The Story of the JaxLUG and Florida State College at Jacksonville
This page is one of the most unfortunate things ever composed and put online. While local colleges are intended to in-part serve the local community, some fall far short of such efforts. There are many fine professors, and none of this is about any professors, but college administrators. The transformation of what once was Florida Junior College (FJC 1965-1986), then Florida Community College at Jacksonville (FCCJ 1986-2009), to what is now known as Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ). The change in name also reflects the change in mission, dropping the community component entirely!
The Jacksonville Linux Users Group history with FSCJ literally goes back to its origin. This page is a tragic, unfortunate, work-in-progress, to learn the history of the Jacksonville Linux Users Group and formerly FCCJ now FSCJ. The local community college did not serve the Jacksonville Metro area when it comes to Linux education; it failed the community!
The reason Linux education is not offered is simply about money, Microsoft, Dell, etc, have tremendous influence and lobbying, and while it may benefit a few locals, the vast majority of money leaves the city. This is something Linux could change, but the local college has long chosen a different direction, to the detriment of the city. As Linux technologies like Android and ChromeOS generate billions in revenue that flows into other areas, some flowing out of Jacksonville, neither existed when the JaxLUG was started in 1996.
What billions or millions in Linux revenue could have done in the past 30-years for the Jacksonville Metropolitan area!
Sadly, we will never know... While FSCJ had an opportunity to step up after 30-years, in the JaxLUG's 30th anniversary year, now that we can meet all obligations including insurance, FSCJ wants the city and community to wait. Wait for what? Technology waits for no one! FSCJ is no advocate for Linux and FSCJ is literally an obstacle in the way of Linux education in Jacksonville Florida, because it does not serve the financial purposes of decision makers, period!
Beginning 1999
Per the first message ever sent by Daniel Stringfield in the JaxLUG mailing list archive on 6/14/1999, which came from his FCCJ email account. It implies that Daniel was either a student, staff, or affiliated with FCCJ at that time.
Did the Jacksonville Linux Users Group originate from FCCJ; this is entirely plausible?
Advanced Technology Center 2002-2005
Starting in 2002, the Jacksonville Linux Users Group was looking to meet at FCCJ's Advanced Technology Center (ATC) in downtown Jacksonville per this post on the JaxLUG mailing list from Art Wildman. The JaxLUG did meet at the ATC for several years. The start and end dates will have to be produced at a later date, time permitting. This post again from Art Wildman in 2005, confirms the presently known timeframe of FCCJ no longer hosting JaxLUG meetings at the ATC, per primarily, lack of insurance, and there may have been some secondary factors.
This was the end of FCCJ's relationship with the JaxLUG...
2021 Return to FSCJ
In 2020, William L. Thomson Jr. had an internship at FSCJ under Professor David Singletary, and part of his work was presented to the JaxLUG, and to this date, it is the most viewed presentation ever recorded at the JaxLUG. This is very low by influencer standards but for the city, it is almost ten-times the next highest viewed video. William's greatest wish is to be one of the LEAST viewed, with new members having overtaken in views. FSCJ could potentially have students recording the meetings, students who were seeking production careers. All the equipment used in the presentation with the except of one personally owned Raspberry Pi was property on loan from and returned to FSCJ.
William also got his start in Robotics at FSCJ during the same internship, and Professor Singletary let William borrow a Adafruit Pi Linux-base 2-wheel robot for nearly a year. The resulting work William made public, Raspberry Pi Web Buggy repository, which is very meager, as this was just the beginning! William went onto doing a variety of other robotics work at UNF such as osprey_ros repository, along with two docker containers, docker-ros2-iron and docker-ros2-iron-gz-rviz2. William continues such work with his personal robot.
This shows how seeds planted at FSCJ can grow tall trees!
In 2021, having been a student at FSCJ, William, a longtime community member of the unofficial JaxLUG, started an inquiry into FSCJ via Ernest Friend to obtain meeting space for the JaxLUG at the FSCJ Deerwood campus. Despite not having insurance and other issues, like the requirement for food and refreshments at any meeting space and venue, Mr. Friend literally lived up to his name, and he was friendly to the JaxLUG. Mr. Friend was successful in obtaining meeting space and a FSCJ staff member to coordinate such, but unforuntately, Dan Bidleman never responded to FSCJ, and despite William's efforts, it went no further in 2021.
What if JaxLUG meetings had resumed at FSCJ in 2021?
2025 Final Attempt
Unfortunately, by 2025, Ernest Friend had departed FSCJ after some 30-years. Without the same level of contact, William L. Thomson Jr. started to reach out to FSCJ to inquire about meeting space. It took four attempts before a reply, 8/18/2025, 9/16/2025, 9/19/2025, and 10/21/2025. Finally, on 11/4/2025, William's efforts paid off and he received a reply.
A most fantastic reply, FSCJ was excited to work with the group, per other messages in the chain not visible, and FSCJ was to integrate to support their CAE Lab in T219, and was willing to sign a MOU. Finally, after some just under 30-years, it looked like there was a Linux future at FSCJ, a future for FSCJ and the JaxLUG! How the students of FSCJ could benefit, and the Metropolitan Area.
Once again, unfortunately, by 11/18/2025, things had changed, and FSCJ was seeking to in their words.
"At this time, we are placing this request on hold as we are still organizing our upcoming initiatives and determining the best way to move forward with external groups. We want to make sure everything is aligned internally before proceeding with any new additions."
What groups? This is about ONE group, the Jacksonville Linux Users Group aka the JaxLUG!William has ideas and theories behind this tragic catastrophic, and unbeknownst to FSCJ at the time, permanent decision. There would be no later, 30-years was far long enough, and William engaged in an email campaign expressing his sentiments on the matter, fully within the law, with acceptable vernacular, and at best, some unintended insults or rudeness; bluntness and how messages are received can vary, especially criticism.
At one point, William wrote a very polite email to FSCJ president Dr John Avendano on 11/21/2025, verbosely explaining the history and situation, in a very respectful manner. Along with the information was a request to meet in-person, specifically saying,
"I would LOVE to speak to someone in-person at FSCJ about all this".
But, why should administrators or anyone at FSCJ take their time to actually speak with someone in person about anything, surely not a former two-time alumni, among other things, but public citizens and organizations should be respected just the same. Again, community was lost from the name long ago!
It is not known if Dr Avendano ever received any messages, as his email address was assumed based on common FSCJ naming schema, but there was never any response. There is no means to get in touch with FSCJ's Office of the President, and it is really amazing how public institutions are increasingly becoming harder for the public and students to communicate with. This should be the literal opposite!
Then again, the forthcoming rudeness and unprofessionalism at FSCJ, which is visible in too many places in Jacksonville, leading to increasing violence, hopefully, not originating from FSCJ, shows they have clear internal issues, as shown next.
FSCJ Police 2026
In 2026, it became apparent that FSCJ had blocked or might be blocking emails. William L. Thomson Jr. contacted FSCJ IT and opened ticket #ST-41063. William followed up, and via that ticket it was confirmed that the emails were being blocked, and FSCJ was to look into it and resolve that matter. This is where things take the most unbelievable turn.
Shockingly, FSCJ turned to its around two-year-old FSCJ police department were FSCJ Sergeant Timothy Haire, a former 27-year veteran JSO Detective, contacted William on 3/9/2026 regarding emails that were forwarded to him for some odd reason. There is no unlawful activity that merits the police; the police handle criminal not civil matters. Why was he even involved, was he looking for criminality?
William called FSCJ IT on 3/9/2026 after speaking with Sergeant Haire, and the IT person was very rude and hung up, after disbelieving that FSCJ police had just called. William called Sergeant Haire back, explained what just happened, requested Sergeant Haire remain on the line while William called FSCJ IT back, he denied the request. William then called FSCJ IT again, and spoke with a polite gentleman, who was to forward the matter on. There was nothing further.
Then, on 3/10/2026, William receives an email from Sergeant Haire, re-iterating what FSCJ had already stated back on 11/18/2025, this was not anything new, aside from request to stop inquiries, which goes against first amendment rights. The last inquiry sent was on 1/26/2026, over a month prior, all inquiries had ceased because the situation was at an impasse, and the JaxLUG was simply moving on, but still retained the right of free speech; ability to email FSCJ. Of course, William cannot reply to said email, as the account that Sergeant Haire used, along with William's personal email, were both being blocked. Literal first amendment rights violations, free speech violation! William had to resort to another email address to reply to Sergeant Haire.
A public college has no right to deny the public voice, even via email. Emails maybe unwanted, unsolicited, and undesirable, literally the reason the first amendment exists, free speech is not about protecting speech you like, but speech you dislike. FSCJ has no right to violate free speech rights of both the Jacksonville Linux Users Group, Inc and William, two separate legal entities under US and Florida State law. FSCJ violated the rights of a former student, an alumni, as well as a local non-profit corporation, and having the FSCJ police handle civil matters.
This is one of the most unreal situations. This matter should be handled by administrators, who are intimidated by William, unable to counter his arguments, and therefore, seek to silence William, and also silence the Jacksonville Linux Users Group, Inc.. Complaints have been filed, lawsuits maybe filed at a time and date of choosing, potentially up to four lawsuits, two against FSCJ, and two against the new FSCJ police department. Sergeant Haire should have rejected involvement entirely, this is not a police matter, and that FSCJ even employed such a tactic; appalling!
William has tried to call FSCJ to reach their office of General Counsel, who it seems nobody at FSCJ knows how to reach that department, if they know it even exists. William left a voice message for Assistant Chief Police Elizabeth Kenny on 3/10/2026, that has yet to be returned. FSCJ policy is pretty clear at this point, censorship, ignoring, and sweeping the matter under the rug. That will work till it doesn't.
The End
This is the end of the Jacksonville Linux Users Group's, the JaxLUG's, relationship with FSCJ, and most likely, permanently! There will be no later! After 30-years, what does FSCJ expect? The time was now, and once again, FSCJ failed the Jacksonville Metropolitan area, just as it has for the past 30-years. Clearly, FSCJ has no interest in Linux education in Jacksonville, and that is all about money, at the expense of the Jacksonville Metropolitan Area! Long as that money keeps flowing to Seattle, Washington!
This is one of the most tragic histories ever told, and shows how a local college can retard an entire metropolitan area rather than advance it technologically. FSCJ is no friend, advocate, evangelist, or anything when it comes to Linux.
FSCJ is anti-Linux, at their benefactors behest, MICROSOFT!