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

[Michael Davies]

On 18/12/2007, at 3:42 PM, Paul Shirren wrote:

> Michael Davies wrote:
>> Linux Australia is "about" <strike>Linux and</strike> Free and Open  
>> Source Software. Legally it serves the interests of its members,  
>> however I also believe that by promoting the above it can serve the  
>> interests of the greater community.
>
> I don't want to be divisive, but is this a good time to revisit the
> relevancy of the name Linux Australia?
>
> I love the name and I feel very connected to it. However it is  
> starting to seem a bit limiting to me now. I know many others have  
> suggested a name change before but the idea has never resonated with  
> me as much as it does now.
>
> It might seem a bit of a gutsy thing to do right now with the  
> success of the Linux confs and the LA brand but couldn't we just do  
> a Canonical and choose a cool indigenous name that suggests our  
> ideals along the lines of "Ubuntu".
>

Brand recognition and identity takes a lot to establish.  If we were  
starting out afresh today our community might possibly choose  
something different for our name - but I'm not sure having the correct  
name for today is the most important thing.  Starting afresh with a  
new name means starting afresh with our efforts, and I'm not sure we  
should so easily toss aside those efforts.

Or put another way, if it ain't broke don't fix it.

We have lots to do on every side - from the technical, to the  
advocacy, to the business of OSS, and many other things that I haven't  
considered this moment.  My personal opinion is that we should be  
spending our efforts "to facilitate enthusiasms within the Linux  
Community to flourish" rather than re-invent the wheel time and  
again.  We have in place an organisation that isn't perfect but is  
doing a great job - and while hacking on the organisation is ok and  
fun and cool, achieving Linus' World Domination, or RMS's "Free  
Software is a matter of liberty, not price", or fixing Ubuntu's bug 1  
is more important - and Linux Australia's job is to help in achieving  
these and other similar efforts rather than just optimising itself.

Of course, this is all IMHO :-)

Michael...