[SlugBug] Re: More weirdness from Richard Ibbotson

[Lesley Binks]

Hello

slugbug-request at email-lists.org wrote:


> Message: 1
> Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2004 16:43:45 +0100
> From: Gary Stimson <bulk at stimson.org.uk>
> Subject: [SlugBug] More weirdness from Richard Ibbotson
> To: slugbug at email-lists.org
> Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.2.20040822160650.01b57e18 at mail.ukservers.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> 
> Hi Slugbug,
> 
> I posted to the Sheflug (the other Sheffield Linux Users Group) mailing 
> list to publicise the last Slugbug meet. (I didn't attend the meeting in 
> the end, owing to lethargy from the muggy day, but that's another story).

Mmmmmm brave move :)
> 
> A week later I received a very strange email from Richard Ibbotson, who 
> looks after the Sheflug website and organises the meetings. The body of the 
> email is below in full.
> 

Apart from that, who is this Ibbotson fellow anyway?

> The mail is very contradictory (unless it's somehow possible to send 
> "pages" from slugbug to the police and solicitors without reading them 
> first!!) and downright weird.
> 
> I have sat on the mail for a week, wondering what to do with it. In the end 
> I decided to post it to Slubbug because I think it demonstrates how 
> fundamentally broken Sheflug is. Richard Ibbotson puts a lot of effort into 
> organising meetings and speakers for Sheflug and it's a shame that he takes 
> such a dictatorial, paranoid and delusional approach to running the group.

Well I am glad someone else thinks that Sheflug is behaving that way.  I 
have posted there twice.   Yes, twice.  All I got in response to one was 
a 'do not top post' when I hadn't, and was ripped the piss out by 
someone over a query about something else.  I wasn't sure about the 
association between one thing and another things so asked.

My attitude is the only stupid question is the question that isn't being 
asked.  Perhaps that should be qualified to say the only stupid question 
is the one that isn't asked or is put up on Sheflug's list?

I think you forgot anally retentive too tho'.

To be fair, I saw them all faun like crazy when a (female) teacher came 
in and started asking questions.  I generally don't get that reaction 
because my Christian name is non-gender specific.

As an immigrant to Sheffield, Yorkshire and the North of England I was 
relieved to find Slug bug exists and has a sense of humour. I am much 
happier being associated with it than ShefLug.  I still subscribe to 
that but rarely read what is happening.  I might go trawl through the 
archives today.

My only previous experience of LUGs was the Bristol one, we had a few 
meets in a pub and stuff and it was fun.  The emphasis was on openness 
and accessibility no matter how good or poor your Linux skills were.  I 
was really looking forward to becoming a SLUG-ette when I got here.  I 
was actually most disappointed to find it was called ShefLUG.

BTW the Swedish LUG group is called SLUG and definitely enjoys being a 
SLUG in case any one is interested.  Perhaps we should twin with them in 
the same way towns twin with other towns in a Slugs unite kind of way?

> 
> Thank heavens for SlugBug...

Agreed and echoed here.

>>On Tue, 3 Aug 2004, Gary Stimson wrote:
>>
>>>As this list is often used to announce events at LUGs in foreign places like
>>>West Yorkshire, I'm sure it's OK to publicise a meet of "the other 
>>>Sheffield Linux (and BSD) user group" tonight 7pm onwards at the Rutland Arms 
>>>(near Pop Centre / Spearmint Rhino). There's no agenda or presentations - it's 
>>>just an informal get-together. The pub has a wireless network if you'd like to 
>>>bring a laptop.
>>>http://www.slugbug.org.uk

Nice post.  BTW: I would have completely missed the existence of SlugBug 
if someone hadn't posted in ShefLug group either advertising the 
existence of SlugBug or had the url in their signature.  Thank you to 
who ever did so.


>>This isn't anything to do with personal nastiness or anything of that
>>sort.  All I'm doing is explaining something.  Nothing more than that.
>>I don't want to be unpleasant to anyone.
>>
>>The Slug-bug thing - or whatever it is - caused so much trouble that we
>>had to send several pages to a local police department.  That and the
>>fact that Eversheds over in Leeds became involved.  Eversheds only work
>>if they can get a lot of money out of someone.  They are our ShefLUG
>>solicitors.

Madness, utter madness.  Several pages of what?  Loo roll? Kitchen 
towel? The FT?

If there was an incident then there should be an incident number.
If there wasn't an incident then why were the police involved?

>>
>>No one is telling me what Slug-bug is and at the last meeting I was told
>>by the ShefLUG members to ignore it and not to take any notice of it.
>>So, it would make life a lot easier for myself and other people if you could
>>manage to drop it from our list.

Like most LUGs the information is out there.
>>
>>Hopefully this isn't something that will cause problems for yourself or
>>anyone else.  Please write back if you want to discuss this but as
>>Richard Stevenson over in New Zealand explained some months ago this
>>matter is now closed.  It's been voted out due the extreme nature of
>>the case in question.  End of story.

Who voted and what's it all got to do with New Zealand anyway?  Why did 
NZ vote on it?  ;->

> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 2
> Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2004 17:13:43 +0100
> From: Neil McGovern <maulkin at halon.org.uk>
> Subject: Re: [SlugBug] More weirdness from Richard Ibbotson
> To: slugbug at email-lists.org
> Message-ID: <20040822161343.GH12576 at mx0.halon.org.uk>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
> 
> On Sun, Aug 22, 2004 at 04:43:45PM +0100, Gary Stimson wrote:
> 
<snip>

> 
> 
> Ok, just so we get it right, it's the:
> [S]outh Yorkshire [L]inux [U]ser [G]roup / [B]SD [U]ser [G]roup.
> 
> It's sorta important to make a distinction, we don't want to step on
> each other's toes. See the first few posts to the list in the archives
> for a full discussion.
> 

Ahh OK :)  TY for the information.

<snip>
> 
> In general, I think I may contact Richard directly (and warn my big nice
> team of lawyers) to find out what the hell is going on. Unless anyone
> has other suggestions that is.

I would love to know what is happening re Ibbotson's claims to have 
involved lawyers.  It is actually quite important because it could be 
considered libel or slander against this group if he chooses to 
perpetuate a myth about it at ShefLug meetings.  That could affect any 
one of us at any stage in life purely by being associated with or having 
posted to this group.

I know nothing about the organisation of LUGs or if anyone can ask for a 
person to be removed, but I can't help feeling that Ibbotson should be a 
gentleman and retire .

What a strange storm in a teacup :)

Lesley