Re: [Linux-aus] Sam did better with this one

["Brent Wallis (IS)" <brent@datafont.com.au>]

Hi,

Con Zymaris <conz@cyber.com.au> wrote ..
> Perhaps this episode points to a problem with the rather disjointed 
> approach that the FOSS community in this country has to PR. I don't have
> a solution, save to suggest that handling this aspect of press-relations
> is generally what commercial firms do with aplomb. 

Agreed, but as a relative "outsider", watching how the SCO issue has been handled as well as this issue with Sams article, I feel that there are some interesting points worth noting:

- The SCO thing had "destructive potential" in that several diverse opinions with varying degrees of "vehemence" could have found their way into the press.
They didn't, and infact, the view from the outside was that the FOSS community in this country was of one voice.
Whether you all agree or not, that simple achievement is astounding and a credit to all respondents....:-) Achieving the same in a large company generally requires a professional PR person...and a very big "policy stick"...., it's a sign of continuing maturity in FOSS.

- The reaction to Sams article achieved a review of the contact regime for LUGs Australia wide.
A small error in a simple thing like "contact regimes" was revealed.
The community took immediate steps to fix it...that's a clear example of the Open Source Paradigm working as it should. It was like a critical bug fix
that just had to be handled immediatly...

I think that if these issues can continue to be handled as they have been , with everyone taking a considered approach, and, if everyone attacks any shortcomings with the same sense of urgency as the contacts issue...FOSS can;t lose.
 
BW