System Unions? was (I got a bad feeling about this Chewie.)

[keith smith]

I apologize for not being clearer in my reference to unions.  I am not advocating forming a union.  I was using the unions as an example of a unified front that creates a force to be reckoned with.

We need to galvanize and come together.

I said in a prior post that we should boycott suse.  For some this may create some initial pain however that pain is minuscule comp aired to M$ being able to create a Linux they control and becomes some kind of standard.  Or M$ having tools you have to buy to make certain things work.  

We have power if we come together.  We make purchasing decisions on a regular basis and some influence corporate purchasing.



Judd Pickell <pickell at gmail.com> wrote: Figured I should start a new thread since this topic actually has a topic of it's own.

Unions have their place in our workforces. However, Unions are managed and afforded based on the dues that the union workers pay, which is also based on what their salary is supposed to be. Do we really want to be giving our money over to someone else because we choose to work or develop something in our spare time?  

While there is certainly money to be made out there, the majority of people working on a free software application are not doing it for monetary return. Or atleast not originally.. :) Hence why it is deemed free to begin with.  

On another level, how do you unionize a community? Would such membership free-float between projects? Does a specific union pledge authorize you to contribute more than others? How do you handle collecting payments, and by what id do you have to have to show you are in a union already? If you work on multiple free projects do you have to repay the dues for each? etc.. Not to mention trying to enforce something around the world. I hope you don't take my questions to be mean, they are just some thoughts that popped up the first second I saw the word Union. 

I don't hate the ideas of unions, but I do believe they have their place, and I am not sure how they could be applied to our situation.

Sincerely,
Judd Pickell

On 3/23/07,  keith smith <klsmith2020 at yahoo.com> wrote: This is something I watch everyday at every level.

I did not grow up with unions and never really gave them much thought until recently.

The concept is golden!  Unity in numbers.  Unfortunately almost everyone I rub shoulders with will not take the time to solitify their strength through a unified front. 

Things are not going in the right direction on many levels.  This is one area of concern.

What would happen if the free software /  open source community boycotted Suse?  And did it with a great noise?

 


Kurt Granroth <plug-discuss at granroth.org> wrote: <snip>
I think, too, that a lot of Linux people are too pragmatic.  They see
openSUSE as the best Linux distro out there now (Ubuntu is gaining
rapidly but they are still a year or two away, IMO) and aren't going  to
switch based on the potential of some nebulous future problems.
<snip>

Keith Smith 
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