Friends and Colleagues: Other User Groups

We are fortunate to have many other computer user groups nearby. There are several other LUGs, as well as groups for related technologies and other operating systems.

Active Groups

The best source for active meetups in Waterloo Region is likely the WatCamp Calendar.

The Regional Municipality of Linux

Here are some active LUGs in (mostly Southern) Ontario. Check out their websites for additional information.

• Kitchener - Waterloo (that's us!)
• Bruce-Grey County
• Toronto
• Peterborough
• Ottawa

Other Computer Groups in K/W

There are far too many user groups in the region to enumerate effectively. Here are a few of the ones other KWLUG members participate in or organize.

• KW Unix Users Group caters to UNIX users and administrators. Meets the third Wednesday of the month.
• The Waterloo Region Drupal Users Group geeks out over the popular CMS on the third Thursday of every month.
• DevHouse Waterloo is a group for programmers and designers.
• Kwartzlab is a "hackerspace" -- a place where DIY types gather to conspire and create all kinds of gadgets. They have "Open House" nights every Tuesday.
• Waterloo Python Users has several events a year.
• KW Ruby Developers run meetings related to the other popular scripting language.
• KW Nonprofit Sysadmin Group discusses topics relevant to systems administration for nonprofit organizations and small businesses.
• Kitchener-Waterloo VoIP User Group concerns itself with internet telephony, including Asterisk and FreeSWITCH.

In Memorium

The following groups appear to be idle. We continue to link to their websites if they are still up. If you discover that these groups are active then please contact us with their web presences.

Defunct Regional LUGs

• London
• Niagara Area
• St. Mary's
• Hamilton
• Kingston
• Windsor
• West Toronto
• Barrie
• Toronto (New Users)
• London
• London (Western LUG)
• Quinte
• Stratford
• Wingham
• Cambridge

Dormant Groups

Some of these group continue to exist in principle, but no longer hold regular meetings. We love and miss them all.

• Hive Waterloo Region holds workshops and events aimed at narrowing the digital divide.
• Ubuntu LoCo is an interest and advocacy group for the Ubuntu GNU/Linux distribution.
• The Waterloo-Wellington Information Technology Professional User Group meets on the last Monday of the month to discuss Microsoft server technologies.
• KW Perl Mongers mong Perl the third Thursday of the month.
• KW Internet Users Group is not devoted to any one operating system or application, but covers a range of topics related to Internet use. "A Fun Place to Learn About the Internet".
• The Canada's Technology Triangle .NET User Group meets monthly to showcase the .NET environment.
• The Waterloo Libre Software Group meets biweekly to nosh on all software liberated.
• Kitchener-Waterloo Web Designer Meetup was a well-established
  and well-attended group focusing on web design.
• Waterloo OpenStreetMap Enthusiasts worked to put our region
  on the map each month.
• The Canadian Association for Open Source (a.k.a. CLUE) was an organization which advocated open-source adoption across Canada.
• IdeasTransform described itself as a "platform for community design". It is oriented towards creators and artists.It is based in Kitchener-Waterloo.
• The Toronto Asterisk User Group supported and advocated the popular open-source telephony system Asterisk.
• The Toronto Smalltalk Users Group was the closest group where people could chatter about this squeaky language.
• The Guelph Coffee and Code group gathered "developers, IT pros, web designers and assorted geeks" for meetings.
• The OpenEclectic Creative Collective is an arts and craft collective that has a workspace in Kitchener.