Re: Please read

[Biju Chacko <botsie@xxxxxxxx>]

--- Arun Sharma <adsharma@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Please make sure that you're speaking for your ILUG and not yourself
> when you make your statements here.

Hi,

I have not been saying much for just this reason. The rough consensus of my
lug is that:

1. Some kind of legal existence of LI is required for practical reasons. The
reasons being:

* So that we can *legally* meet once a month. As I understand it, I open
myself to prosecution when I take money from people to pay for snacks,
projectors, et al.

* So that corporates can help us out during these meets and for expos.

* So that freebies that have been offered can be passed on to members.

2. There should not be more formality than is required to fulfill these
ends.

I fail to see how this can be termed hi-jacking for commercial ends.

<IMHO>
I also fail to see what is wrong with making money off linux. Whenever the
words 'commercial' or 'money' is mentioned on this list it is in a context
as if it were 'paedophile' or 'fascist'.

Linus makes money off Linux. RMS makes (made?) money off EMACS. Ditto Miguel
De Igaza, ESR and others. Closer to home, Arun Sharma worked on Linux at
Intel.

The GPL allows for making profits (indirectly) off free software. Companies
that use M$ technologies get some benefit from the M$ publicity bandwagon.
Companies that use OSS have every right to expect similar support from the
OSS community.
</IMHO>

There is no gain in analysing people's motives. We can only judge from their
actions. So if anybody comes up with an idea let us judge it using the
baseline "Does this ultimately benefit Linux in India?".

Finally, let me address the "insignificance" of IT.COM. In IT.COM LI would
have had national exposure with support from an organisation that is a force
in IT in India. By declining to participate due to internal organisational
problems we have demonstrated to the IT community that Linux in India is
composed solely of amateurs who cannot be trusted to honor their
commitments. Whether or not this is true, this does not bode well for the
long term future of Linux in India.

I am sure that I will now get flamed by those who somehow see purity in
penury. If that is the price of speaking one's mind, so be it.

Just for the record, I work in an all-Wintel shop and derive no financial
benefit from Linux.

regards,

Biju


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