of Hackers, Newbies and Fanboys

[Marcel Gagne]

Hello David,

I intended to reply in private but since you mentioned my name publicly, I'll 
make my reply public as well.

On February 9, 2007 11:08:56 am David J Patrick wrote:
>
> positive. The only real negative response come from the comments on
> MSDN (not surprisingly) and Evan and Marcel. Now MSDN naturally
> loathes anything not born of Richmond, but the CLUE contingent
> professes a desire to promote linux and open source, so their reaction
> is a little more troubling.

Before you accuse Marcel of negative comments, read Marcel's email on this 
subject a second time. I've said frightfully little on this subject but what 
I said came out of a genuine concern for this community and how it is 
perceived. The message I wrote on this subject was a warning, prior to the 
events taking place, in fact (I refuse to make judgements on what happened at 
the event itself). 

I said that IF the author of the CRN Canada article (who suggested attendees 
were looking to trespass, disrupt, and cause property damage) was right in 
what he overheard, then I believe it was an amazingly bad idea. I still think 
that any event attended by Free Software enthusiasts that involves 
trespassing on someone else's property and causing harm is a bad idea and I 
won't back down from that point. I did, however, also suggest that talk 
of "starting a fire" in the ice house, could just as easily be just that, 
talk. Guys sitting around chatting over a beer or coffee have been known to 
posture and make suggestions they would never carry out. 

I resent any suggestion that I stand in the way of Linux and open source 
advocacy or that what I do is meant to somehow derail its progress. I have 
put more work, energy, and enthusiasm into helping bring Linux and open 
source into the mainstream than most and I'll hold my record up to yours any 
day.

If you are offended by my warnings that breaking the law, trespassing, and 
causing property damage are somehow barriers to open source advocacy, then 
you've got some explaining to do.  

> duplicity. I intend to use my position as elected TLUG  board member,
> and ubuntu-ca member, to foster co-operation between the "factions".
> ubuntu-ca is forming methods and policies to that effect, and I hope
> to see GTAlug and NEWtlug do the same. 

I'm not a 'faction'. I am, however, one who was deeply concerned about what 
could have been a disaster for this community (assuming the CRN Canada 
article was reporting on genuine intentions), a community I care deeply 
about. I spoke out in hopes of preventing a potential public relations (not 
to mention, legal) nightmare. 

> On that note, I would like to 
> propose a meeting with representatives of each, to discuss ways of
> turning this "problem" into an opportunity.

Still see this as a problem?

-- 
Marcel (Writer and Free Thinker at Large) Gagné
Note: This massagee wos nat speel or gramer-checkered.
Mandatory home page reference - http://www.marcelgagne.com/
Author of the "Moving to Linux" series of books
   and the all new, "Moving to Free Software"
Join the WFTL-LUG : http://www.marcelgagne.com/wftllugform.html
--
The Toronto Linux Users Group.      Meetings: http://gtalug.org/
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