Way to leave out the last line =] On Tue, Jun 8, 2010 at 17:17, Paul Tagliamonte <[email protected]> wrote:
> From #ubuntu-us-ma: > > Jun 08 17:10:13 <leftyfb> Ubuntu LoCo's primary goal is to promote > ubuntu .... think of it as Canonical's free, community-based > advertising > Jun 08 17:10:21 <leftyfb> it's not a FLOSS group > Jun 08 17:10:26 <leftyfb> it's an ubuntu group > Jun 08 17:11:31 <leftyfb> that's like telling a chevy corvette club > they really should go around advocating and promoting honda and > mercedes because otherwise they are doing a disservice to the rest of > the automobile community > Jun 08 17:12:21 <leftyfb> if you want a libreplanet/FLOSS group, make > a libreplanet/FLOSS group and stop trying to convert another group > into something it is not > 17:12 Shishire: leftyfb, he just did? On Tue, Jun 8, 2010 at 5:06 PM, Danny Piccirillo > <[email protected]> wrote: > > Please pass this on to discuss with your loco teams. > > > http://blog.thesilentnumber.me/2010/06/why-ubuntu-locos-should-move-to.html > > In the debate over whether it is worth supporting projects like Ubuntu > which > > are not purely free software, my opinion thus far remains that Ubuntu > does > > help further the free software movement. Arguments against this are > welcome, > > but that is a discussion for a future post. The reason that Ubuntu's > local > > community teams should move to LibrePlanet is because having one of the > > worlds strongest FLOSS advocacy networks centered around one piece of > > software and sponsored by one company is a disservice to the greater free > > software community. > > > > I have been heavily involved in Ubuntu advocacy for years, but for a > while > > now, i've been considering the prospect of local teams operating > independent > > of Canonical. This would not be a move to abandon Ubuntu, but simply to > open > > up more possibilities and reach our full potential. Most people in LoCos > are > > not loyal to Ubuntu, but to free software (aka open source). We are > united > > by a set of ideals and work together to promote software which helps > further > > these ideals. Why then, must all of our advocacy revolve around one > > GNU+Linux distribution? There are two main reasons for why it currently > > does. > > > > Firstly, because Ubuntu is seen by most people as the best way to > introduce > > new people to a (mostly) free desktop environment. It is certainly much > > easier to simply promote one operating system than a family of them. > Still, > > this is no reason to limit ourselves. A team not entirely exclusive to > > Ubuntu can just as easily choose to promote Ubuntu exclusively for events > > aimed at the general public. Ubuntu may be the best now, but if something > > better came along or if Ubuntu went downhill, we should be able and ready > to > > adapt. Being an Ubuntu LoCo does not provide this flexibility. > > > > Secondly, because the infrastructure is there. Canonical provides a wiki > and > > mailing lists to their teams and in exchange, the teams work for them, > > albeit loosely, as part of the Ubuntu LoCo project, under its name and > > banner. Canonical also provides printed install discs to officially > approved > > teams, but there is no reason why Canonical should not provide > sponsorship > > to any team of people who will be promoting Ubuntu. It's mutually > > beneficial. In the meantime, to continue receiving materials only > provided > > to officially approved teams, LoCo's can continue to operate alongside > > LibrePlanet groups. This isn't all to say that Canincal has been working > to > > actively lock teams in, but this is the effect it now has. Creating the > LoCo > > project, providing the structure needed to establish global network of > local > > advocacy teams, was a great service, but the time has come to grow beyond > > its current scope. > > > > LibrePlanet is inspired by Ubuntu's LoCo Project, but it's instead > organized > > around ideals, not any particular piece of software. Surely there are > some > > who only care about what tools work best, but let's not forget the ideals > > which made these better tools possible. Most of us imagine a world where > > these ideals are universal and see an incredible amount of potential in > > that. LibrePlanet isn't yet another social group for GNU+Linux users, but > a > > team of activists. These groups are more open to users of any free > software > > who may be interested in advocacy. Sponsorship could come from Canonical, > > Mozilla, or whoever. Isn't this much more in line with the nature of > FLOSS? > > > > Being a LoCo does in many ways lock you in to promoting Ubuntu. You may > > promote other software and welcome users of other distros, but by their > very > > title, LoCo teams exist for Ubuntu. The very reason i began taking this > idea > > seriously is because some non-Ubuntu users wanted to get involved with an > > event organized by my local community team, but did not want to work > under > > an Ubuntu banner (literally). I don't blame them. I went on to discover > many > > people who lurk on our mailing list and even IRC channel simply hadn't > > gotten involved because they were put off by the exclusive nature of the > > group even though they do happen to use Ubuntu themselves. There is an > > incredible network of people out there who want to help, and we shouldn't > > box them out. > > > > Many people have some badly tainted perceptions of the FSF, but being a > > LibrePlanet team does not require strict adherence to FSF rules. Teams > could > > work on would be creating a voice for free software that doesn't have the > > (in my opinion mostly wrong) reputation of the FSF to be too extreme, and > > this is coming from someone who often doesn't agree with their approach. > To > > provide an example and get the ball rolling, i'd like to announce > > the LibrePlanet Massachusetts Team. > > > > Mailing > > list: http://lists.libreplanet.org/mailman/listinfo/libreplanet-us-ma > > IRC: #libreplanet-us-ma on FreeNode > > > >> The LibrePlanet Massachusetts Team is a group of volunteers and > activists > >> organized around furthering the ideals of free software and related > issues > >> concerning digital rights and free culture. > >> > >> This group is working towards a free society through free software, but > >> we are not a local Free Software Foundation team. We share the same end > >> goals as the FSF, but some of us may find it necessary and more > effective to > >> make some temporary compromises with proprietary software in order to > better > >> spread free software. Some of us may not necessarily say GNU+Linux or > always > >> say "free software" instead of "open source", and some of us may use > >> pragmatic benefits to advocate free software with the understanding that > >> freedom is the underlying concern and principle which makes it all > possible. > >> We are open to people of all levels of interest in free software and > welcome > >> new participants. We are all united in the fight for software freedom as > an > >> important and necessary means for the prospect of a free society. > > > > You can start your own LibrePlanet chapter > > here: http://groups.fsf.org/wiki/Form:Group > > > > -- > > .danny > > > > ☮♥Ⓐ - http://www.google.com/profiles/danny.piccirillo > > Every (in)decision matters. > > > > -- > > loco-contacts mailing list > > [email protected] > > https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/loco-contacts > > > > > > > > -- > #define sizeof(x) rand() > :wq > > -- > loco-contacts mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/loco-contacts > -- .danny ☮♥Ⓐ - http://www.google.com/profiles/danny.piccirillo Every (in)decision matters.
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