Re: BerkeleyLUG Google Groups (list) - backup(s) & ... (possibly) migrate to ...

On Saturday, April 3, 2021 at 1:29:29 PM UTC-7 michae...@cal.berkeley.edu wrote:

And ... list admin's can backup the existing Google Groups data,
and in form that can presumably be reasonably migrated to
something else. Anyway, I have backed that up (and ought turn it
into a regular occurrence - though it may or may not be feasible to
fully automate that).

And also, if we wanted to, e.g. change that instead to a mailman managed
list (already have other mailman hosted lists on the same host that hosts
http[s]://[www.][pi.]berkeleylug.com/), could, e.g. migrate that to
mailman. That would put it more in "our" control (and more out of Google's
control / out from under Google's thumb), and make it easier to, e.g.
backup. In any case, the list postings are public, so at least that part
of it probably doesn't make a huge difference (at least if it also gets
backed up at least once in a while) ... but other considerations might
be more significant.

Anyway, so ... what say y'all?

Have some mixed feelings specifically about migrating BerkeleyLUG's Google Groups-managed mailing-list to a specific mailman-managed mailing-list.

How so?

Pluses/++
+ Moving the mailing-list "more out of Google's control / out from under Google's thumb" is likely a Very Good Thing :-) Already know of at least one other person physically attending live BerkeleyLUG meetups in the past who isn't at all very keen of being under the ever-encroaching aegis of Google's data-mining Bandwagon! :-\

+ While the BerkeleyLUG Google Group's "list postings are [presumably] public", it very much seems to me at least, IMHO, that Mailman-managed mailing-list archives are much more readily and *easily accessible* for all than are the same for Google Groups, e.g., it appears to be much easier to provide a direct link to a particular Mailman mailing-list posting to access from someone without a Google account than a posting to Google Groups.

Minuses/--
- As the renown adage goes; "If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It!"
Besides The Google Factor issue as mentioned above, What other specific problems/"brokenness" are there with Google Groups that a mailman-managed list can definitely fix -- but without the latter introducing its *own* unique problems??

- Timing
Having live BerkeleyLUG meetups, IMNSHO, is so much better than the virtual meetups via Jit.si Meet for a number of reasons which won't go into further detail here and now.

It's entirely possible that more local people will want to participate in live BerkeleyLUG meetups when it's entirely permissible to do -- even including those on the current Google Groups mailing-list -- rather than virtually participate via Jit.si meet. Therefore ISTM that as far as keeping and attracting more active BerkeleyLUG participation given current predictions of live meetup venue reopenings, there is no impending urgency at all to initiate a potential switch from a Google Groups mailing-list to one managed by mailman.

---
Of course, the big Million Dollar Question then is When will the COVID-19 Pandemic subside enough to finally hold live meetups??
As we can all see from the California's COVID-19 Pandemic-related covid19.ca.gov 'Blueprint for a Safer Economy' links https://covid19.ca.gov/safer-economy/#county-status , https://covid19.ca.gov/safer-economy/ and https://covid19.ca.gov/industry-guidance/#restaurants, Alameda County remains in the Orange/Moderate Tier.
Even when the county reaches the Yellow/Minimal Tier, possible in-person BerkeleyLUG venues will only be limited to ...
* Indoor with modifications
* Capacity must be limited to 50%
Green Tier restriction-loosenings better allowing live meetups by Summertime??
In any case and while all of us may expect and hope that we'll be able to "mark our independence from this virus" on July 4th of this Summer -- as President Joe Biden specifically stated in his 'Speech On Coronavirus, 1 Year Into Pandemic' https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2021/03/11/975420676/biden-to-address-the-nation-marking-1-year-of-coronavirus-pandemic -- it's also entirely conceivable that lingering effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic could extend all the way up to or beyond Labor Day Weekend of this year, and thus directly affect the timeline of full business reopenings including venues for live BerkeleyLUG meetups :-\
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- Costs
There may be minor (hopefully!) costs from switching over from the free mailing-list managed by Google Groups to costs specific that of sole mailman mailing-list management. Also, there are potential and additional future costs in upgrading local hardware (HW resources such as memory, local backup capability, machine availability/uptime, ...etc.) as well as administrative "costs" (i.e., administrative time, effort, troubleshooting) when hosting and managing mailman as compared to the same with Google Groups.