[LUAU] s/hosef.ics.hawaii.edu/mirrors.hosef.org/g

[Robert Green]

Against my better judgment, I’m adding my 2 cents to this on the open
list. Like Vince, I think it probably belongs off the list, but when I
get 40-odd messages over the course of a day or two, and it is
primarily from one or two people, I feel like folks feel that
“everyone” agrees with one point of view, i.e. that their silence is a
tacit agreement. As someone who has been around since the pre-HOSEF
days (even if mostly as a lurker), I think that it is important that
more than just two or 3 people weigh in on this identity issue.

First off, I hope nobody will take anything here as a personal attack,
as it is not meant to be. 

It appears to me that this argument is largely a matter of semantics,
but I find it ironic that Jim spends a whole paragraph dissecting the
various meanings of the “free” in “free software” and yet stands by the
sweeping generalization:

"LUAU = HOSEF; HOSEF = LUAU"

While I understand Jim’s idea that they are largely overlapping and
composed of many of the same people, the LUAU == HOSEF is a gross
oversimplification. 

In my opinion, this is simply not the case; in spite of the fact that
many of the people in one group are in the other, they are not the
same. 

LUAU is a Linux / *nix User Group, albeit only a virtual one nowadays.

HOSEF is a non-profit org with a  “
mission is to promote and sustain
the use of Open Source Software through advocacy, outreach, support,
and the recycling of donated computer eWaste from the general public.”

Even if both groups were entirely composed of the exact same members
(which they are not) and nobody had any personality conflicts (which we
know is not true), we are still left with two distinct purposes, and
therefore two distinct groups, in spite of the overlap. While it is
nice the HOSEF has shouldered the responsibility of providing services
to host the LUAU list for the past several years, it does not follow
that suddenly the two groups are now the same. 

Generally, I don’t think it makes any real difference in practice, but
when saying something like “HOSEF == LUAU” starts causing list-flames
and threatened (real?) unsubscribes over semantics, I think it is an
opinion that is best left for coffee shop debates or off-list
discussions. 

My opinion is that the LUAU list should remain accessible to all, and
it seems that by making it implicitly identified with HOSEF, it seems
that it is threatening to some people who disagree with HOSEF or its
principal (for whatever reason). 

Like Vince, responses are preferred via private mail.

Thanks,

Rob

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