Linux Advocacy in Toronto -- pt 1

[Evan Leibovitch]

[ Please forgive the length of this -- I'm trying to combine thoughts
from a dozen different directions here, and I have neither the will nor
the cycles to write a dozen different responses. I've broken this
message into two parts -- one is what I hope to be seen as a reasonable
analysis of the landscape, the other a proposed model for moving
forward. If it's indeed believed that I'm an obstacle to progress as
David suggests, I'll gladly back out and shut up. But I've spent my last
25 years committed to the advocacy of open source (and before that, open
systems) and have a mesaurable track record of success, so I think my
POV has some merit. What I say here -- and indeed have said previously
-- are not the views of CLUE or any other organization, but those of
myself as a long-time participant in the support and advocacy of Linux
in Toronto.]


Hi Jane,
> When I first became interested in Open Source advocacy, I found out about
> CLUE, but CLUE seems to be involved mainly with the government and policy
> makers.
That's accurate. CLUE is not at all a user group.

> There really doesn't seem be a group or organization that's focused on the promotion of FOSS to the public in the GTA.
I think it's unfair to say that GTALUG hasn't been involved in advocacy
issues. TLUG people have distributed what by now must be tens of
thousands of CDs to the public, been active in attracting _positive_
media coverage, operated open houses in the Toronto Linux Centre (until
the landlord wanted to use the building as a location for movie shoots)
and was a cornerstone participant in the world's first-ever National
Installfest.

My point is that advocacy and promotion take many forms, and some forms
are far more effeicient than others given the community's limited
resources. And while it's quite legitimate to ask "what have you done
lately?", it's also important not to be ignorant of important work of
the past that illustrates GTALUG's traditional advocacy aims.

It's just that elaborate events things like those -- that attract people
to come to us, and have provably positive results -- take planning and
resources and infrastructure. Sure, anyone can stand at Yonge and Dundas
and hand out CDs with zero planning, and I'm sure there is a sense of
accomplishment in doing so and maybe even some good responses. But there
you're on the level with the Jehovahs Witnesses across the street. Lots
of people take the copies of Watchtower offered to them for free, but
that doesn't mean they'll convert. Torontonians are a generally polite
bunch, they'll tell you they're interested and then go looking for the
nearest trash bin. And, pardon me for the ambition, but I would like to
see the use of open source to be more commonplace than the practise of JW.

In addition -- like it or not -- the activity _did_ achieve negative
publicity, in a media outlet read by tens of thousands of people who
themselves have real influence over what people put on their PCs.
Amongst all the gnashing of teeth in this mailing list about bad
journalism, has anyone written a letter to the editor in response? There
should have been an immediate answer; with the right connections (which
we have) the rebuttal would have achieved equal exposure to the original
slur.

I believe that it is important for FOSS advocates to keep in mind that
there are elaborate and well-financed efforts to destroy and demean what
we do. Many of their previous tactics have failed, but their resources
are deep and the will of FOSS's opponents are possibly as strong as
those of its advocates. It must be anticipated that strangers will
eavedrop, that activities will be scrutinized, and that opportunities to
nillify the benefits of our efforts will be taken just as we seek to
counter a Windows publicity stunt with a Linux counter-stunt.

My personal frustration at seeing ubuntu-toronto and TLUG moving
independently in parallel is because I really think both could -- and
should -- benefit from each other.

In GTALUG you have a dedicated bunch that have a proven track record of
putting on successful events, and an infrastructure able to execute and
begging for something to do. Its people have been around long enough to
have a sense of what works and what doesn't. Heck it even has some
financial resources to back projects and an established reputation for
advocacy. However, many of its core people have been around for a very
long time, there is a definite wane in imagination, and it is critically
in need of new blood.

In Ubuntu Toronto I see that same passion  and enthusiasm that drove
many of the GTALUG pioneers when they first got involved. I see the
phenomenal potential to inject new ideas and new passion into the
greater community. However, I also see that this group, in its current
isolation has no sense of history, and seems inclined to impulsive,
low-effort activities of dubious effectiveness.

(Now, having said that, measuring effectiveness depends on the goals. If
the goal of the Yonge & Dundas event was to get peer recognition, it was
indeed a success. But peer recognition was never what I understood its
goals to be.)

There are SO MANY things that need doing that could offer big payouts
related to the promotion of FOSS in Toronto:

- A web portal at which the interested and the curious can see case
studies of Toronto businesses and public agencies that use open source
solutions (especially those involving migrations from Windows)

- A business directory of Toronto-based FOSS-centric vendors and service
providers

- Liaison, communications and collaboration with IT/CS departments in
the GTA's four universities and six community colleges

- Advocacy within the GTA's city and regional governments as well as its
school boards

- Working with local PC makers to encourage the optional
pre-installation of Linux (this involves both advocacy and support)

- Support for people trying to advocate FOSS within their organizations
(such as the Scarborough high school teacher who got his Linux lab
closed down by the principal)

- Awareness and liaison with the area media's technology reporters, and
a knowledge of who's fair, who's positive and who's out to bash us

- A chronicle of local open source activities and projects

Any one of these activities could have a significant impact on the local
acceptance of FOSS. But they take planning and ongoing committment, the
antithesis of the spur-of-the-moment event at Yonge & Dundas. They take
the COMBINATION of youthful energy and experience-based wisdom that I
presently see moving in parallel and out of touch with each other. This
is truly an example in which the whole has the potential to be greater
than the sum of the parts.

If you look at the _goals_ of Ubuntu Toronto and GTALUG you'll find
staggering amounts of common purpose. The styles and tactics are
different, but the actual objectives are nearly identical. (Of course,
the Ubuntu group wants to promote Ubuntu, but it's hard to get buy-in
for any specific distribution if the target is hostile to Linux.) My own
frustrations have been with the lack of awareness of how much each group
can benefit from working with the other. The young 'uns can benefit from
the wisdom and resources of the local establishment, and the old farts
can certainly benefit from the occasional kick in the pants to be more
active.

How to do this? The first step, as many people have said here, is
communications. Perhaps, had TLUG been advised of the Yonge & Dundas
event, it might have been even better. Certainly someone with some
experience might have pointed out that you need a permit to do something
like inflate a big Tux in a public square. Or maybe someone would have
had access to slick pamphlets, or been able to print up buttons, etc.
etc. Instead, the first I'd heard about the event was from the CRN
article, which was hardly flattering. Folks said they needed to act
fast, and didn't have time to alert the rest of us -- is that really the
kind of planning an event like this deserves?

I'm absolutely delighted to see so many people interested in Software
Freedom Day. In past years they've had events in Montréal to commemorate
it and I'd love to see it spread. Indeed, between CLUE and GTALUG, there
might even be some money available.

In the meantime, I have a suggestion for a model -- that has worked
extremely well for a variety of groups within the realm of IT and
outside -- that I believe may help the community move forward together
while recognizing a diversity of interests and approaches. More on that
in part two of this message.

- Evan

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