Re: [tlug] Why the shirts? Why TLUG?

[Attila Kinali <attila@example.com>]

Hey Shannon,

What's up in good old Japan?

On Thu, 19 Apr 2007 13:49:27 +0900
"Shannon Jacobs" <shannon.jacobs@example.com> wrote:

> Okay, so it's nice to get together for a beer or three, and I've gotten a 
> couple of technical questions answered, but... Maybe the real problem is 
> that my motivations are too negative. 
[...]
> Earlier, I've asked both directly and indirectly about the purposes of TLUG. 
> There have been a number of answers, mostly contradictory. Some people want 
> 'quality, not quantity', and I take that as a different kind of negative 
> motivation, but one I don't share. Other people just want to have fun, 
> whatever that means in the context of Linux. 

You hit an issue that is prevalent in the whole Linux community.
People join Linux and OSS (as a community, not as a system) for
very different reasons. Some for fun (linux is like a game with
a very different storyline for each player), to solve a problem
(availability of low level tool and source code can help a lot)
or just because they don't like MS (because it's hip to hate MS).

You also have to keep in mind that neither Linux nor OSS is one
big community but rather a patchwork of thousands if not ten or
hundred thousands of smaller communities and groups. You can only
join a few of them, be aware of a couple more, but you can never
know all of them.

Many people also change their goals over time and drift into some
different sub group or sub community, change what they are doing
and how they are doing it. But they often still stay with their
old groups, just because it was fun to work together with these
people.

I, for example, used to be very active in the LUGS (LUG Switzerland),
tryed to convert people to use Linux, organized events and such. But
with time, i realized that doing so does not help what i wanted to
acheive, namely getting Linux to a better state. Nowadays, although
still somewhat visible at the LUGS, i spend my time more in projects 
that operate and try to change something on a global level rather than
trying to fight against wind mills on a local level.

> For myself, I can say that I do 
> like learning new things, but I'm not as interested in the software tools as 
> I used to be, and I mostly see tool study as overhead. 

It seems like you know what you want to do with Linux, then please
do it! Nobody stops you, nobody will get anything by stopping you
anyways....

> Is teaching fun? 
> Well, if that's how you feel, that would seem to argue for seeking more 
> newbies... Some people are apparently terrified of alternative donations 
> (apart from beer money), others say the club has no need of money, and 
> meanwhile we have this new shirt project. Are they to be sold exactly at 
> cost? Whatever. So far there have been few clear responses.

...but at the same time, don't try to force your ideas on others.
People are here for their own personal reasons. Some overlap, some
don't. It's not a problem as long as people have an understanding
that their goals are different.

> Maybe my interests are simply too divergent from the interests of most TLUG 
> folks? If so, then I should be looking elsewhere. Can anyone recommend an 
> alternative Linux group that is more focused on seizing the current window 
> of opportunity against Vista? I see there's a LinuxWorld Expo next month 
> (and I just registered for it), but I haven't found any links to alternative 
> Linux groups in Japan (including searching in the TLUG website).

You don't have to look elsewhere. I didn't had much to do with the TLUG
back then, when i was in Japan, but they seemed like nice guys and were
a lot more active than many LUG in Europe. If you want to acheive something
then you it's your responsibility to do it. Do something, show other people
that you are doing it, maybe a few will join you if they think that it might
be worth it (for whatever reason). But don't expect people to be like you
so that you can join them.

And about the T-Shirt, i would really like to get one, when they are
printed. Just for the fun of it :-)
(And because i didn't get one of those Mozilla Haoris ;-)

				Attila Kinali

-- 
Praised are the Fountains of Shelieth, the silver harp of the waters,
But blest in my name forever this stream that stanched my thirst!
                         -- Deed of Morred