[OSGeo-Discuss] Open Source Users Charter

[Steven Feldman]

A couple of months back I asked whether their was any contribution guidance that we offered to organisations using OSGeo software. Apart from Jody’s reply there wasn’t any response. I think we are missing an opportunity to encourage and help user organisations to contribute time and/or funding to OSGeo and it’s projects, so I have written this blog post http://knowwhereconsulting.co.uk/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-free-lunch/ which sets out some thoughts on "Good practice for organisations using OSGeo software”. Hopefully it will prompt some discussion.
I have posted on my blog as I didn’t feel that I should post something as speculative as this on the wiki without community endorsement, whenever people want we can move a version to the wiki. Feel free to comment on this mail thread or on the blog.
____________
Steven Feldman


On 5 May 2014, at 04:57, Jody Garnett <jody.garnett at gmail.com> wrote:

> You may like to at what Arnulf has been doing towards certification. Endorsing is a trickery game indeed. 
> 
> For GeoServer we simply list organizations, noting what kind of work each is known for ( but not offering an endorsement). 
> 
> http://geoserver.org/display/GEOS/Commercial+Support
> 
> On Sunday, May 4, 2014, Steven Feldman <shfeldman at gmail.com> wrote:
> Thanks Jody
> 
> I would like to have a document or web link to point at as the start of a conversation with an organisation. It can’t be mandatory but we might want to consider community endorsement of organisations which adopt the charter or 'social contract'
> 
> I’ll start a wiki page with a few thoughts and open it up for others to contribute their views
> ______
> Steven
> 
> 
> On 2 May 2014, at 12:14, Jody Garnett <jody.garnett at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
>> I think you are leaning towards the "social contract" associated with being part of a community.
>> 
>> For organisations that do not wish to participate, that is fine. Participation is one way of minimising the risks associated with the use of open source software, as long as they are making that decision with a decent understanding that is fine.
>> 
>> The way I figure it they will get burned a few times before taking interesting in participation :) But yeah if you are talking to managers speak in terms of risk and change control, not community/participation - know your audience.
>> 
>> I think I had a rant about the social contact last year, it produced one more tester of GeoServer - making the process of issuing release candidates suspect.
>> -- 
>> Jody Garnett
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Jody Garnett
> 

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