Date: Mon, 24 Aug 1998 16:17:11 -0400 (EDT)
From: Clemmitt Sigler <siglercm@alphamb2.phys.vt.edu>
To: Piotr Mitros <pmitros@MIT.EDU>
Subject: E-mail exchange with Michael McLagan.
Message-Id: <Pine.OSF.4.02.9808241606010.8620-100000@alphamb2.phys.vt.edu>
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Hi Piotr,

I've read your LSA web page and I've had an e-mail exchange with Michael
McLagan.  I think it may be of interest to you.  I tried my damnedest to
hold my tounge and be civil, constructive, and generally helpful.  But
it seems to me that I got repaid for my efforts with a bunch of attitude.
I'm not liking that at all :^(

Two points that were made:

1.) McLagan consulted no one in the developer or distribution community
before announcing the LSA.  He put up an LSA web site and people from
various places visited it before the public announcement (and he'll
supply the web server logs to prove it).  Therefore, he considered
those organizations notified.  He exerted no effort whatsoever in
soliciting input, concensus, or even acknowledgement of LSA before
he went to town.

2.) He consulted the trademark lawyer who fought against Della Croce
for the Linux (R) mark before he publicly declared the Linux (R) mark
invalid.  He may be right, it may now be common usage and/or unpoliced
and therefore invalid, but I pointed out to him that he would have to
go to court to fight to prove himself right.  The ball is in his
court on this issue.  However, he may try to trademark "Standard Linux,"
which is bad because the community may have to try to marshall another
huge (and generally pro bono) effort to prove that mark is invalid,
or at the very least should be owned by Linus :^)

I don't know where this guy is coming from, I tried to help him out
with some suggestions I find helpful in my public dealings, but he's
just not terribly receptive.  I sure hope this does turn out to be
the best 'net hoax in a long time, because admitting I've been royally
fooled is a much less painful alternative to having LSA enlist alot
of big-boy players to "standardize" Linux into oblivion.

FWIW, just my $0.02 worth.  E-mail to follow is synopsis of my and
McLagan's e-mail exchange.  Feel free to contact me for anything.

					Clemmitt Sigler