[CREATE] [LGF] Get a status : association, foundation ...

[Gregory Pittman]

On 06/05/2010 08:55 AM, a.l.e wrote:
> salut camille,
>
>    
>> Another thing is disturbing for me (with Hin-Tak Leung intervention):
>> what can we do for peoples in Asia, Oceania or Africa ?
>>      
> shouldn't we ask the question the other way round?
>
> what do they want us to do for (or even better with) them?
>
> they certainly want an LGM... let's see if we can make it become reality!
>    
I think there are some practical considerations re: this proposal to 
have next year's LGM in Viet Nam.

1. The largest overriding issue is how many who have previous attended 
LGM will make this trip to southeast Asia? For me and probably most, 
this is a big trip to plan, a very long way to go, and I have to say I 
am unlikely to make such a trip just on its face value (and for me, it's 
not about the expense). If few of the usual attendees go to LGM 2011, it 
would be not only of little value to the stated purpose, but also takes 
some of the steam out of the momentum that LGM has developed since its 
inception.

2. Is this idea that "there are many programmers in Viet Nam, and we 
could use their skills" one which makes practical sense? There are 
programmers all round the world these days. It might make more sense 
from that point of view to consider India, as Kaveh proposed last year. 
Speaking for the Scribus project, we have actually had real, tangible 
interest from some computer science students in India, and have already 
had some completed work added to Scribus. I think it's naive to suggest 
that LGM going to Viet Nam is suddenly going to launch a major influx of 
programmers from that country. It would be more sensible I think to 
attempt to make connections over the internet in various ways, in a 
sense waiting to see what interest there is. If and when we have 
developed a substantial interest from that part of the world, that would 
be the time to consider a southeast Asian LGM, but maybe not necessarily 
in Viet Nam.

3. It may not be by accident that the ad hoc pattern of LGMs has been 
followed by greater interest and quality of the meetings, where one year 
the meeting is in Montreal, and the next in Europe (or elsewhere). There 
is a certain stability that comes from having a "home base" like 
Montreal, where most can fairly easily get there and know what to expect.

Sorry to be a fly in the ointment, but I have to believe there are 
others who may share these views.

Greg