[SLUG] Library display, a gathering and a push forward

[john at johnallsopp.co.uk]

> I'm wondering whether to drop the 'open source' bit:
>
> Scarborough Linux User Group - Free software for everyone
>
> thoughts?
>
> ===================
>
> "Free software" within an Open Source context is an ambiguous term and
> one which may initially be a good headline grabber but will foster a
> misunderstanding of FOSS for newcomers. If the word "Free" is to be
> used
> then should it not be in its commonly acceptable string "Free/Open
> Source Software" therefore the tag line will be either:
>
> Scarborough Linux User Group - Free/Open Source software for everyone
>
> Scarborough Linux User Group - Open Source software for everyone

Well, that was Al's original suggestion, I'm just wriggling on the
hook for a while to see if we can improve on it. Maybe I shouldn't be.
Is 'Free/Open Source Software' just a given?

Where I was coming from is that perhaps 0.1% of the 'ordinary' people
wandering along to renew their library books are likely to have even
the beginnings of an inkling of what 'open source' even relates to,
never mind knowing what it means, or what its implications are.

'Free' software, of course, has the downside connotation of 'free
beer', but in the most part it is free of charge, so there's no real
problem is there? And if it attracts people to try Linux, so much the
better.

Of course, our handouts would explain 'free as in freedom' too.

So I suppose my argument is that anyone who knows anything about Linux
knows about 'open source', so Linux is, in a sense, shorthand for all
that. For those who don't know anything about anything, 'open source'
is just noise, more to read. It's getting in the way of getting our
message across at a glance.

So I still think "Scarborough Linux User Group - Free software for
everyone" attracts people and it's by no means untrue. It's fewer
words too, which is important for a snappy slogan.

Any other views?

Perhaps we shouldn't polarise, maybe the way forward is a different
slogan:

"Scarborough Linux User Group - Free your computer"
"Scarborough Linux User Group - the computing alternative"

? dunno, it's too early in the morning for creativity.

> ===================
>
>> Display content:
>> ----------------
>
>> The left hand panel will contain pockets with A5 or trifold leaflets
>> about various aspects of Linux, for instance, 'choosing a
>> distribution', or 'Linux for school and study'. What subjects need
>> to
>> be covered here? Let's decide subjects then share out the writing of
>> them.
>
> Maybe we should think about applications and about types of users. For
> instance, we could have handouts called
>
> "Linux for the small business"
> "Linux for music and musicians"
> "Linux for video"
> "Saving money with Linux"
> "Linux at the cutting edge"
>
> what else?
>
> ===================
>
> "Linux for games"
>
> Emulators are good, easy and appealing, ZSNES, MAME, GAMEBOY, ATARAI
> etc

"Free as in Freedom, the ethics of free software"

J