WELCOME TO OUR HOME PAGE
Front Range PC Users Group (FRPCUG) is proud of nearly forty years of service among computer users in Fort Collins, Colorado. For those of us who have grown up in a volunteering ethos, the motto "Users Helping Users in Northern Colorado" is not extraordinary. It is meaningful, however. One of our strongest groups for helping computer users is our "Shop Talk" session every Saturday morning between 11:00 am and 1:00 pm in the lobby of the Fort Collins Senior Center. We have people dropping in all during that time with questions, offerings of computer intelligence, and miscellaneous social offerings surrounding computer use.
Open to the public at no charge, our Shop Talk sessions have generated a lot of interest in our club and allowed us to offer our knowledge to a much more diverse segment of the community. As a result, our group is growing!
FRPCUG is an independent, 501(c)(3) nonprofit computer club based in Fort Collins, Colorado. Meetings are open to anyone interested in any microcomputer using the Windows or UNIX/LINUX operating systems.
OUR MISSION is to provide an educational and scientific forum, where new computer users, together with other members, can improve their knowledge of, and skills with, their computers . Members offer a wide range of hardware, operating system and application software knowledge to other members and to the community.
Our next General Meeting: JULY 7th 2009 at 7:00 p.m. in Multipurpose Room 3 (MP3) at the Fort Collins Senior Center.
The annual Hardware/Software ZOO is scheduled for the July meeting.
For new members (and visitors), the ZOO is an opportunity for members to demonstrate a favorite piece of hardware or a favorite software application. This is an informal arrangement—no presentation required. If you would like to participate, just bring your computer (and any other hardware/software you would like to demonstrate). Tables will be provided. Members and visitors are invited to roam around the meeting room to watch the demos and talk to those providing them.
If you want to set up a demo, please contact Rick Mattingly (rickmatt(at)q.com) so that enough tables can be set up in advance.
All knowledge levels, from novice to expert are welcome to attend any FRPCUG meeting. All FRPCUG meetings are open to the public at no charge. If you have any questions about the resources provided by FRPCUG, please use the CONTACT US link at the bottom left of this page.
Members' comments are always welcome.
Bring a friend and/or family member to show what we're about. Bring a young friend or family member and let's see if they have a view of what our club could do for younger members. We are interested in what they have to say, and we will treat them right.
Our Forum is an opportunity for those wishing to display recent acquisitions in the technology arms race, and for those willing to share any problems encountered in firing up software or equipment.
Those of us hopelessly mired in the last century's technology will weep and gnash our teeth. Of course, newcomers are welcome! We frown on open gloating and school-yard taunts! Come join the fellowship!!
Check Out the Many Interests of our Group
In the navigation panel, on the left side of this page, the MEETING TOPICS link takes you to the past and recent meeting topics. You will find there, among other helpful and informative presentations, a tutorial on burning CDs and DVDs.
Some members enjoy teaching classes on computer topics. These classes are offered as a service in partnership with the Fort Collins Senior Center and cover Microsoft Word (basic and advanced), household financial management with Quicken, Microsoft Windows XP operating system (basic and advanced), three classes to assist in the safe use of the internet, and an introduction to Microsoft Excel. A current SENIOR CENTER CLASS SCHEDULE shows classes taught by FRPCUG members.
There is an excellent resource, maintained by member Jack Linder, for anyone interested in Astronomy, available from the KNOWLEDGE RESOURCES page. There is information for both adults and children of all ages. On this page you will find links to an online encyclopedia, to genealogical resources, and to a web site for intellectual discussions. This page also has several excellent internet resources, including, among others, a link to a tutorial on effective web searching techniques, and a link to an internet public library.
Today there is a wide variety of free and open source software for many different interests. The SOFTWARE RESOURCES page contains an annotated list of free and open source applications and annotated links to web sites that offer many more applications.
Also, you can find a 2009 DODECAHEDRON CALENDAR, offered by Jack Linder again this year. Attention: some assembly is required.
Members have contributed BOOK AND SOFTWARE REVIEWS on topics of interest to them. These reviews include a ratings key that is unique to FRPCUG.
Selected topics, such as networking and digital imaging, for example, have sufficent interest from members that Special Interest Groups (SIGs) exist for exchanging knowledge on those subjects. The SIG ACTIVITIES page describes SIG activities and schedules.
Membership Activities and Benefits Include:
General meetings, on the First Tuesday of each month (except August), feature informative discussions and presentations on computer use. At each meeting "Open Forum" discussions address individual user questions and problems. General meeting topics are intentionally general in nature. See our GRAPHIC EVENTS CALENDAR for monthly meetings, times, and venues and our FRPCUG.pbwiki for a discussion of future meeting topics.
Technical assistance is made available through group sponsored Special Interest Group (SIG) meetings at various times during the month. Again, see our GRAPHIC EVENTS CALENDAR for meeting dates, times, locations and (when available) topics.
Our monthly k-Byte newsletter publication features hardware & software tips in informative articles. The newsletter contains information researched and written by our own members and by others for similar publications provided through a national network of user groups. The current issue of k-Byte may be read or downloaded online in PDF or HTML formats. The PDF version is in traditional booklet format and is printable. The HTML version is traditional web format and is searchable.
The PAST ISSUES of the k-Byte newsletter are an excellent source of information on many computer related topics. The ARTICLE INDEX provides a searchable index of k-Byte articles beginning in 1999.
Training classes, clinics, and seminars cover the use of various computer operating systems, software, telecommunications, security, recreation, programming, and other aspects computer use—from basic to advanced issues.
Meetings afford the opportunity to meet other members, exchange ideas and team together on computer projects of mutual interest.
Members can take advantage of special discount programs and offers for hardware, software, books, magazines and other computer related products. These discounts and offers are made available primarily through the sponsorship of the Association of PC Users Groups (APCUG), a national organization of computer users groups. Some discounts and offers are time-limited, but most are not. Access to these discounts and offers is available from the Members Only page.
FRPCUG Dues
Dues are $25 for individuals, $20 for students, and $50 for corporate memberships payable annually on November 1st. Individuals joining prior to November pay $2 per month remaining in dues year plus $1 handling fee. Corporate rate is twice this amount.
