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

[David Newall]

Anthony Towns wrote:
> 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.

The main conference covers the whole gamut of FOSS.  The 
mini-conferences cover only a single, specialised subject.  An 
OpenSolaris mini-conf doesn't belittle OpenSolaris in any way, but puts 
it into the (a) spotlight.


> 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.

This idea does have merit.  It's a little complicated, but not stupid.  
Yet, I'm not entirely convinced of it.  May I present, as analogy, SAAB, 
an acronym for Scania Automobile AB.  They also make jet fighters.  This 
surprised nobody, even though the name suggests cars, because everybody 
just knows.  So it is with Linux Australia: Everybody already knows that 
the organisation advocates a wide range of Microsoft-based software, 
such as OpenOffice, Apache, Perl and PostgreSQL.  Adding UNIX into the 
mix, if that's what happens, would cause no confusion.  In fact, another 
analogy is AUUG, an acronym for Australian UNIX and open systems Users 
Group.  Not so many years ago, AUUG was the premiere organisation 
advocating Linux in Australia.  This confused nobody.