Rock River Linux Users Group

2020 has come and will end in just a few hours. It has been trying for us all. Some have dealt with greater hardships then others, but we are unquestionably in the same boat. I am of the opinion that 2021 will be better!

During 2020 we were able to pivot from our normal onsite meetings to virtual meetings which guaranteed that Rock River Linux User Group would continue to function. Who knows if we will ever have onsite meetings again, but with the virtual meetings we have pushed forward and have even had visits from some of our original members who now live all over the United States! I consider it a major accomplishment to be heading into our 23rd year and to literally see Linux eating the rest of the computer world. Its funny to me when I hear people say that you really don’t need to know much about Linux to handle the new cloud reality. The sentiment is of course wrong because the majority of cloud usage is either a cloud based system(s) running Linux or containerized application(s) that run on top of Linux. We see Linux growing in the embedded space, supercomputing and HPC environments, and of course with millions of Raspberry Pi’s or other SBC’s in circulation we are seeing a whole new generation of technologists that has grown up using Linux. The success of Linux is summed up quite nicely from Timbuk 3 when they said, “The future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades”!

I will close by thanking you all for still standing next to me on this adventure. Its been fun and no doubt the challenges will continue to be great as we push forward with smiles on our faces. I look forward to seeing you all in the upcoming year! Lets learn more, play more, and grow more in 2021!

I wish you all a Safe and Happy New Year!