Naming and Purpose
From FSFCanada
As this is still a fresh idea, there are many possible paths we can follow, on this page we collect ideas and visions about these paths.
[edit] General Discussion
Free Software Forum Canada
The idea behind this forum would be not to create another foundation or charity that helps projects with funding and legal issues, but instead to form a place where already active organizations meet and coordinate their efforts.
There already are a number of organizations involved in the Free Software and/or Open Content movement in Canada, so why not create an organization/body that aims at combining the energy that already exists and using it to create more, by having a greater presence. Something very remarkable about the Free Software movement is the endless diversity of ideas, views and opinions. Of course, it brings with it great danger as we tend to argue about little things such as which text-editor is the best or which window-manager to use, which sometimes bring us off course. But we all agree on the very foundations all of our favorite programs or tools are build upon. So the idea is, to create an institution that takes those very foundations and pushes those, in the public sphere as well as with the government. It could be made up of representatives of various organizations and people not involved yet, that raise awareness or take actions in areas where we all agree.
Rebuttal to Free Software Forum Canada
FSF-C would benefit from being more similar to the FSF in the following ways:
- Free Software advocates in Canada know what to expect from a foundation that is modeled after the FSF.
- The FSF-C would command a greater interest because it has the FSF name.
- Being a registered charity would be more tax-friendly to Canadians who want to support the FSF-C.
Of course the FSF-C shouldn't be exactly like the FSF; the FSF-C needs to be much more aware of the Free Software issues affecting Canadians than the FSF is.
The FSF-C should promote all Free Software, and not just a subset of some agreed upon platforms or foundations. However it would make a lot of sense to promote the GNU project.
Re-Rebuttal
reg. point on FSFC modeled after FSF :
if it is basically a FSF, than it might be better to work towards creating a Canadian chapter of the FSF rather than creating a new organization with new bureaucracy making it more difficult to get things done
reg. point about Name :
Free Software Forum Canada does carry the same a acronym which clearly sates the alignment and the difference in name only symbolizes a slightly different approach
reg. point about registered charity:
does being a forum make it impossible to be a charity ?
reg. should promote all free software not subset:
this was the whole point about the forum part, to not minimize the scope due to differences in licenses or details in the philosophy but going for the things we all agree on
[edit] Possible Names
- Free Software Foundation Canada
- Free Software Forum Canada
