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

[Dave Davey]

On Fri, Dec 21, 2007 at 06:50:26AM +1030, David Newall wrote:
> Anthony Towns wrote:
> >> May I present, as analogy, SAAB, 
> >> an acronym for Scania Automobile AB. [...]
> >>     
> >
> > Wikipedia expands it as "Svenska aeroplanaktiebolaget (translates to
> > Swedish Aeroplane Limited)", and notes that it's treated as a proper
> > noun these days rather than an acronym.
> >   
> 
> My mistake.  Thanks for pointing it out.  The 'S' does stand for 
> 'Swedish.'  When being a car, SAAB apparently is SAAB Automobile AB.  
> (Swedish Aeroplane AB Automobile AB?)  Scania, which appears below SAAB 
> on the logo on my '96 convertible (yes! read it and weep), apparently 
> merged with SAAB in 1969, forming SAAB-Scania AB.  (It all makes sense 
> to me now.)

I don't think there was a merger, but a split.  But in any case getting
deeply into the corporate history of SAAB/Saab is probably not that
productive, but the question of "branding" in relation to LA is interesting.
(SAAB now seems to be limited to the logo, whereas Saab is the start of
the names of a large number of businesses - start at
http://www.saabgroup.com/static/split.htm if you want some details.)
The relevancy to LA is that despite significant changes to the overall
structure over many years, including the takeover of Saab Automobile AB by
General Motors, the SAAB brand has been retained by all parties.

AUUG is another example - it was originally the "Australian Unix systems User
Group".  The replacement of "systems" by "and Open Systems" in the formal
name did not result in a change to the AUUG brand or logo.

If AUUG wants to merge with/be taken over by/be incorporated into/ LA, my
view is that this is not conceptually easy and does not involve equals.
LA's charter relates to community - a large coverage.  AUUG is for
professionals - to my way of thinking a small subset of the community.
This is not an argument against any new relationship or structure, but
I think it does say we should move cautiously and not start with discussions
about a name change.  Let things evolve with LA's brand untarnished (except
perhaps for some small print acknowledgement "incorporating AUUG") and
see what happens.  If there are many new members and they make an impact
a new name may evolve.  The name is not the starting point.

Dave

-- 
David F. Davey
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