic for a few >>>> years on and off. Fyi just >>>> > about every meeting of Robot Club turns into one of those sort of >>>> discussions. We meet at >>>> > technocopia Saturdays 1-4. >>>> >>>> > On Sun, Aug 11, 2024, 7:34 PM Gregory Boyce via WLUG < >>>> wlug(a)lists.wlug.org> wrote: >>>> >>>> > Hey folks, >>>> >>>> > At dinner after the last meeting we had an interesting >>>> conversation around the >>>> > intersection of software/technology and big picture social >>>> change. This has been an area >>>> > of interest of mine for a while now, and I'd love to connect >>>> with other people who would >>>> > be interested in talking about ways to make meaningful change. >>>> >>>> > Would anyone be interested in joining a discussion on >>>> something like Discord, Slack, or >>>> > maybe an open source alternative? >>>> >>>> > -- >>>> > Greg Boyce >>>> > _______________________________________________ >>>> > WLUG mailing list -- wlug(a)lists.wlug.org >>>> > To unsubscribe send an email to wlug-leave(a)lists.wlug.org >>>> > Create Account: https://wlug.mailman3.com/accounts/signup/ >>>> > Change Settings: >>>> https://wlug.mailman3.com/postorius/lists/wlug.lists.wlug.org/ >>>> > Web Forum/Archive: >>>> > >>>> https://wlug.mailman3.com/hyperkitty/list/wlug@lists.wlug.org/message/BNJIS… >>>> >>>> > -- >>>> > Greg >>>> > _______________________________________________ >>>> > WLUG mailing list -- wlug(a)lists.wlug.org >>>> > To unsubscribe send an email to wlug-leave(a)lists.wlug.org >>>> > Create Account: https://wlug.mailman3.com/accounts/signup/ >>>> > Change Settings: >>>> https://wlug.mailman3.com/postorius/lists/wlug.lists.wlug.org/ >>>> > Web Forum/Archive: >>>> https://wlug.mailman3.com/hyperkitty/list/wlug@lists.wlug.org/message/ERVCY… >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> WLUG mailing list -- wlug(a)lists.wlug.org >>>> To unsubscribe send an email to wlug-leave(a)lists.wlug.org >>>> Create Account: https://wlug.mailman3.com/accounts/signup/ >>>> Change Settings: >>>> https://wlug.mailman3.com/postorius/lists/wlug.lists.wlug.org/ >>>> Web Forum/Archive: >>>> https://wlug.mailman3.com/hyperkitty/list/wlug@lists.wlug.org/message/NYRKA… >>>> >>> >> >> -- >> Greg >> _______________________________________________ >> WLUG mailing list -- wlug(a)lists.wlug.org >> To unsubscribe send an email to wlug-leave(a)lists.wlug.org >> Create Account: https://wlug.mailman3.com/accounts/signup/ >> Change Settings: >> https://wlug.mailman3.com/postorius/lists/wlug.lists.wlug.org/ >> Web Forum/Archive: >> https://wlug.mailman3.com/hyperkitty/list/wlug@lists.wlug.org/message/DHWFA… >> > > > -- > I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their > constituents as "consumers". >

Aug. 14, 2024