Selected User Groups and Computer-Related Professional Organizations
in Tucson, Arizona
(for some programming language(s)/environment/tool/OS etc.)

I have personally investigated each and every one of these groups; I (and/or other reliable sources) have attended at least one meeting of each of these groups (unless I say otherwise.)

Selected Active Groups

• Tucson Free UNIX Group (TFUG)
  Lively, active group with at least several dozen people who use Linux and BSD. Members chat about Linux and related topics, provide Linux help, and do educational presentations. Also, you can't find a user's group that will charge you less to join. :-)
  • listserv (email mailing list) typically has 3-20 posts per day, ranging from serious technical talk to raucous chatter.
  • Semi-regular informal meetings as of this writing (2009) happen twice a month. For scheduling and other details, check Claude Rubinson's website or the TFUG mailing list.
  • In this group BYOB means 'bring your own box.' For years TFUG had occasional BYOB meetings at which people would help each other with OS setup or configuration, but presently (2010) BYOB meetings seem to be on hold. The relative ease of installing and configuring Ubuntu seems to have reduced the need for BYOB help sessions.

  Note also that the Tucson Computer Society has a Linux SIG not related to TFUG.
  
  

• Tucson Python Language Enthusiasts
  has monthly face-to-face meetings and a discussion board. A typical meeting has 5-10 participants. Meetings include
  • one or more of: presentations, demos, talks, mini-talks
  • miscellaneous discussion & socializing
  (updated October 2011)
  
  
• Tucson Computer Society
  Has several SIGs (special interest groups), and a monthly general meeting. The general meeting and some of the SIGs seem predominantly aimed towards people who are not extraordinarly expert about computers, although you can find some computer experts within the group.
  (updated October 2011)
  
  
• Tucson Computer Society Computer Professionals SIG
  Want to meet a wide variety of computer professionals? At a typical meeting, 12-22 professionals chat, eat breakfast, and enjoy an informative presentation. The meeting is not programmer-centric. (summary as of spring 2004; rechecked as of July 2009)
  
  
• Tucson Macintosh User Group
  
  
  
• Tucson Java Users Group
  The Google group linked above still achieves a decent signal-to-noise ratio with relevant announcements, news, and job ads, but lately only a few posts/month.

  The group has ceased face-to-face monthly meetings. Reportedly much of the membership has become more interested in topics beyond Java, so many people's involvement in the Java-centered group has become less intense. (summary as of October 2011)

  
  
  
• Tucson Developers Coop
  is a new group for software developers in Tucson. Started Jan 2010.

  So far, it seems mostly to be a way for people to compare notes on stuff they're learning about and doing, share ideas, and sometimes even see if they can unstick each other.
  
  

• Tucson Digital Arts Community (TDAC),
  although I have not attended any meetings myself yet, seems to be a loosely-knit, broad networking group, incorporating various people and organizations with interests such as web design, programming, graphic design, small business, startups, and volunteer/non-profit work.

  Includes multiple (sub)groups devoted to specific topics.

• Spoke6
  is a co-working facility near downtown Tucson. I am told many members are in computer-related professions and/or what the website calls "creatives". Spoke6 does host some events and meetings for computer-related professions and user communities, such as the "CocoaHeads" MacOS + iOS developers group. (updated October 2011)