Speaker
Description
20 Years of NYC*BUG
and can we handle 20 more?
NYC*BUG (https://www.nycbug.org/) launched in January 2004 with a motley group of previously disconnected souls. We kept sponsors (mostly) at a distance, and have remained a strong example that many others want to emulate.
NYC*BUG persisted for 20 years now, and earned an impressive resume of successes:
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five cons (https://www.nycbsdcon.org/), which if they were profitable, the funds went to the BSD projects
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reasonably consistent monthly meetings, until COVID, which acted as a conveyor belt for new BSD users, contributors and speakers
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maintaining a cabinet with some important services, from 80's BSD code archives and OpenBSD ftp4.usa, to a smoketest box for Perl, not to mention some critical Tor services
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other smaller successes with remarkable longevity and relevance, like dmesgd
More generally, our consistency and decent organizational setup has created an illusion that NYC is some BSD-heavy city. Amid the old plethora of civil-war engaged Linux groups, we stood out as a sane pillar of technical events.
There was a secret ingredient in NYC*BUG that wasn't always elaborated for all: we adopted the pop sociology concept of the "starfish" as opposed to the "spider." We didn't formalize into a nonprofit, we have no real assets, and there's no intense commitments. Come as you are.
The 20 years is filled with some less-known stories:
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how we were dismissed then loved by a particular developer
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when Steve Jobs wanted us kicked out of the Soho Apple Store, then decided he actually wanted us there
Yet we're also at a pivotal moment. Post-COVID, the non-profit, data-collection user group scene is dead. The BSDs aren't as attractive in themselves, as is true for Linuxs too, as the new generation lives in the cloud.
This presentation will explore those 20 years, and provide some ideas for how local technical user groups can keep relevant for the forseeable future.
