<html> <head> <style></style> </head> <body class='hmmessage'> <style></style> Hi<br><br>Following Sarah Chard's posting of 23rd March, I attended the event in Hereford today. The LUG members were all extremely enthusiastic and did an excellent job of explaining the merits and benefits of FLOSS.<br><br>In my view there were two important aspects of the event which the Herefordshire LUG got absolutely right:<br><br>1) The main message was to promote open source software rather than specifically Linux. This is the right approach as it gently eases Windows users towards FLOSS. To require a change of operating system as the starting point is probably just too big a step for most people.<br><br>2) The venue attracted visitors for reasons other than just the LUG event; an excellent coffee shop and an art exhibition. This means that there was a steady flow of people who might not otherwise have come in.<br><br>To my mind the way this event was designed holds some useful pointers for any other FLOSS group considering staging something similar. Well done Herefordshire LUG.<br><br>Regards<br><br>Nige<br> </body> </html>