[CREATE] [LGF] A name !

[Femke Snelting]

Hello :-)

Combing through this thread, and after some intense discussions with
Louis Desjardins, Pierre Marchand and others here in Brussels, I propose:

*Libre Graphics Association* [LGA]

In parallel, let's keep inventing slogans. It is a way to propose, 
discuss, play, re-phrase what Libre Graphics mean to us. But we should 
by all means avoid getting locked into a definition debate.

Re-reading Dave Neary's original description of LGM 
http://dneary.free.fr/lgm06/ is one way to understand why sticking to 
Libre Graphics is more than the easy way out.

Some more arguments:

*Libre*
- The only hard criteria for projects that we like to bring together, is 
  that they contribute to a Free, Libre and Open Source ecology. The 
name  of our organisation should refer to what sets us apart from 
proprietary tools
- Needing to explain what Libre means, is a feature
- The non-English "Libre" hints at international in a non-jetset way

*Graphics*
- "Graphics" can both refer to technology (colormanagement, curves, ...) 
and to form (illustration, type, ...)
- It is a unobtrusive way to name a common interest of designers,
artist and designers
- It acts as a point of reference rather than a definition

Not having the libregraphics.org domain is annoying but not a reason to 
change the kind of organisation we need. The part of the name that 
matters to me most:

*Association*
- The Libre Graphics community is a network.

We should not want a Foundation.

The work of the Libre Graphics community brings together very different
goals, ideas, flavors, methods and perspectives. The energy buzz of LGM 
is about seeing work that none of us could have imagined on our own. At 
LGM we discuss standards and workflows for example. Not because we want 
to constrain creativity, but because we want to participate in 
interesting interfaces between developers, artists and devsigners.

Now LGM is growing away from an informal network, we cannot avoid 
imagining some form of organisation that supports Libre Graphics or the 
Libre Graphics Meeting long term. But however it plays out, we need to 
take care of the diversity that drives this community.

A foundation exists to define and converge; an association can support a 
network. I think it is a mistake to use this term for Libre Graphics, 
even (or even more so) the organisation is legally set up as an association.

More about what that will mean is for the "whatever" thread!


Femke


P.S.: Sorry to not have participated in the BoF Camille organised. I 
would like to contribute to the "development" of an organisation that 
supports Libre Graphics and will get back to that once the 
practicalities of this LGM 2010 have been dealt with. Promise!