[haiku] Re: Haiku User Groups
- From: John Melesky <list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: haiku@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2010 11:31:20 -0700
On 2010-04-20, at 6:31 PM, Jorge G. Mare wrote:
> Alexey Veselovsky wrote:
>> I think there will some problems with domain names.
>> For example there are:
>> http://mskhug.ru/
>> http://spbhug.folding-maps.org/wiki
>>
>> So, haiku users in Moscow and Saint Petersburg (Russia) can't use this
>> domain names.
>
> Although there is no defined domain name pattern for Haiku user groups domain
> names yet. Eventually, to avoid any potential conflicts with domain names
> between the two projects, we could probably come up with and recommend a name
> pattern that does not overlap.
I've only been following this list since the alpha1 release, and i'll admit
that much of this conversation is confusing me. Are we actually considering
dictating to user groups what they should be called and what domains they
should use?
I understand the need for consistency in how trademarked material is handled.
But i don't see how that extends to creating an approved look and feel to
ensure consistency between user group websites.
Should we ensure they have the same meeting schedules and talk topics, as well?
Maybe i'm thinking of user groups differently. I'm looking at it from the
perspective of someone who has been involved in user groups for Linux, Python,
FreeBSD, Perl, Ruby, and a handful of other programming languages and
technologies. In all of those communities, there is little formalism, and great
diversity in user groups, from interests to websites to group names.
Compare a few Python user group websites:
http://chipy.org/
http://pyatl.org/
http://baypiggies.net/
Completely different page designs, different url patterns. Python keeps a list
of user groups on its main site, alongside some help at starting a new group
(http://wiki.python.org/moin/LocalUserGroups).
Perl's another interesting example. In one sense, they're more centralized:
user groups are called "Perl Mongers", all are offered (mail, web, and DNS)
hosting services from http://www.pm.org/. But, again, if you look at a few
individual group sites:
http://ny.pm.org/
http://chicago.pm.org/
http://pdx.pm.org/kwiki/
It's clear that they all have different interests and designs.
This model (offering support and advice centrally, but ultimately letting the
groups do their own thing) seems to work well. It's certainly not the only way
of doing things, and if we want to make things more regimented in the Haiku,
then so be it. I just want to know why we're going about things a different way.
-john
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