See my message and invitation to Richard Stallman below followed by his reply after that. (I'm more than happy to pay for Stallman's food/drinks, etc. myself but would accept donations.) So here's the big thing: Stallman isn't saying that he won't meet with us under other conditions, but he is saying that *promises* to meet with us only if we change the name of TCLUG to Twin Cities GNU/Linux User Group (TCGLUG?). He wants the GNU in there! What do you all think of that? For me, to add GNU/ to the name of the group is very appealing in every way except for one -- it is work. I would happily do some of the work. You can read more about Stallman's ideas here: http://www.gnu.org/gnu/why-gnu-linux.html There's more good stuff if you follow links on that page, specifically: http://www.gnu.org/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html http://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html http://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-users-never-heard-of-gnu.html So let's discuss this idea and see where it leads. Mike -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 2 Oct 2008 19:58:42 -0500 (CDT) From: Mike Miller <mbmiller at taxa.epi.umn.edu> To: Richard Stallman <rms at gnu.org> Subject: TCLUG wants to meet you Hello Richard-- I am writing because I learned recently that you will be in town to give a talk on the U Minnesota campus on October 21. We have a Twin Cities Linux Users Group (TCLUG) with an email list where we enjoy many discussions about software licensing, GNU applications, Richard Stallman and so on. Many of us in TCLUG are very eager to hear from you. It will be the best night of the year for us. After your talk we will get together at a nearby brewpub that also serves soft drinks and some decent food. It would be a great thrill for all of us if you could join us there. You probably have a full schedule already, but if there is any time during your visit to the Twin Cities when you can hang out with our people, maybe for a meal, we would enjoy it greatly and we would pay for all of your food/drinks and would transport you to/from your hotel, or wherever. Anyway, just wanted you to know that you are very welcome here and we look forward to seeing you. Best, Mike P.S. You told me a few years ago that I should dump Pine because of its license, and partly because of your advice, I am now using Alpine, which has a GPL-compatible license. -- Michael B. Miller, Ph.D. http://taxa.epi.umn.edu/~mbmiller/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 03 Oct 2008 12:44:56 -0400 From: Richard M. Stallman <rms at gnu.org> To: Mike Miller <mbmiller at taxa.epi.umn.edu> Subject: Re: TCLUG wants to meet you There's only one thing that would prevent me from joining you: the name of your group. Calling it a "Linux User Group" means, in effect, calling the GNU system "Linux". That gives the credit for our work to someone that came later, did less--and rejects our ideals of freedom! It's clear that you and others in the group are warmly disposed towards me. At the same time, you're treating me rather badly (without realizing it). It's a delicate situation. I would like to respond to the warmth, but I can't overlook the harm. Would you please change the name and become a GNU/Linux User Group?