Fwd: [Board] update out of date items on faq?

[Frank Warmerdam]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Frank Warmerdam <warmerdam at pobox.com>
Date: Fri, Jun 3, 2011 at 11:08 AM
Subject: Re: [Board] update out of date items on faq?
To: Eli Adam <eadam at co.lincoln.or.us>


On Fri, Jun 3, 2011 at 2:35 AM, Eli Adam <eadam at co.lincoln.or.us> wrote:
> "What are the detailed rules of governance of the foundation?
>    The foundation's governance model is still being developed, but it is expected that the foundation will emulate certain features of the governance models employed by other successful open source projects such as Apache. Individual foundation projects are expected to be governed by their own Project Steering Committees (PSCs), which will be appointed by the foundation's Board of Directors."

Eli,

In some ways, it is still fair to say things are being developed, but
we have in
fact mostly settled into a pattern so we should revise this to reflect it.  I
propose:

What are the detailed rules of governance of the OSGeo?

OSGeo is governed by a board of directors elected by the charter
members.  The board selects a President, Treasurer and Secretary as
officers with particular areas of responsibility.  Projects are
operated by Project Steering Committees which select a chair or board
liaison who is designated an officer of OSGeo after confirmation by
the board.  The board also designates some special purpose committees
responsible for particular areas with a chair who is an officer.
Typical committees and projects operate fairly autonomously and
largely by consensus.   However, as needed, the board can step in
address issues inconsistent with the goals and responsibilities of
OSGeo.  By virtue of their selection of the board, the charter
membership are the ultimate authority at OSGeo.

> "Can my project operate as a benevolent dictatorship?
>    Detailed requirements for project administration have not yet been worked out, but it is anticipated that rules somewhat related to those for Apache will be followed. Projects should have a Project Steering Committee responsible for technical decisions and these committees should operate openly and with a consensus based approach. A benevolent dictatorship is not likely to be considered suitably open and consensus based."

I would alter this to:

Can my project operate as a benevolent dictatorship?

OSGeo projects are typically governed by a Project Steering Committee.  The
PSC should operate openly and with a consensus based approach.  While the
PSC may delegate specific responsibilities to particular project members it is
ultimately intended to be the governing body for the project.  A benevolent
dictatorship is not considered a suitable open and consensus based approach
to governance.

--

Any objections from anyone to these updates to the FAQ?  If not I'll apply them
(possibly after a bit more fine editing) in the next few days.

Best regards,
--
---------------------------------------+--------------------------------------
I set the clouds in motion - turn up   | Frank Warmerdam, warmerdam at pobox.com
light and sound - activate the windows | http://pobox.com/~warmerdam
and watch the world go round - Rush    | Geospatial Programmer for Rent



-- 
---------------------------------------+--------------------------------------
I set the clouds in motion - turn up   | Frank Warmerdam, warmerdam at pobox.com
light and sound - activate the windows | http://pobox.com/~warmerdam
and watch the world go round - Rush    | Geospatial Programmer for Rent