Re: [Fsfe-uk] AFFS strategy (Was: Beyond bitching...)

[Alex Hudson]

On Wed, 2005-06-29 at 18:12 +0100, Graham Seaman wrote:
> I don't think so as things stand - I used the AFFS website to become a
> member, it's fairly explicit about that being the route to membership.
> If you have membership it has to be a choice, telling (for example) a
> fanatically purist BSD supporter that (s)he is a member of a pro-FSF
> organisation, like it or not, is not going to work well..

Yeah, we certainly aren't interested in co-opting people to be
members :) 

Also, I would say although the AFFS is an associate of the FSFE - and
hence, obviously, pro-FSF :) - I would hope BSD supporters could find a
home with AFFS too. As an example, one of the problems with the Govt.
"open source" policy is that it doesn't seem to recognise licences like
the BSD licence. I'm guessing it's probably not a natural home, though,
but I guess that would depend on whether or not a "purist BSD" supporter
would recognise the GPL as a free software licence; I know some don't.

> That doesn't sound a viable route to me, so I hope it isn't what Alex is
> saying!

No, it wasn't quite :) To be honest, I think if anything current
committee should have *less* view on how AFFS should be structured ;)

> But as an element of the whole it's fine - a grassroots organisation can
> still have the formal institutionalised side for the times when it needs
> to talk to governments (I know one very grassroots style organisation
> which is formally registered as an NGO so it can be accredited at things
> like WIPO meetings, for example).

I think I agree - I think there has to be a balance. 

Cheers,

Alex.