At 09:04 on Mon, 12 Jul 2004, R.F.Jarvis R.F.Jarvis wrote:
TO ALL ADMINISTRATORS AND INFLUENTIAL USERS
Do you think it is possible for you all to agree and define the AIM of ALUG and the PURPOSE of the aim. (best defined by answering, in order to...) So everyone, especially new and un-knowledgable subscribers,(like me) will know where you are going and why you want to go there. Then you will know what needs to be done to achieve the aim. Just as important,you will know when you have arrived. Microsoft had a clear aim and purpose. It did not have the best product.
Being neither an ADMINISTRATOR or INFLUENTIAL USER I feel I am well qualified to answer this :o)
As far as I'm aware, someone correct me if I'm wrong, in theory all LUGs are (deliberately?) an unstructured leaderless bunch of people who communicate with each other because they share a mutual interest in GNU/Linux and FOSS.
So on this basis there are no administrators as such (I reserve judgement on the term INFLUENTIAL USER :o) ). There are, however, a small bunch of people who (God bless them) can be bothered to get off their arses and organise things like meetings, this mailing list, the website, the library, etc, etc. I don't need to name them, we know who they are and we all should be extremely grateful that they are prepared to donate their valuable time to enable this group to exist.
They aren't elected. They do it either because it pleases them to do so and/or they perceive a need and they are motivated to fulfil that need.
So, on that basis the group has no purpose or aim, like all the most meaningful of human activities it exists because people find it rewarding to participate in its activities. When they no longer do so, it'll cease to exist.
Sometimes the most interesting journeys in life are those where you are not sure of the destination.
Regards, Keith -------------- Questions just avoid the real answer, which we know already. - Zen saying