On Sat, August 24, 2013 15:08, Lev Lafayette wrote:
What will change is that LUV will not be an independent organisation. Our assets, such as they are, will be transferred to Linux Australia, in accordance to the Act governing Incorporated Associations in Victoria. Our income and expenditure will also be legally part of Linux Australia as well, although that body has indicated that there is some room for autonomy in those areas. At the very least, Linux events in Victoria that require funding could go directly to the national body, rather than to the state one which tends to have somewhat more meagre financial resources. An example would be the establishment of more regional chapters.
We will be part of a national organisation and will be able to have more direct input into country-wide affairs, including national policy, as they are related to Linux. Our administrative overhead, which it is admitted is not particularly onerous, should also decline. Plus, there are significant economies of scale and of network scope in being part of a larger group. One also hopes that we will see people who have hitherto been more involved in Linux Australia from Victoria, participating in activities of the Victorian subcommittee of LA.
In reality, strictly speaking, all of the above will be untrue, if LUV is dis-incorporated there will be NO LUV. It will not be possible to have any reference to LUV in the future. There will be no LUV to "not be an independent organisation", or to "be part of a national organisation". There will be nothing to "own anything", hence any reference to "our something", eg: our administrative overhead, or "us" as such, "having more say in Country affairs", will be impossible. There will be no LUV to be a Member of. There will be a branch of LA (/subcommittee) whose role will be to continue some of the activities currently carried out by LUV in the short term at least, and deal with VIC specific issues when they arise "on behalf of LA". While the newly formed "subcommittee" may notionally have a sense of "us" at the beginning, this will most likely disappear later on, because they will not exist as an entity. In terms of having a more direct input into country-wide affairs, nothing really changes. All Members of LUV are entitled to be Members of LA and will be able to remain so. LUV's existence does not reduce their input on national affairs. The same applies to LA Members from Victoria participating more in VIC activities (... in fact its the participation of a LA Member from VIC that has started this current discussion in the first place!! ) .. What determines their participation is their ability to do so given their other commitments in their lives. That will not change.
Still, if this does mean the end of LUV, Inc. we can certainly be very proud of what has been achieved under our name in the past twenty years. LUV was there, from the very beginning of Linux, when a rag-tag team of wild-eyed volunteer coders declared that they could take on the massive, multi-billion dollar proprietary operating systems, by opening the code to all, by making it free to modify and to distribute, and produce something that was technically superior by any meaningful metric. That was truly revolutionary.
LUV, Inc.? You're a superstar.
I love this video!! ... if only there was TUX featuring in it instead of the bunny!! Cheers Daniel