user group

user group

An organization of users of a specific hardware or software product. Members share experiences and ideas to improve their understanding and use of a particular product. User groups are often responsible for influencing vendors to modify or enhance their products.

Still Thriving
User groups were booming in the 1980s and 1990s, and although many have disbanded, new ones do occasionally arise, not as much for generic computing, but in niche areas.

The oldest surviving group in the U.S. is the Amateur Computer Group of New Jersey (ACGNJ). Founded in 1974 by Professor Sol Libes, it was one of the first computer clubs organized around microprocessors. ACGNJ also created the Trenton Computer Festival (TCF) in 1976, which it sponsors every year. TCF was the first personal computer show and flea market in the U.S. See Trenton Computer Festival.

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user group [′yü·zər ‚grüp]

(computer science)

An organization of users of the computers of a particular vendor, which shares information and ideas, and may develop system software and influence vendors to change their products.