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On 30/04/12 14:19, Stewart Smith wrote:
<blockquote cite="mid:871un5svfe.fsf@flamingspork.com" type="cite">...<br>
While we all now have friends and family that recognise "free
software"
as a thing, how much does the rest of the world? Is sacrificing
the word
Linux in the organisation name going to sacrifice the (possibly)
little
recognition we have from the broader community?
</blockquote>
<br>
Thanks for bringing this up, Stewart.<br>
<br>
This is the point that has been bothering me through this
discussion: are we doing this for the benefit of ourselves feeling
comfortable about the name, or are we doing it for the benefit of
outsiders? If the latter, are we doing it for the benefit of <i>knowledgeable</i>
outsiders, or <i>ignorant</i> outsiders?<br>
<br>
It seems to me that discussion on the drawbacks of the current name
has focused on <i>knowledgeable</i> outsiders, but the primary
purpose of a name change should be improving the perception to <i>ignorant</i>
outsiders. (I'm using ignorant here in the strict sense of the word
- no pejorative connotation intended.) That is, the average person
in the street who uses his or her iPhone and thinks it's cool, and
spares no thought for the comprehensive digital surveillance that
owning such a device enables, nor for the developer lock-in it
requires.<br>
<br>
To such a person, the terms "F(L)OSS", "Free Software", "Software
Libre", "Open Source", and their derivatives are so vague as to be
meaningless, despite the fact that they're well-defined jargon to
us. For such people, Linux is "that other OS which geeks use", and
when they hear about it they tend to associate it with people who
are generally more technically knowledgeable than the average
person. (IMO, this is generally a positive association, as long as
we are perceived as well-mannered and humble geeks.)<br>
<br>
If we're to win mindshare for technology freedom in the broader
community, i think Linux is actually the best naming platform on
which to stand, because Linux is a known brand and as it gains
exposure, the culture that gave birth to it and the licenses under
which its components are released gain mindshare.<br>
<br>
Of course, all this could be done with an overall governing body of
a different name and a brand name of Linux Australia (that's
something i'll leave to those more qualified), but if we sacrifice
it as our <i>primary</i> brand, we'll be cutting off our nose to
spite our face.<br>
<br>
Regards,<br>
Paul<br>
<br>
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