Users' group

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A users' group (also users group or user group) is a type of club focused on the use of a particular technology, usually (but not always) computer-related.

Users' groups started in the early days of mainframe computers, as a way to share sometimes hard-won knowledge and useful software, usually written by end users independently of the factory-supplied programming efforts. SHARE, a user group originated by aerospace industry corporate users of IBM mainframe computers, was founded in 1955 and is the oldest computer user group still active. DECUS, the DEC User's Society, was founded in 1961 and its descendant organization still operates. The Computer Measurement Group (CMG) was founded in 1974 by systems professionals with a common interest in (mainframe) capacity management, and continues today with a much broader mission. The first UNIX users' group organized in 1978.

Users' groups began to proliferate with the microcomputer revolution of the late 1970s and early 1980s as hobbyists united to help each other with programming and configuration and use of hardware and software. Especially prior to the emergence of the World Wide Web, obtaining technical assistance with computers was often onerous, while computer clubs would gladly provide free technical support. Users' groups today continue to provide "real life" opportunities for learning from the shared experience of the members and may provide other functions such as a newsletter, group urchasing opportunities, tours of factilities, or speakers at group meetings.

A users' group may provide its members (and sometimes the general public as well) with one or more of the following services:

Users' groups may be organized around a particular brand of current hardware (IBM, Macintosh) or current software and operating systems (Linux, Microsoft Windows, Clipper), or more rarely may be dedicated to obsolescent systems or historical computers, for example Apple II, PDP-11, Osborne.

[edit] Computer user group

A computer user group (also known as a computer club) is a group of people who enjoy using microcomputers or personal computers and who meet regularly to discussing using computers, share knowledge and experience, hear from representatives of hardware manufacturers and software publishers, and hold other related activities. They often host special interest workgroups, people who meet to discuss one particular aspect of computing.

A majority of computer user groups in the United States consist of members who primarily use the Microsoft Windows operating system[citation needed], but many computer user groups have accepted people who use other operating systems, including Apple Computer's Macintosh and Linux, and host special interest groups for those users. There are also other user groups that concentrate on either Mac OS (Macintosh User Group or MUG) or Linux (Linux User Group or LUG).

Many computer user groups belong to an umbrella organization, the Association of Personal Computer User Groups or APCUG.

Niche computer systems such as RISC OS and Amiga OS also have numerous user groups, which for some people, is their only way of contact between some computer users.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

FAQs.org origins of UNIX, retrieved June 8, 2006, in The Art of Unix Programming

Computerworld article on the 50th anniversary of SHARE, retrieved June 8, 2006

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