So, I "said":
Some folks suggested our next meeting should be there - at least as
test/trial - if nothing else. Maybe. I thought we should defer
decision until a bit less than 7 days before the next meeting. That
would allow folks up to two noon-3pm Sunday windows to see what the
place is typically like then - before the next BerkeleyLUG meeting.
So is there a consensus? Okay, how 'bout plurality opinions/decision?
Worth it / "good enough" to at least try it for one meeting (can decide
after to make it "permanent" - or switch back, or look for other or
whatever)? We're around (/slight past) decision time. What'll it be?
It should be decided ... *soon*. Perhaps by he/she that will announce
it? :-)
Will need wee bit 'o time for some of us (e.g. me or whomever)
to also update the web site ... and hopefully in sufficient advance time
that folks intending to attend will see it *before* our upcoming meeting
this Sunday (at least if we change it from what's still there now).
> From: "tom r lopes" <tomrlopes@gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: BerkeleyLUG ... new venue(?): Re: BerkeleyLUG meetup
> this Sunday 2019-03-24
> Date: Sun, 31 Mar 2019 14:21:35 -0700
> Algorithm Coffee Co test 3.31.2019
>
> Found a table easy. Nearby power. Wifi works, but ssid 1122-U-OFFICE is
> slow. SSID AlgorithmCoffeCo working well. Steaming youtube at the
> moment.
>
> Minuses: not much light. Bad acoustics.
>
> Thomas
>
>
> On Thu, Mar 28, 2019 at 9:34 PM Michael Paoli <
> Michael.Paoli@cal.berkeley.edu> wrote:
>
>> > From: ace36 <acohen36@gmail.com>
>> > Subject: Re: BerkeleyLUG meetup this Sunday 2019-03-24
>> > Date: Sun, 24 Mar 2019 13:25:08 -0700
>>
>> > Michael hasn't yet reported on the status of 85C's WiFi, but it should
>> help
>> > that I'm using 85C's WiFi even as I write this now.
>> > 802.11 a/b/g decent, but not that many other customers are thronging the
>> > order-line and seating at this point (~1:30pm.)
>> > Eight of us here now, including Rick and Deirdre M who are visiting
>> > Berkeley from Menlo Park.
>>
>> Yes, I was relatively busy at the most recent BerkeleyLUG meeting - mostly
>> helping some folk(s) with some Linux stuff.
>>
>> Wi-Fi+Internet @ 85C? At that most recent meeting, I was able to
>> "get on" (associate with) the Wi-Fi Access Point (AP) easily enough,
>> likewise got DHCP for IPv4. It basically "worked" ... but was
>> often/mostly pretty slow (think mostly about low-end DSL speeds or less,
>> per patron). IPv6 wasn't provided (which is slightly better than
>> providing broken IPv6). 85C had (mostly) working IPv6 once-upon-a-time,
>> but since then it's mostly been broken (for a while), and then
>> completely absent ... at least that's my general recollection of the
>> time we've been meeting there.
>>
>> New venue(?). Maybe. Folks have been discussing such (at meetings, and
>> other communications too). We may be well to at *least* have a
>> reasonable "Plan B" - and might well switch from 85C regardless.
>> Some of the many issues with 85C:
>> o Will they even stay in business? I passed by there, by chance, today,
>> I think it was roughly 12:45 P.M. or so (between 12:30 P.M. and 1:00
>> P.M., in any case). 85C seems to be increasingly disinterested in
>> seriously doing business and/or just not stepping up to the plate to
>> do so. Substantially different than when BerkeleyLUG first started
>> meeting there. Anyway, today, reasonably near prime lunch time -
>> particularly for that location in Downtown Berkeley. 85C is a fairly
>> large venue - prime location, rent/lease certainly can't be cheap, and
>> I rather doubt they own the property. They've most of their seating
>> downstairs (ground floor), and some more upstairs. So, in passing by,
>> I peeked in, from where I could see almost all of their ground floor
>> seating. How many customer seated there that I could see? A grand
>> total of ... two. So, I tend to guestimate they must be losing lots
>> of money at that location, and I'd guestimate 6 months or less they
>> shut that money-loosing location down. Ashame, 'cause they used to do
>> much better, but seems they're much more interested in cutting costs
>> than growing/making profits - e.g. they're way down on their stock and
>> variety of baked goods - relatively recently I was there, and heard a
>> customer remark "They need to hire a baker" - I glanced at their baked
>> goods ... there was damn near nothing left - and it wasn't all that
>> crowded there either. They also have lots of teas ... including with
>> boba - which sometimes they're out of - and with grapefruit - which
>> commonly they're out of - much etc.
>> o Wi-Fi - it's pretty sucky - in more recent months/year(s) it more
>> often doesn't work - often totally not working, or is rather
>> spotty/intermittent. Even when it does "work", it's generally pretty
>> slow to very/abysmally slow - and also generally totally lacks IPv6
>> (for those that might care).
>> o bathroom(s) ... ugh. They used to have 2 for customers. Then they
>> changed it to one single-occupancy for customers. When they're
>> actually busy (sometimes happens), expect quite a line. They also
>> can't manage to regularly stock essential supplies
>> (like toilet paper!) - and don't fix these issues even when repeatedly
>> told about them. The restroom is also often quite unclean, etc.
>> o AC power - there is only and exactly one table on the ground floor
>> with AC power. As you might imagine, that makes it a relatively
>> popular spot. Upstairs is only accessible via stairs - not very
>> friendly for, e.g. walkers, and impossible for, e.g. wheelchair
>> access. Any likewise, upstairs, only one table with AC power, and
>> likewise it tends to be rather popular.
>> o Parking ... kind'a sucks
>> (but that can be said of much of Downtown Berkeley).
>>
>> So ... other venue(s)? :-)
>> Algorithm Coffee Co.
>> 1122 University Ave, Berkeley, CA 94702
>> https://www.algorithmcoffee.co/
>> It had been discussed by many. Several of us did a "field trip" to
>> there after the most recent BerkeleyLUG meeting. Pros/cons (based on
>> that one visit or so):
>> o Not the "greatest" location - notably relatively far from longer-range
>> high(er) speed public transportation (most notably BART) - but pretty
>> good location for AC Transit connections. Also far from UC Berkeley
>> campus, so that would significantly reduce probability of students and
>> other campus folks coming to meetings.
>> o food/beverage selections - not a whole lot - some decent coffees, and
>> I presume teas and some other bits. Some pastries. Maybe a bit of
>> some snacks. That's about it.
>> o Not a large/huge space, but seems likely quite adequate for BerkeleyLUG
>> o available seating? They have some larger - and smaller - tables. It
>> may not be feasible to rearrange tables to push 'em together. So if
>> there's a fair number of us (e.g. 8), we may end up more as two groups
>> of 4, than a single group of 8.
>> o noise levels / music? ... moderate(ish) ... but also noted that the
>> acoustics there aren't good for absorbing/dampening sound - so also
>> possible it may get quite loud there at times.
>> o AC - pretty good - relatively available from many locations. I think
>> pretty much any table can reach AC with a power strip or extension
>> cord - and without need of cord going across areas where folks
>> generally walk around/between tables and such. But it's not like some
>> cafes where everyone can plug in with no need for any extension cords
>> or the like - but at least seems there's plenty of AC outlets
>> available - at least relative to apparent demand.
>> o Wi-Fi - sweet! Though when I/we tested, there was one AP that wasn't
>> working, all the rest were, were dang fast (multiples of 10s of Mbps),
>> and had good solid both IPv4 and IPv6 - also checked, and I didn't see
>> any particular filtering/firewalling, e.g. was able to reach customary
>> ports and such for ping, http, https, SMTP, DNS, IRC, etc. Also,
>> their Wi-Fi didn't have some annoying "captive portal" thingy one had
>> to go to/through first.
>> o bathrooms - hell yeah. Despite the venue being about 1/4 the seating
>> capacity of 85C, they have 4x the restroom capacity (two restrooms,
>> each single gender, each double occupancy capacity - so can handle
>> total of 4 at once, unlike 85C's only one person at a time in only and
>> exactly one customer restroom). And they were also pretty dang clean
>> (at least as far as most restaurant/cafe/etc. restrooms go), and quite
>> well stocked with appropriate supplies.
>> o Parking - free street parking within moderate distance seems, at least
>> typically, pretty readily available.
>> o Sundays - they close at 5:00 P.M. (not sure if that's a pro, con, or
>> both).
>>
>> Some folks suggested our next meeting should be there - at least as
>> test/trial - if nothing else. Maybe. I thought we should defer
>> decision until a bit less than 7 days before the next meeting. That
>> would allow folks up to two noon-3pm Sunday windows to see what the
>> place is typically like then - before the next BerkeleyLUG meeting.
>>
>> Some other possible venues were also mentioned/discussed. I'll let
>> others chime in on those.
>>
>> Anyway, if you have any particular thoughts/observations on various
>> potential venues, and/or check 'em out and want to report on relative
>> (un)suitability of such, certainly feel free to let us know.