[Linux-aus] [Announce] 2024-2025 Annual report and Draft AGM Agenda

[Andrew Pam]

On 5/2/25 13:04, Craige McWhirter via linux-aus wrote:
> Many of us have been at this for 30 years or more now.

Yes, I have also been an active part of the community since the very 
first CALU and part of the shareware and Unix communities before that.

> The community has grown, changed in it's make up and so have the lives of our
> membership as we've watched each other go through various stages of life and
> in far too many cases, death. The world has also grown and changed.

Very true.

> So how do we get there?

I strongly disagree with Craige's diagnosis and suggestions.  The 
evolution of LA over time was not in error, and we cannot return to the 
status quo ante and old glories by reverting to the ways of the past.

The fact is that "Linux" in and of itself is no longer an exciting 
hobbyist field, just as electric lights, motors, radios, cars and many 
other technologies in the past started with highly active enthusiast 
groups which declined over time as the technology became part of the 
background of our civilisation.  I don't think there are any lighting or 
electric motor technology fan clubs any more and the amateur radio and 
car clubs are quite different now from the early days.

LUV already spent considerable time and effort in past years providing a 
wide range of FOSS servers to the membership and got very little 
interest or adoption despite also running talks explaining each service 
and why it is useful and a workable alternative to a proprietary 
solution.  Most people seem to either be comfortable using the popular 
online services or if not, prefer to run their own.

Apart from the steadily aging existing membership, there is still a 
die-hard "freedom above all else" community, but they remain a small 
niche and I do not think LA should focus on their concerns.  It's been 
amply demonstrated that tech conferences and user groups are of most 
interest to sponsors when they are hiring, and economic cycles lead to 
times of hardship where sponsors are on average not growing and not 
interested in sponsoring conferences and user groups.  Deck chair 
rearranging will not affect those fundamentals.

Regards,
	Andrew