Read the whole message before you reply. On 8/16/06, Jon maddog Hall <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Likewise while I understand your suggestion of a different name for the organization, in order to protect both the name "GNHLUG" and "WEENIES", would cost close to double the money, time and effort.
I don't believe that would have to be true. GNHLUG does not currently have a Board of Directors or trademark enforcement or any of that stuff, so those cost will be "new" regardless. At the same time, NHLW wouldn't be involved in actually doing any of the things done under the banner of GNHLUG: User meetings, activism, etc. So duplication would be minimal to non-existent. I was also thinking it would be all the same organizers and planning meetings and mailing lists and so on. Just the notional hat would read "NHLW" instead of "GNHLUG" when working on the legal stuff. (They're notional hats, so we don't even have to buy two sets of hats. ;-) ) (In case it isn't sufficiently obvious, I use the name "NH Linux Weenies" for discussion purposes only. I use that name precisely because it can't be mistaken for a real proposal. Should this actually come to pass, I'd expect we'd pick a cool-sounding name like "NH Open Source Advocates" or "Granite State Software Freedom Society" or something like that. In the mean time, NHLW serves as a placeholder.)
How do you explain the differences between the two groups?
NHLW = Legal stuff. GNHLUG = Everything else. EOF.
I prefer the route of ...
I prefer that route, too. But I'm also pragmatic. My thinking is that we might be better off going with a separate name for the legal entity for pragmatic reasons. We've been struggling with creating a great plan for years. OTOH, five of us could incorporate NHLW tomorrow, and then worry about adapting NHLW to GNHLUG. Indeed, my thinking shares an argument with the argument for incorporation in the first place: Expediency. It takes time for the wheels of government to turn. Keeping all the cats, er, ducks lined up while those wheels turn is difficult. If we keep waiting, we may end up being too late when we need it. On the other hand, if we do something *now*, we will have it ready, and then we can work on aligning NHLW with GNHLUG. It would be my hope that eventually NHLW would become sufficiently collimated with GNHLUG that NHLW ceases to even have a separate name, and we just have GNHLUG. But we'd be able to do that on our time, rather then the state's.
Believe it or not, we spent a fair amount of time picking the name "GNHLUG" It was the "Greater" New Hampshire Linux User Group because we wanted to be embracing to Northern Massachusetts and Western Maine.
I thought it was because NH is greater than MA and ME. ;-)
I am proud of the name, what it has done and what (hopefully) it will do.
Me too! Let me state once more that I am absolutely, positively, in no way what-so-ever suggesting the curtailment, diminishment, or restriction of GNHLUG in any way, shape, or form.
You can keep the "other name" plan in your back pocket for right now, in case the plan goes afoul, but I would prefer moving forward with the same name.
Well, this has never been more then informed speculation on my part. I obviously think there is some merit to the idea, but I am hardly convinced it is the Best Way to go. If you feel we would loose something by not incorporating under the name "GNHLUG", then I, for one, am willing to voluntarily bow to your wishes. -- Ben _______________________________________________ gnhlug-org mailing list gnhlug-org@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-org
