Technology may have moved on since then, but there are still a good number of Acorn (or indeed RISC OS!) user and enthusiast groups around the world (45 as at 8/12/00)
| A User Group is a community of Computer Enthusiasts who band together to learn, to share experiences and to spread the 'Acorn Word' | |||
Education |
Provide Education on Computers and Software
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Friendship |
Share
social activities with fellow computer enthusiasts
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Community Service |
Support
Charities and educational groups
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Sharing |
Learn from
your friends experience and share yours!
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Computer or user groups bring together people with a huge range of abilities and experiences, from the complete beginner who might only use !Draw and !Paint, to the hardened techie who's probably a Foundation Member and has every RISC OS system in existence!
User groups allow people to talk - which is probably the most important and productive thing user groups offer. I know from my experiences with DARC (Derbyshire Acorn Risc Club) that just getting together and discussing experiences and problems with other RISC OS users can provide you with a wealth of information and advice.
Being a member of a usergroup, you will also benefit from the advantages your usergroup has by being a member of the Association of Acorn Usergroups. These include a central discount scheme, access to all the other usergroups, RISCOS Ltd, and many RISC OS developers and suppliers.
Locally-based group | Regular meetings |
| Meet other users in your area | |
Correspondence/ | Most have regular newsletters |
| For people who don't have a local group or are too busy to attend meetings | |
Specialist | Have a vast knowledge-base in a particular area of RISC OS computing |
Most user groups have a monthly newsletters informing members of the latest developments in the RISC OS world and most also organise guest speakers to come and talk about a particular subject or software package, and then perhaps offer it to members at a reduced price. All the usergroups also offer their members discounts on various RISC OS products through the AAUG central discount scheme - many have also negotiated further special deals with local suppliers.
There are also a number of groups who are postal or internet-only, such as the ARM Club and Acorn Enthusiasts Group if you can't spare the time to attend meetings.
Usergroup directory
Usergroup events diary
What discounts could I benefit from?
Is there an AAUG discussion list?