I am coming into this thread after spending time lurking. And apologies for a long note.
I am thankful that there is renewed interest in keeping FOSS up and about in Singapore. FOSA is the latest attempt at that. If you let me, I would like to set the record straight about LUGS. When it was set up in 1993, the intention was to get access to all things Linux. There was no non-R&D Internet access in Singapore then. We had setup a UUCP network, linked via jaring.my to connect to the Internet, then moved to singnet when they sponsored LUGS' internet link via a 28.8k leased line which then became a sponsorship of a colo site at Queenstown exchange (which we still have). Many people helped with LUGS over the years - Greg Hosler, Mathias Koerber, Lim Swee Tat, Sanjeev Gupta, Michael Clark, Roy Ong, Ng Hak Beng, Pui Yong, Billy, Wong Woon Kwong and many many more and I apologize in not mentioning your names. All of them gave a lot of their personal time and effort and as volunteers, did an admirable job. Without their commitments over the years, LUGS would not have lasted this long. There in lies the rub - finding and renewing volunteers to keep the organization going is a hard job. The enthusiasm would be there for the first 5-7 years. It will wane after that, and unless new blood comes in, it will eventually die out. LUGS was relatively fortunate as we did see a second round of renewed interest in 1998/1999. That cycle of interest and dedication has waned. It is no point saying "Oh, LUGS is dead. Nothing is happening." To those who say that, I challenge you to come forward and participate and make a difference. LUGS is a member driven entity. It is not about what the exco can do, but how the members can help. The exco is merely the custodian. LUGS helped bring about an awakening about Linux and FOSS when we organized the first Singapore Linux Conference in 1999 and repeated it in 2000 and 2001. In 2003, LUGS organized a rebranded SLC - called Asian Enterprise Open Source Conference. That event incurred significant losses - because a lot of potential participants and speakers did not come due to the outbreak of SARS early in 2003. That essentially put a huge dent on how LUGS could function for LUGS had to find ways to repay the expenses of the 2003 conference. Over the 4 years, LUGS has finally come out of that debt and it is debt-free now. While all of this was happening, like any open source project, SLMG got set up. I kept hearing that SLMG was set up because LUGS charges $10 admission fee for non-LUGS members to attend LUGS events. The $10 fee was inherited from the mid-1990s when talks were organized in venues that LUGS had to pay for - in Funan Center and later at Singapore Telecom Academy along Bt Timah Road. Recognizing that there really is no need for the entrance fee, LUGS removed it and did encourage SLMG to dovetail their efforts with LUGS so that we can stand strong together. After all, as a registered entity, LUGS was able to do stuff with SLMG would be hardpressed for. That dovetailing did not happen. Fast forward to today. I still see value in LUGS - it is a 16-year old organization. LUGS need volunteers to come forward to move things on. The current exco was elected in 2003 and our term expired in 2004. We have been holding the fort as it were because we have not been successful in getting volunteers to come forth and serve. I certainly don't want to continue in office because it is very crucial that new blood comes on board and continues to rejuvenate the organization. Forming an entity like FOSA, while I support wholeheartedly as an idea, has its advantages and disadvantages. It is not Linux specific (which is good), and is really about FOSS. By setting up another organization, the potential perception in the community is that there is a division hence prompting the setup of a new entity (which is bad). I am sure that there is no division - consider how LUGS and SLMG worked hand in hand for SFD 08; consider how LUGS helped with SLMG getting the SMU location for it's monthly talks. I am sure the same thing could have been achieved if those who wanted a FOSS entity more than a Linux-labelled one had worked within LUGS and transform it. I am trying to put a positive spin to the upcoming establishment of an official FOSA entity. I think both FOSA and LUGS should put out a joint statement about how each group views it's role and how both would be working together moving forward. I am not able to attend the FOSA meeting this week due to work-related travel and for the record, I am not seeking any position in the proposed FOSA executive committee. Regards. -- Harish Pillay [email protected] gpg id: 746809E3 fingerprint: F7F5 5CCD 25B9 FC25 303E 3DA2 0F80 27DB 7468 09E3 _______________________________________________ Slugnet mailing list [email protected] http://wiki.lugs.org.sg/LugsMailingListFaq http://www.lugs.org.sg/mailman/listinfo/slugnet
