[plug] Society of Linux Professionals (WA) Inaugural Meeting

[Leon Brooks]

On Fri, 28 Jun 2002 13:11, Bret Busby wrote:
> On Fri, 28 Jun 2002, Colin Muller wrote:
> a
> group of people in a dark smoke filled room, sitting around a table with
> the only light above the middle of the table

Well... that's a pretty good description of our inaugural meeting place. At 
least I _hope_ it is, roaring fires are good medicine these days.

> "And, who shall we admit,
> and, who shall we exclude...who do we like and who do we dislike". It
> appears to exclude new members who are not known to existing members. And,
> given the requirement for new members to be nominated by two existing
> members, and thence for new membership nominations to be vetted and
> determined by only the committee members, it appears to me that the
> organisation can never get off the gropund, as no committee members will
> exist, to determine any applications for new members, from which the
> committee can be selected, unless it has already been secretly done...

It will be openly done on the day.

> I also note that the organisation appears to exclude interested people who
> are not currently working as Linux professionals, and thus appears to
> exclude new blood, and to not encourage interested people (students, etc),
> for either membership,

Well... yes, I would hope that was the case.

>  or, working as Linux professionals.

Eh? So what do people do _now_? (-:

And... feel free to start your own non-exclusive professional society. This is 
not like a union or anything, there's no compulsory membership or `no ticket 
no start' sites, and I hope there never will be.

> From my experience, it is usual for an inaugural meeting to be held, then,
> suggestions for a charter, or set of rules, and so on, to be discussed, so
> that the organisation is not created before it has members.

Ah, well, we seem to be trying something different these days. (-:

Tongue out of cheek, there are a number of things that have to be done _now_ 
or sooner, so `we' really haven't done more dickering than appeared 
necessary, and these rules have been discussed and basically agreed to by 
dozens if not scores of Linux more-or-less-Professionals.

> Whilst the idea of a society of Linux professionals is a good idea, I
> believe that this proposal is too exclusive, and, its direction and
> membership appear to have been decided before the first
> (official) meeting. It all sounds too covert.

That's what you get for not having joined the SLPWA list when it was 
advertised here. Mea culpa.

Cheers; Leon