[Linux-aus] AUUG to close? Will there be a rush of new members to Linux Australia?

[David Newall]

Glen Turner wrote:
> On Tue, 2007-12-18 at 05:21 +1030, David Newall wrote:
>> Bret is absolutely correct.  In my view, there is no substantive 
>> difference between AUUG and Linux Australia.
>>     
>
> This week we have had a vivid illustration of the difference.
>
> Apple -- a UNIX vendor -- and the Linux community fundamentally
> disagree over the desirability of FOSS codecs in the HTML5
> standard.
>   

That's mischievous.  Apple are not saying FOSS codecs are undesirable in 
HTML5, in fact they probably are on record (although I haven't checked) 
as fully and strongly supporting that aim.  What they (amongst others) 
are saying is that there may be some impediment to Ogg, and that 
satisfying patents will make it non-free, even though it continues to be 
open-source.



> I think we want to embrace the past of AUUG without embracing
> on-going lobbying on behalf of commercial interests (who are
> more than capable of doing that for themselves).
>   

I've *never* seen AUUG lobby on behalf of a commercial UNIX.  
Encompassing users of those UNIXes is not even slightly like lobbying.