On Tue, 2003-03-25 at 21:25, Michael Halcrow wrote:
> DISCLAIMER: I intend to rile up some emotions with this post. If all
> you want to read on this list are questions and answers about obscure
> sendmail config file options, start ignoring this thread now.

Linux is probably the successor to Unix. AIX, HP-UX, Irix, SCO Unix, and
many others are doomed. But it's too early to announce the death of all 
Unices. Solaris is still more appropriate for use across the entire
enterprise--and Sun isn't going to let it die without a fight. The
various *BSD are doing very well. If you count Mac OS X, then the BSDs
have done more to get *nix out to the masses than Linux has. In fact, if
you're a Linux bigot you should be very afraid of Mac OS X. It has drawn
away some very pro-Linux people.

It would be a shame to give people like Jon D. the impression that we
don't want them. It would be a crime to give the impression that we're
not interested in hearing what Soren and Ed know about other Unices.

Sure, we don't get as many questions about HP-UX and Irix as we used to.
Most of our members can't afford a good Sparc box. But if anything we
should expand the group, not restrict it. I'm open to following the lead
of USU and calling it the Unix and Free Software Users Group. But that
should be a group decision. Changing our name to include linux for its
marketing value reeks of the companies that brought no value during the
tech bubble. Meanwhile companies with something to offer didn't think
they had to hide behind a name--the quality of their offerings could do
the selling. We should focus on reaching out to people, not change our
name and hope they magically start noticing us.

Now let me explain why I think it might be better to start a new club:
I'd like to see more than a little advocacy. I'd like to see something
real. Perhaps an official club project or group of projects guided by
some type of mentoring structure. The projects would be carefully
selected to be useful, interesting, and provide real experience.

Of course, the university overhead of a second club might not be worth
it. Perhaps as a "chartered" group within the UUG it would be more
appropriate.

I'm open to dicussion of how the club can be improved. I don't and
probably never will consider changing the name to the BYU Linux Users
Group to be an improvement. But I'm just one voice, let the majority
rule.

-- 
Stuart Jansen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>

#define FALSE 0 /* This is the naked Truth */
#define TRUE  1 /* and this is the Light   */ -- mailto.c

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