[Linux-aus] Nomination

[Anthony Towns]

Okay, since I couldn't sucker anyone else^W^W^Wconvince anyone more
capable from Brisbane to stick their hand up, I'll nominate myself for
an ordinary committee member position.

I've been involved (to some extent or other) in the Linux community since
'95 or so, and in the Debian community particularly since '98, writing
useful bits of software, and otherwise trying to make sure Debian doesn't
suck any more than it has to. I've been on the linux.conf.au papers ctte
each year since Anand invited me to join the Sydney papers ctte in 2001,
and was one of the organisers for the 2002 conference in Brisbane, which
I assume actually happened and came off okay, even if I can't seem to
remember it.

By far the most successful activity Linux Australia's undertaken is
the promotion and continuation of Linux.Conf.Au over the past few
years. LA's mostly kept a fairly light hand on l.c.a's, aiming mostly
to ensure that the hosting LUG knows what it's doing, and dealing with
some financial details from year to year, with all the actual work
(organising, preparing, promotion, fielding media questions, dealing
with the problems that come up) left up to the hosting LUG. I think Linux
Australia should aim to stick to this level of involvement: find things
that have worked for some LUG/s and promote them so they work nationally,
provide support and encouragement where it's sustainable, useful and
wanted, but otherwise let the LUGs do what they like.  I think LA's job
is assisting with projects that are already supported by LUGs and other
.au Linux communities, and trying to encourage small local trial projects
that can be built up into bigger projects in an evolutionary fashion.

I think LA can best achieve this by being continuously involved with
all the Australian LUGs, and I think that involvement is best achieved
by having a representative from each state on the ctte, who can promote
and report on activities their LUG's undertaking, and pass on the word of
other states' activities back down to the local level and maybe encourage
some state rivalry. I think there's plenty of nifty projects that have
happened in other states, and I'd love to make sure that the good ones
can get repeated in Queensland. I think LA is the perfect organisation
to make that sort of coordination possible.

I'm also eager to see more business and government take up and involvement
in Linux and I think LA, along with the l.c.a organisers and AUUG, are
playing a great role in that area, so long as that involvement builds on
the strength of our existing community, and that while we're rocketing
off towards the stars, we don't rip our roots out of the ground.

(Hrm. This seems to be missing something. Oh, I know -- energy! But that's
easily fixed! Just add exclamation marks! Vote for me!!! GO ON!!! YOU
KNOW YOU WANT TO!!!!! ;)

Cheers,
a "I'm excited!" j

-- 
Anthony Towns <aj at humbug.org.au> <http://azure.humbug.org.au/~aj/>
I don't speak for anyone save myself. GPG signed mail preferred.

               Linux.conf.au 2004 -- Because we can.
           http://conf.linux.org.au/ -- Jan 12-17, 2004
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