Shahar and all other on linux-il whom concern.....Hi Yehuda,
after reading your long and very detailed mail about why did HAMAKOR lost this round I would like to publish some of my own insight ( if it is of any concern to someone here.. )
1. Linux and open source got much bigger communittee in Israel then it had in the past ( I'm talking 2-3 years ago...)
2. it seems that there are two LOS ( Linux-OpenSource just for short.. ) communittees working with out any coordination. the first the eldest and more experienced LOS users that mainly gether in iglu and linux-il mailing list and the other newly arrived and much less experienced by average that getherd at whatsup/penguin sites.
3. the elders are much more exclusive group that doesn't mingle with the newbies that starting their way up the LOS world.
4. ever since the Makor started it's act it neglected to use the largest stage that avail. to it for accessing the crowds. whatsup is defiantly today the largest place on then net which deals with LOS matters and try to bring as much info and knowledge to the public.
The points you raise are valid points, and worth noting. While I agree with the criticism, I think it is not correctly pointed.
Hamakor was formed to unite the LOS community in Israel. Personally, I was well aware that Linux-IL is a rather closed community, and for me, one of Hamakor's distinct objectives is to provide a place where everyone feel welcome and represented.
However, another one of the objectives was to provide a common interest representation, and NOT to replace the existing communities. Whether I like Linux-IL the way it is or not is irrelevant. The point is that we did not form the NPO in order to change Linux-IL. If you, as a primary driving force in Whatsup, feel under represented in Hamakor, your beaf is with me. Leave Linux-IL out of this. If you, as a welcome poster on Linux-IL feel that the community needs to change direction, talk to the list. This has nothing to do with Hamakor.
For the reason I stated above, Hebrew postings are welcome (and, in fact, encouraged) on [EMAIL PROTECTED], while they are frowned upon here. You yourself were invited to sit in on the original assembly meeting, and were even given a chance to join the board, which you turned down. The penguin, on the other hand, has a very respectable and WELCOME attendance, both on the board, and on the activities.
The reason I'm saying this is not to say that you are wrong about Linux-IL, or even about Hamakor. I'm just saying that there is a reason why things turned out the way they did. Some of the problems you mention have to do with lack of awarness. These are problems that time and feedback (such as the mail you just sent) will slowly iron out. I think you can see that if I was trying to publish a questioneer on whatsup, but sent the request here, it was solely out of my own ignorance of "[EMAIL PROTECTED]". Like I said before, such misunderstandings will be slowly cleared as time goes on. It is welcome of you to send your opinion about them when you come across them (as you did with your mail).
Other problems you mention, however, are more due to the fact that Hamakor cannot do everything. This is doubly true for the board. I was never a frequent visitor of whatsup. I don't think I NEED to become one now, merely because I'm a board member. Doron, on the other hand, is both a visitor of whatsup, and has, in fact, contacted you about cooperations with Hamakor. I don't see any problem with the fact that not all board members are intimately aquanted with all media available to the NPO. I think it only natural that Doron will be better aware of what whatsup can do for us than me. This is also something that will become better over time, but I doubt very much it will actually go away.
You are, still, welcome to offer your help. The current board structure will not hold indefenitely. It's a uphill struggle. We simultaniously need to be PR people (which most of us feel ill-equipped, nor motivated, to be), and struggle with uniting (or at least representing) two communities with very different interests. The fatigue will not let all of us stay on board for too long. You are more than welcome to jump in. You are more than welcome to try and help before that (for example - email me and offer to publish the response on whatsup....).
The sad truth of it today is that we don't have good procedures for making good use of the help people are offering. This means that, when people offer their help, we usually direct them at the various projects we are trying to do, because coordinating people working on different projects is easier than coordinating people working on the same project. The thought was that there are enough projects to go around. This is failing because not everyone are fit for doing all projects. We need a better solution for decentralizing the tasks that currently only the board are capable of doing. I think I have some ideas (but they take time to implement). If anyone has experience with those things, please let me know. The way things currently stand, the board is not handling the load, while rejecting offers of help. We need someone who can help us help you help us :-)
Don't get me wrong. Things are getting better, and will continue to get better. I'm just saying that I'm aware that some things are not as well as they ought to be.
Shachar
-- Shachar Shemesh Open Source integration consultant Home page & resume - http://www.shemesh.biz/
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