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

[Anthony Towns]

On Thu, Dec 20, 2007 at 11:19:25PM +1030, David Lloyd wrote:
> > OTOH, it's pretty hard to endorse something that doesn't match your brand
> > ("Linux Australia endorses the OpenSolaris conference? Huh?").
> I suppose you would oppose an OpenSolaris mini-conference at a 
> Linux.Conf.Au despite the fact that it would only be about open source 
> technologies?

No, and I've actually suggested exactly that to some Sun guys a couple
of times now.

It's more that having OpenSolaris be a "mini" conf and only a part of
"linux".conf.au is confusing at best, in that it implies OpenSolaris is
beneath Linux, when that's not really the intent. It's not that there's
anything practically wrong with it, it's just that the first impression
is confusing.

When the name "Linux" (and linux.conf.au and Linux Australia and so on)
really shines is in talking to people who aren't very familiar with
the whole software industry -- Linux is something people recognise,
and it's easy to build on that recognition to explain free software,
open source, GNU, Ubuntu, Debian, Open Solaris, Unix, or whatever else.

My best idea for a way of dealing with that (having a more inclusive
groups that don't have overly specific names like `Linux Australia' or
`linux.conf.au', while retaining great, recongisable names like `Linux
Australia' and `linux.conf.au') is to have LA's formal organisational
side get renamed to something boring and meaningless ("The Eucalypt
Association", eg) that doesn't try for publicity itself or endorsement
deals or similar itself, but stays behind the scenes providing banking
and insurance and tax reporting an incorporated body and organisational
support to groups like LA, OSDC, OSIA, AUUG, etc that do run things in
their own name, and a forum for those groups to easily cooperate where
they'd like to.

Cheers,
aj

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