Greetings all recipients, esp. Canterbury* *Linuxers.
My belated apologies, explanation, reverse-spin, & SFD damage control,
concerning this post.
It was a difficult matter at the time, and I allowed the dust to settle
before offering a reply - in the interests of mail peace and project
progress. But whatever damage may have been done in people's minds to
Software Freedom Day <http://www.softwarefreedomday.org> back then needs
now to be undone. And very much so.
I thank Don for allowing space for this resolution to begin.
Don Gould wrote 10/07/06 16:02:
Afternoon All,
You will find that there is a new update to the mind map I published
last week here:
http://www.tcn.bowenvale.co.nz/component/option,com_wrapper/Itemid,16/
This will be the last update I will be providing and I withdraw my
support from this project.
Trouble began with Don's Mindmap because it initially contained some
fictitious account of discussion held at a GNUz SFD workshop the
previous evening. No notice of this minuting was given, or feedback
allowed for - it just went straight online as a new work agenda, without
consultation. This was Don's first contact with SFD, so he must be
forgiven for not understanding that we already had a functioning team,
sponsorship, and systems of two years' standing. An opportunity to
participate was provided, but this went way off track.
The basic problem was Don's use of M$ tools and telephone pressure to
accelerate SFD as content for his M$-based business. I explained the
necessity of 'walking the talk' in the *nix game, but was completely
ignored. It quickly became clear that Don was contesting for leadership
of the local SFD project, on illegitimate grounds. Don placed me in the
invidious position of having to contradict his records publicly, and
initiate a potential libel. The pointlessness of such action is why this
response was delayed, after several private resolution attempts.
In the past 72 hours I have found that there is much religious debate
over these issues.
Not true. There is shallow mystification around some*nix, which I will
address elsewhere. Misleadership is harmful.
I have been threatened over issues pertaining to this project by
members of the community.
Not by me. I left one message on Don's answer-phone - after an afternoon
of him not returning my calls, still trying to connect SFD with Don's
Riccarton work - explaining my recommendation that he take the potential
libel off the web as a starting point. There was no temper or abuse in
that message, which Don has probably retained - for verification
purposes. The claim is exaggeration, I believe.
I have also done quite a bit more research into the project and found
that stake holders in the project aren't interested in the views of
members of the global community.
See:
http://www.sf-day.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=119
http://www.sf-day.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=130
http://www.sf-day.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=124
Additionally I sent a number of emails and have received no response.
I know Don is pretty sincere, but there may a deficit in his commitment
to *nix-based projects. For many foot-in-both-campers, criticism of
GNU/Linux is almost as valuable as skill with it - for justifying
software choices. The SFD forum neglect was rapidly remedied, in the
days of that critique.
Personally I am feeling quite shaken at present as I write this due to
messages that have been left for me on my answering machine.
I was too. Lots of people have invested quite a lot in SFD already, and
to see such a valuable *nix project brand undermined in this way is very
disturbing. If there is substance to Don's complaint he should start
listing the perpetrators, so we can sort it out.
I have received no less than 3 abusive emails with demands to change
my views or face concequences.
There were detailed and collegial email entreaties from myself, before I
spelt the situation out to Don. I stand by every word conveyed to him,
including a moment of anger. Options were always provided as to how Don
might merge his business model into the extant local SFD. But all of
Don's approach was to fulfill the role of SFD team leader himself, and
to make life difficult for me continuing in that role.
There are lessons in this 'risk of public organising' for all of
SFD-global: some are going to appreciate your doing the promotional
work, and some are going to dislike it. SFD team leaders must take this
exposure to aggravation into account, and develop moderate means for
dissipating it. In Don's case this was still being learned by me.
I wish those with interest in SFD luck with promoting their said cause
in the global community.
Cheers Don
Thankyou Don. I retain hope that we can integrate an SFD contribution
from you somehow, sometime.
All the best,
Rik Tindall
pp SFD Team Christchurch NZ
