[JDEV] Jabber, the Name

[temas]

I feel this horribly distorts my points into a corporate view.
Jabber.Com made no progress on getting people to do mundane tasks, and
they have not yet made any progress on getting people to do mundane
tasks.  They are still carried out by by the people that have been
working on them since the beginning of Jabber.  I began my tasks long
before I was hired by Jabber.Com.  As is right now, at this very instant
nothing has changed in the process for new people to join and help in
these "mundane" tasks, not one bit, so how is the relaxing of a name
going to change anything?

Frankly, I don't think it will because corporations have to make money.
Writing publiically available documentation makes a company no money.
Having someone sit around and work on public documentation rather than a
manual to your software, or tech docs to your software just doesn't make
sense to me.  I'm sure this doesn't necessarily make sense coming from
someone that works for a company on only open source projects, but I
have helped jabber.com make money by going to corporations and doing
tech talks, and by advocating Jabber in general.

None of that are statements made regarding the specific use of the word
Jabber in a product or name, here are some of my personal thoughts on
the name issue:

How does the possiblity of getting hired by a company be affected by the
name (such as only Jabber.Com), I feel I would have just as much with
O'Reilly, or some company looking for a real sharp technical writer (how
many instant messaging startups are there out there right now?  I dunno
let me look in my inbox at some of the job solicitations).  The name
does not reflect that at all.

My thoughts on the issue overall are this (speaking from a purely not
jabber.com view).  The real issue here is who holds the Jabber
trademark, not how it is carried out.  I strongly, and I do mean
strongly feel that it should not be polluted in the way that Linux has.
Ponder this question:  "Do you have Linux?"  Now if I was asked this by
a person I didn't know would I think they mean linux th e OS, Red Hat
Linux, a VA Linux workstation, a VA Linux server, a Pocket Linux system?
What the heck do they want to know?!  The Linux trademark is very very
polluted now, what if I went out and made a killer win32 jabber client
and called it Linux Thang.  Everyone takes to calling it Linux and I get
millions upon millions of downloads, suddenly someone once again says
"Hey you got that new Linux yet?"  Oh man, is that a kernel or the new
release I just made of my client.  Dang I'm stuck.

Summarize, I do not think that companies or anyone should be able to
freely use the word Jabber like that.  What I do think should be
available is an easy to use process to receive a derivate certification
mark from the trademark holder, or some other derivate mark that then
fully gives me the right to use the word, phrase, symbol whatever for
the spreading of my work or ideas.  Jabber is something amazing, and it
really should be available to all and be allowed to easily spread and
become the de facto IM standard.  I really do _not_ want it to become
another word that has absolutely no meaning and solidarity, because that
doesn't let us achieve what we want.

--temas

On 15 May 2001 20:00:40 -0700, Flora Brunas wrote:
> --- temas <temas at box5.net> wrote:
> > I want to very very strongly restate what Peter
> > said.... The lack of
> > powerful transports and document ation is because of
> > people, not the
> > corporations, and suggesting otherwise is a bit
> > ludicrous in my opinion.
> > These are mundane tasks, and basically no one will
> > ever step up to the
> > plate.  I have, and even I feel it sucks.  I get
> > bored and lose interest
> > in them for a while, and eventually come back.
> 
> This shows my point, Temas.
> 
> People obviously aren't willing to do the mundane
> tasks.  Jabber.com comes along, and makes some
> progress on this, but still there are only 5 "core
> dudes" making progress in getting things out.  (your
> words)
> 
> If other corporations besides Jabber.com are allowed
> to get involved, they can put resources and money into
> this as well.  But other corporations are being told
> by Jabber.com not to mention Jabber in their company
> names, product names, domain names, etc, thus
> deflecting them away from Jabber and away from
> contributing to Jabber.
> 
> Also, I think more volunteer Jabber programmers & tech
> writers would get involved if there was the potential
> of several corporations possibly hiring them, not just
> Jabber.com.
> 
> If you want more than 5 core dudes, make Jabber OPEN
> for real!  
> 
> Flora
> 
> 
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