Lost in Translation · The Undo Stack
www.theundostack.org
Our 1990s village Linux group grew fast and still lost its library room. The lesson: speak your users' language to grow, and your sponsor's language to keep the lights on.

Back then a few friends and I wanted to change the world with a Linux lab. The council gave us a backroom and word of mouth did the rest: people came from nearby towns, we gave classes and ran stands at FOSS days.

Just when we thought we’d made it, the council gave the room to another group. Back then we were puzzled, but now it makes sense: we spent the pitch explaining why Linux mattered to us, and never asked what would make it a success for them.

I wrote the story and the lessons learned here: https://www.theundostack.org/lost-in-translation/

Did anyone else run a LUG or install parties in those years? How did you keep your sponsor on your side?

  • Ctrl ZeeOP
    3·
    3 hours ago

    Thanks for sharing such a personal story, Repair Cafés are a great idea, especially nowadays when “old tech” is still perfectly usable.

    Curious: what were the biggest challenges you faced when setting one up?