Choosing the Choosers

[Chip Taylor]

I have no problem with the MTSC "running things", along with community
advisors.  HOWEVER: 
  1. Who chooses the MTSC?
  2. What qualifies a person to be a member of the MTSC?
  3. What is the term of office?
  4. Is this a paid position (or envisioned to be one)?
  5. What is the process the MTSC will use to decide what the Foundation
does?
  6. No foundation can truly exist without a charter!

My 38 cents (American) worth.
Chip Taylor
Prepared Response, Inc.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: UMN MapServer Users List [mailto:MAPSERVER-USERS at LISTS.UMN.EDU] On
> Behalf Of Paul Ramsey
> Sent: Friday, December 16, 2005 3:06 PM
> To: MAPSERVER-USERS at LISTS.UMN.EDU
> Subject: [UMN_MAPSERVER-USERS] Choosing the Choosers
> 
> Mapserverers:
> 
> You may have noticed that things have been relatively quiet since the
> initial Mapserver Foundation open letter, and associated flurry of
> response.  One of the reasons is that the folks behind the open
> letter are a little shell shocked and trying to figure out how to
> move forward in a way that is both inclusive and not hopelessly
> inefficient.
> 
> The big question they are wrestling with is:  Who can make decisions
> on matters regarding the future of Mapserver?
> 
> It is not an easy problem, because among the questions that have to
> be answered are:
> 
> - Should Mapserver join a 'Foundation' at all?
> - If so, under what terms of membership?
> - If so, under what name?
> 
> I would put to you, the 'community at large' the proposition that
> Mapserver already has a good decision making body that has the
> interests of Mapserver at heart: the Mapserver Technical Steering
> Committee.  The MTSC can make the final decisions on all of the above
> questions quite capably providing they:
> 
> - Take the temperature of the overall community before making big
> decisions.
> - Hold their discussions in an open forum so all viewpoints get a
> hearing.
> 
> The MTSC might want to add some advisory members, so they feel that
> their voting numbers reflect a broader community, and I think that is
> reasonable too, again, as long as they first put the names out for a
> public hearing and make sure there are no substantive objections to
> their choices.
> 
> So, I put the question to you, do you feel comfortable with the MTSC
> making some 'big decisions' for Mapserver over the next few months,
> providing that they make their decisions within an open framework of
> discussion?
> 
> For the record, the current members of the MTSC are: Steve Lime
> (Chair), Daniel Morissette, Frank Warmerdam, Sean Gilles, Assefa
> Yewondwossen, Howard Butler and Perry Nacionales.
> 
> Paul