Candidacy (Dan Mueth)

[Dan Mueth <d-mueth uchicago edu>]

GNOME Foundation membership,

I am pleased to announce my candidacy for the GNOME Foundation Board of
Directors.  To help you determine whether I would be a good director and
represent the interests of the GNOME community, I have put together a
brief description of my role in GNOME and why I feel I would be a good
director.

My involvement with GNOME:

* I have been a very active GNOME contributor for one year, working 
  primarily within the GNOME Documentation Project (GDP).  Since my 
  early involvement I took an active role identifying weaknesses,
  building infrastructure, and working on any project which I felt
  needed to be done either independently or with others I recruited to
  help.

* I have been the GDP coordinator since spring, actively recruiting
  and training new members, developing resources to make writing 
  documentation easier and more efficient, and working with developers,
  translators, and people within various GNOME-related companies on
  documentation issues.
   
* I have authored and co-authored many GNOME documents including 
  "Joining the GNOME Project", "The GNOME Foundation FAQ",  "The GNOME 
  Handbook of Writing Software Documentation", "The GNOME User's Guide",
  and countless GNOME application manuals.

* I have been an active member of the GNOME Steering Committee.

* I represented GNOME at the O'Reilly Open Documentation Summit where
  I worked with representatives of many projects including KDE, the LDP,
  the FSF, and others to find ways by which the projects can collaborate 
  and develop tools which will benefit all these projects and maintain 
  consistency and compatibility between them.  I maintain regular 
  contact with several of these project coordinators.

Why I would be a good director:

* My first priority, and the reason I joined the GNOME project, is to
  create the best free desktop possible.  While I understand that a solid
  development environment and vibrant developer community is absolutely
  essential for this, I believe the ultimate goal and test of GNOME's
  success is its ability to suit the needs and wishes of the users.

* I feel that for GNOME to succeed, it must remain as open as possible 
  to contributions from anybody who wishes to become part of GNOME.  In
  the past I have actively worked with anybody who expressed interest in
  joining GNOME in any capacity, and I plan to do so, both with
  corporations and individuals, in the future.

* I have always dedicated my time and energy to improving GNOME in any way
  which I feel is important for GNOME or the GNOME user.  I have done so 
  regardless of how unsexy or low profile a job is. If I become a 
  director, I will be willing to commit my time and do whatever work is
  necessary to serve the needs of GNOME and its users.

* I enjoy working with others and will be a productive member of the Board
  and work with committees and individuals on various tasks as necessary.

* My activity in the Steering Committee, participation in GUADEC (which 
  I paid for myself on a grad-student budget), and work within the GDP has
  allowed me to establish a good relationship with many of the core GNOME
  developers which will be valuable for staying on top of GNOME's
  day-to-day activity and accomplishing many of the GNOME Foundation's
  objectives.

* I generally approach GNOME with a "big picture" point of view and always
  look for new ways which GNOME can be extended and improved to suit the
  needs of the GNOME user.

I believe I can contribute a valuable perspective to the GNOME Foundation
Board of Directors which is distinct from that of the GNOME hacker.  
Through my work on the steering committee and as the GDP coordinator, I
have come to know many GNOME hackers well and have found that I can work
well with them while providing a unique point of view.

Dan

Full Disclosure: While I am currently not employed by any GNOME companies
(I am currently in school), I will become an employee of Eazel early next
year.  I will continue the work I have been doing in the GDP and in GNOME
while at Eazel. If I am elected to the Board of Directors, I will
represent my beliefs and opinions and those of the GNOME community without
placing particular emphasis on those of Eazel.

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Dan Mueth (muet) <d-mueth uchicago edu>