Hi, Just to reiterate that for me personally, and I speak for many people in SLMG that there is no division. I didn't started SLMG and it began as a social gathering (I remembered first meeting was Macdonald's) of Linux enthusiasts. I personally remain good friends with many of LUGS excos and they do attend SLMG meetings and our annual BBQ.
So let's put all this talk of division to rest and get on with work. We are an already small community and need to optimize all the good resources we have, so no point overlapping and dividing. SLMG will hope to continue by giving the community a monthly gathering and interaction session afterwards. FOSA, as I see it, promotes Free and Open Source software (not just linux) and focus flagship event is Software Freedom Day which I am urging everyone in community to come forward and help. The AGM is tonight and is completely open and everyone free to contest and stand for election. Hope this clarifies. Darrel --- On Wed, 6/17/09, Harish Pillay <[email protected]> wrote: > From: Harish Pillay <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [OSAS Discussion] [Slugnet] Spice up your LUG > To: "slugnet" <[email protected]>, [email protected] > Date: Wednesday, June 17, 2009, 5:51 AM > 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 > > _______________________________________________ > Discussion mailing list > [email protected] > http://open-source-alliance.sg/mailman/listinfo/discussion_open-source-alliance.sg > _______________________________________________ Slugnet mailing list [email protected] http://wiki.lugs.org.sg/LugsMailingListFaq http://www.lugs.org.sg/mailman/listinfo/slugnet
