Re: gnome foundation: some key issues to discuss.

[Joe Shaw <joe helixcode com>]

About modules: When you use the term "module", I think of actual CVS
modules and tarballs and such. For example, gnome-libs is a module,
gnome-core is a module, evolution is a module, gnumeric is a module, etc.
If this is what you mean (and I think it is), then I agree totally with
what you say. The foundation should have no say in their policy (as if 
they could anyway), but it should be able to decide if it is an
"official" GNOME component. This is becoming increasingly blurry and
irrelevent with companies like Helix Code deciding what they want to
include in their distribution. We ship X-Chat for example, but it isn't an
"official" GNOME component. In fact, I think that by and large, as far as
a GNOME release is concerned, we should only release modules that are core
GNOME modules. These would include gnome-libs, gnome-core, gnome-applets,
gnome-media, Evolution, and Nautilus. User-based applications, like
Gnumeric, X-Chat, Achtung, whatever would be on their own schedule. If we
ever get the GNOME Office thing into gear, then I think that the
foundation should decide what is in that and perhaps also a release
schedule for that, at least somewhat.
About elections: I think that before we can have a board of directors we
need to decide on foundation membership and then have those members vote
on a board. Chances are we won't have a perfect representation of the
vastly geographically diverse community, but I think that corporations and
core technologies will be adequately represented. Initially, I think that
we should probably vote on the board as a whole so that we can as well as
possible represent all of the many facets of the GNOME
community. Unfortunately, that means that one person on the board that
most people wouldn't want could spoil that entire board, but if that's the
case, then we'll just have to keep trying until something works out. After
that, should someone quit the board, they should be required to nominate a
successor, and the community should vote. If that person is accepted,
yay. If not, then we should probably have an open nomination period and
then vote on those nominees.

Joe