WPLUG is more than a users group; it is a collective dedicated to the pursuit of digital sovereignty.

Founded in 1997, the Western Pennsylvania Linux Users Group (WPLUG) has long stood as a beacon for those who prefer the open road of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). But the world has changed. We no longer live in an era where using Linux is merely a technical preference—it has become a necessity for anyone who wishes to truly own their digital life.

We live in an oligopic digital landscape. A handful of corporations have built “walled gardens” that hold our photos, our files, our memories, and our identities. They charge us monthly ransoms for the privilege of accessing our own data, and they reserve the right to change the rules, censor content, or vanish overnight.

We believe that relying entirely on these services is a vulnerability.

Ready to break the cycle? Start your journey with our Exit the Cloud Roadmap $\rightarrow$ Learn how to reclaim your data and hardware.

The New WPLUG is built on the conviction that self-hosting is a basic modern requirement. Whether it's a home server running a photo gallery, a private cloud for files, or a custom DNS setup, taking back control of your infrastructure is the only way to ensure privacy, longevity, and freedom.

WPLUG is a public-facing collective. We believe that “Linux is cool,” and we believe that coolness should be accessible to everyone. We welcome the entire spectrum of technical ability:

• The Curious: Those who have never seen a terminal and don't know what a “shell” is. If you are tired of the cloud and want to learn how to take your first step into self-hosting, you belong here.
• The Practitioners: Those who are comfortable with the CLI and are looking to optimize their home labs or contribute to the community.
• The Architects: Those running split-horizon DNS, Proxmox clusters, and complex infra-as-code. Your expertise is the fuel that helps us lift others up.

The goal of the New WPLUG is simple: To connect people.

In a world increasingly fragmented by algorithms and silos, we strive to build a real-world community of people who share a common interest in technology, freedom, and mutual aid. We are here to learn together, troubleshoot together, and ensure that the spirit of the early internet—open, collaborative, and decentralized—survives and thrives in Western Pennsylvania.

Your data. Your hardware. Your community.