[Linux-aus] Can Linux Australia survive?

[Anthony Towns]

Lorn Potter wrote:
 > Anthony Towns wrote:
 >> I'm all for keeping things from getting stuck in a rut, personally.
 >> Having a team that's enthusiastic about running a great conference is
 >> what attracts the speakers and then the attendees.
 >> If you want a boring explanation; LCAs been comparatively
 >> under-attended by NZers,
 > Perhaps that's because it's a _different_ country?

I'm sure that's a lot of the explanation; but that's much more of a 
perception thing than an actual reason not to go.

Lorn Potter wrote:
> Australians don't need a passport to get to Perth, or Brisbane.
> If you really want to raise some eyebrows, make it in Fiji.
> :)

If a bid from Fiji could demonstrate it was fairly economical to get 
there from Australia, and was accompanied by both an enthusiastic team 
on the ground and indications from speakers that they'd be interested in 
attending, I'm sure it'd be considered quite favourably. Likewise for 
anywhere else.

>> I'm all for keeping things from getting stuck in a rut, personally. 
>> Having a team that's enthusiastic about running a great conference is 
>> what attracts the speakers and then the attendees.
> Except by taking the conference overseas, you are making it more 
> difficult for your attendees to get there.

Sure. The same thing was said about Brisbane, and then about Perth. If 
course, if you want convenience, you should get involved in running one 
locally; there are, AIUI, teams from both the Gold Coast and Brisbane 
who're interested in putting in bids, and I'm sure they'd welcome 
assistance.

> That's all fine and dandy, except the organization is named Linux 
> _Australia_

Sure, and it's incorporated in NSW.

> It's even stated in the "Charter": 
> "Linux Australia helps individuals to realise their potential and 
> supports them in events and schemes to support and help the Australian 
> Linux community."
> How is it helping the Australian Linux Community by taking the 
> conference overseas?

See my previous mail: one of the important things for a strong community 
is having ties outside it instead of just being insular. It's one of 
those things where there are immediate and obvious reasons why it's not 
locally optimal, but where there are decent reasons to expect it to be 
better over the long term. If you disagree, that's fine, but that's the 
explanation.

> Do not get me wrong. I have no problems with New Zealand ( great snow 
> skiing from what I hear!),

Not so much in January, unfortunately...

(Vote [1] for LCA 2008 in Vancouver!)

> people from there, or promoting Linux 
> anywhere in the world. But it seems the stated focus of Linux Australia 
> is to Australia. If this is now changed to focus on Linux Anzacs, or 
> Linux Commonwealth - then state this in the charter.

It hasn't. It's not out of the question that it might at some point, if 
having that level of tight-nit cooperation with NZers turned out to be 
the best way of doing things; but either way, the opportunity to remind 
people that LCA is focussed on being fun and flexible and not set in its 
ways at all, is a good thing.

Cheers,
aj (one of the organisers of LCA 2002 in Brisbane, amongst other things)