The Coffee and Chat group is a SIG (Special Interest Group) of the Canberra PC Users Group (PCUG). It was first started by Gloria Robbins back in the early 1980s as a forum for members to meet informally and discuss all things PC and specially any problems they might have. Over the years it has grown (and prospered) so that it is by far the largest SIG within the PCUG. Meetings are held each week on Tuesday mornings - alternating between the PCUG Centre (for directions see www.pcug.org.au ) and the Canberra Irish Club in Parkinson Street, Weston. At the Irish club they provide meeting rooms and tee/coffee etc. free of charge, but they do require CnC members to take out associate club membership which costs a whole $3 per year for old fogies (Senior Citizens). The meetings start at 9:30 am and can run through Midday, individual discussions before and after the slightly more formal question and answer periods between roughly 10 am and 11:30 am. Many members have lunch together after the meetings, and the lunches can often be another opportunity to "solve the problems of the world". The dates for the particular venues are published in the calendar section of the PCUG monthly "16 Bits" magazine. Notes for newcomers to CnC meetings can be found here or on the CnC web site.
The group has its own web pages at www.pcug.org.au/pcug/candc , it's own news group tip.coffee-chat , and mailing list. If you would like to subscribe to the mailing list (normally only 3-4 messages per week) click here .
The web site is maintained by Owen Cook, and contains a searchable index of the weekly meeting notes (also published in the news group and by mailing list), a comprehensive list of the membership (with special interests), and many useful scripts including remote mail access, etc.
The meetings are usually rather lively affairs with plenty of diverse views and occasional subjects unrelated to PCs! So come along and enjoy a potential learning experience as well as a pleasant social occasion.