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Lobby4Linux is now in stable, caring hands. The only thing I want each of you to know is that I am forever in your debt...if for only one simple thing....
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It is difficult to say good-bye, even if it is for a time. As many of you know, I have battled illness and effects of that illness for a year now. Those effects have taken their toll. The price has not been totally physical, as I am getting better, but in the financial and emotional realms. My family can no longer bear my prolonged absences, 3 AM phone calls and divided attentions. To be honest, my hospital stays and recovery periods have cost me my employment and I must gain employment soon. I want to give my deepest and most heart-felt thanks to those who have assisted My Family in this financially trying time. We are close to losing our home. If you are so able, I would greatly appreciate your help so that I can guide us through this turbulence. You may do so here.
In the two short years I have been a member of this family, I have learned much. It is a small number of these observations I wish to share with you. In doing so, I hope that we may clarify our direction, focus our efforts and renew our purpose. These may well be things we already know, but it is good to have them as a touchstone for those who need it.
We get lost in the daily battles many times and forget the long range goal. For me at least, that goal was to insure that your children and mine were able to access a computing system which offered them freedom on all levels. My deep involvement with DRM, Net Neutrality and Trusted Computing is testimony to the fact that anyone can lose sight of the end prize. These are nasty battles against this unholy trinity to be sure, but remembering they are only battles and not the war is difficult to do. Recent capitulation by the movie industry, allowing the burning of their DVD's is evidence that we are winning. http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/11/147221 It is important though to remember why we fight and who we are fighting for. Hopefully, we fight for children who will finally learn not to end their sentences in a preposition...see previous sentence.
If you want a clarified example of why ordinary people jump in their trucks and march to Washington DC, this should give it to you. It also clarifies who the pond scum is that we battle to maintain our freedoms.
Unfortunately, many of the battles we fight are amongst ourselves. This has not been lost on Microsoft. I have alluded to this in earlier blogs, but i will clarify it now so there is no misunderstanding. My sister married well...and divorced just as well...a Microsoft manager of some reputation. Between a less than friendly divorce and our "philosophical" differences, we have remained friends through the years. While never delivering me the much-sought program code for Windows, he did share with me several insights from that corporate perspective. One he mentioned often and did so with glee. Microsoft realizes that a house divided is a house defeated and they are simply waiting for us to eat the rest of our young. They whole-heartedly believe we will destroy ourselves. The powers that be at Microsoft honestly believe that Linux will collapse in a brawling heap, much like the cartoons of old where a huge dust cloud roils and every now and then a fist or a club or a body part emerges briefly from that cloud just to be pulled back in. They believe we will be our own end.
That cannot happen. Evolution and growth are painful. Let us hope ours is not destructive.
The Young among us: I have had the privilege of meeting two young men in particular that stand out in this community. You probably do not know them, as they are both 16-ish and not yet counted as "one of us." One lives here in the states and the other in Austrailia. They are persons of genius. If we do nothing else, let us encourage these young ones. They may seem brash at times and at others, possibly a bit unpolished in forum and mail list etiquette. That should not matter. What matters is that these may well be the next Linux and RMS among us. I am sure each of them has forgotten more about Python than I have learned. They are our treasure and if we are to prevail, or simply survive, it will be on the backs of these fresh, intellegent and passionate young ones. We need to do the right thing by them. Teach them when we can, learn from them when we have the opportunity, and encourage them always.
Ignore fud: I cannot tell you how many times I have been discouraged by the announced pending doom of Linux. MS seems to generate a good campaign about once every three months. As well, be careful of your influences. A good but misguided friend placed an article in another medium a short time ago, and within that article, suggested that I should just pack it in and live the life I have left with my family. I am with my family...and "the rest of my life" is not of known quantitative measure. These "family members" are too many to name but you know who you are. He likened my advocacy of Linux to one lone fool standing behind an iceberg, pushing with all his might. "Ken, trying to push it further is foolish. That iceberg is not going any faster by pushing."
"It might if you shut the hell up and help push."
Yeah Denny...you, and every other friend who thinks that this cause is futile, I would ask you to examine two things...your own goals and the guts of those you critisize. God Love You for your concern but you are wrong on this. There is Passion in this community...not a paycheck in most cases and damned little reward. For every ten people who recognize your acomplishments, there are tens of millions who will never hear of you. Millions will prosper by your fruits and think not one time of the genius who made it possible. We do not do this for aclaim or notice. We do this because it is a thing that needs to be done for those that follow us.
So, I have to step away for a bit. Matt at Bluehost.com has graciously accepted the responsibility of taking over Lobby4Linux and all the main characters will remain the same. Please see the main page of Lobby4Linux.com for the official announcement. Lobby4Linux is now in stable, caring hands. The only thing I want each of you to know is that I am forever in your debt...if for only one simple thing.
Thank you for helping me push.
Ken Starks - aka - helios
See ya soon
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