On 24 Feb 2008, at 01:03, Russell McOrmond wrote:
Hello Mark, and sorry for the long delay responding. My first
thought was to wait to see if anyone else replied, and then this
message got a bit lost in my overly large TODO box.
Mirko Lindner wrote:
concrete plans to form a FSFC in the near future and if there was
anything I can do to help.
I'm feeling underwhelmed by the response. What we need to find
is people with the energy to put some focus on this. FSFC has my
support, but unfortunately I can only give support to someone else
and not do it myself (I'm focused on digital-copyright.ca ,
GOSLINGcommunity.org and related stuff).
I have to admit that for the time being any action physically taking
place in Canada would be difficult for me to participate in, as I am
in Sweden (being a German that lies closer). But I think preparing
the necessary steps and talking (mailing) to and with the right
people and get something happening should be doable even over the
distance.
If you check the archives at http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/
fsfc-discuss/ you will notice that the discussion of past attempts
at getting charitable status. There seems to be the suggestion
that without the charitable status there is no point to there being
an FSF chapter in Canada. I don't agree, and believe that there is
more than just the GNU project (IE: funding of software
development) that is relevant for an FSF Canada to do. I hear of
FSF India hosting conferences, being active in public policy work,
and so-on.
I completely agree with you, there is much more to the Free Software
Foundation than "just" software development. I am an Intern at the
FSFE right now and we are organizing the second Free Software
Conference in the nordic Counrties this year to provide a meeting-
point and a platform for future development. I am also actively
involved in the creative commons here in sweden and therefore do much
more work "on the basis/the users" so to speak, which relates to your
comment.
It is (or should be) clear that the policy work needed in Canada
is very different than the policy work needed in the USA.
I think the assumption that a FSFC (no matter in which shape for
form) has the same goals/aims as the FSF is indeed the biggest
misconception and I believe if we formulate the tasks at hand for a
Canadian Chapter of the FSF and prove to people that indeed they
differ from the FSF's we will be able to bring people aboard the idea.
--
Russell McOrmond, Internet Consultant: <http://www.flora.ca/>
Please help us tell the Canadian Parliament to protect our property
rights as owners of Information Technology. Sign the petition!
http://www.digital-copyright.ca/petition/ict/
"The government, lobbied by legacy copyright holders and hardware
manufacturers, can pry my camcorder, computer, home theatre, or
portable media player from my cold dead hands!"
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