Why the Ferndale Java User Group

One of the things I miss most about, my long gone, tertiary education days is being with a bunch of diverse people, with different opinions and insights, that are eager to learn from each other and share. Another thing I miss about those halcyon days, is not having a care in the world. There is nothing I can do about that; however I can do something about helping foster a community of eager minds.

The internet does, to a large extent, provide the environment where ideas are freely shared and you get the chance to interact with people from all over the world, but it lacks the physical interaction and local community focus that only physical meetings can bring.

The Ferndale JUG has long been a dormant desire of mine but the, ever present, demands of life in Jozi, has meant that I never had the time to get it going. Luckily, there are like minded people out there and Michael, who contacted me about the JUG a few months ago, has provided the push and energy needed to try and get things going. Its always better to have a team working on something than trying it on your own. Its easy to loose motivation that way.

I know there are lots of people out there who have the same desire to meet but find it difficult to find the time and energy to do so. The geographical spread of Jozi/Pretoria makes it hard to find a venue where everyone can get to within a reasonable time. In addition changing the venue all the time makes it difficult for people to judge how long it will take, with traffic, to get there. This is why we decided the JUG will have a very narrow geographical reference in its name. The idea is that members will know that the venue will always be in a specific area making it easy to decide if its worth the effort or not. It is in no way restricted to people from Randburg only.

Currently we are looking at the Bright Water Commons for the venue, as there are a large number of potential meeting places there, but we will see as things go if there are more appropriate venues nearby. Personally I think anything in Randburg, Bryanston and Fourways will be appropriate. The ideal venue is a dinner with a screen for presentations and be off the main motorways to avoid traffic at rush hour.

I have no idea if the JUG will be a success but even if I just get to meet two-three other people on a regular basis that would be an achievement for me.

Hope to see you there!