[GNUz] Re: Naming Groups was: UTP Cables from Solid Core

[Jim Cheetham]

On Sun, Feb 11, 2007 at 12:36:04PM +1300, Rik Tindall wrote:
> GNU/Linux User Group of Waitaha/Canterbury?

Personally, any group called "Linux" is limiting themselves to some
arbitrary technical definition. If it's the *activity* of a group
that's your main interest, why not name them in that manner?

After all, a "PC User Group" would exclude anyone running Linux on
non-IBM-PC-Compatible machines; a "Windows User Group" excludes ...
well, everything; the "Macintosh Users group" tends to exclude Linux,
even though there's a huge overlap between OS X and other Unix (and a
very high proportion of Free Software/Open Source developers use Macs as
their main computers) ...

And there's a huge difference between the traffic of a beginners group
with that of an administrators' group. Any group that welcomes beginners
should be supportive of approchable higher-level users, otherwise not
much help is possible.

> One would be enough, and could then share pride in being the first and 
> only GNU/Linux User Group in Australasia (beyond India).

Where's the pride in being "GNU/Linux" when you could be "Free Software
Foundation NZ"? Some might also say that "Open Source" includes FSF &
others, but at some point perhaps you can split hairs further than is
useful.
> 
> .02c, & no offense intended

Ditto. Especially as I'm "challenging" what Rik is saying, and I know
how hard he works towards these community goals.

-jim