[OSGeo-Discuss] Renaming FOSS4G

[Hans Gregers Petersen]

Hi Jeff, all,

> Thanks Mori-san, I fully agree with you, there is no need to rename anything.  Instead, there is lots to do to continue promoting OSGeo and FOSS4G :)

I might have another perspective - seen from the (at least the Danish)
commercial side of things. When attending a conference, the value
would often be assessed by looking at the name of the conference.

Let us for instance say that the big fictive geospatial company,
"FTSJ", hosts an "FTSJ conference". You would attend if you are a
client of FTSJ.  Let us then say that FTSJ only has a byline in the:
"'The Fabulous Geo Conference' *cough cough* brought to you by FTSJ".
Then FTSJ is not the subject of the conference, but the host. People
using the competing products of InfoMap or even the free and open
alternative Minor GIS would be more likely to attend. Because it is
not an FTSJ-conference, it is a fabulous conference on geo!

I think that to (at least Danish) executives, and especially in public
admin, FOSS4G sounds better than the "annual conference of some
organization that I am not even a member of".
No one is in doubt that it is an OSGeo hosted conference, and even if
they were - only the blind and deaf would not see or hear that it is
during the conference itself.

Cheers,

Greg