Re: 10 Questions for All Candidates

[jg pa dec com (Jim Gettys)]

> Sender: foundation-list-admin gnome org
> From: Dan Mueth <d-mueth uchicago edu>
> Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2001 22:26:11 -0600 (CST)
> To: <foundation-list gnome org>
> Subject: 10 Questions for All Candidates
> -----
> Having been on the Board for the last year, I feel I have a good idea what
> the Board has to do and some of the skills needed by board members. Using
> this experience, I have come up with a list of questions which I feel will
> help us learn more about each candidate and what sort of a board member
> they would be.
> 
> I ask that each candidate please answer the following questions and reply
> to foundation-list gnome org to help the Membership know the candidate
> better and make well-informed decisions at the ballot.
> 
> Dan
> 
> ----
> 
> 10 Questions for all candidates:
> 
> 1) Why are you running for Board of Directors?

I've invested a good 6 or 8 years into the X Window System, and would
like it and applications built using it to succeed.

Due to my position as one of X's original authors, I am able to to cross 
project boundaries, and work with other projects (e.g. XFree86, Mozilla, 
KDE, etc.), to help ensure the interoperability so necessary and without 
which a unified open source X environment cannot succeed.

Gnome is one (but not the only) key project required for a free desktop
to succeed.

> 
> 2) Do you have leadership and committee experience? If so, please explain.

With Bob Scheifler I lead the X Window System from its inception through
X11R1.  After R1, I also worked on the X Synchronization extension.

I am the editor of the IETF HTTP/1.1 specification, which either means
I'm a glutton for punishment, or have skills in this area. :-).

I currently lead the handhelds.org effort to create a first rate
open source handheld and wearable computer environment.

> 
> 3) How familiar are you with the day-to-day happenings of GNOME?  How much
> do you follow and participate in the main GNOME mailing lists?

I follow Gnome-hackers moderatly closely, chiming in when I see things
badly wrong.

I build the Gnome core libraries for StrongARM for use on the iPAQ
handheld.

I try hard to make board teleconferences, though two rounds of surgery
this year has made this difficult at times.

> 
> 4) One of the primary tasks of the Board of Directors is to act as a
> liason between the GNOME Foundation and other organizations and companies
> to find out how the two groups can work together to their mutual benefit.
> Do you feel you would be good at understanding other people and companies
> and finding ways that GNOME can collaborate with other companies and
> organizations to benefit both groups and their users?

Yes.  I have wide experience working with other companies, including
large ones.

> 
> 5) One of the responsibilities and powers of the Board of Directors is to
> identify organizational weaknesses and needs of GNOME and to create
> committees, appoint coordinators of these committess, and act as liasons
> with them.  What do you believe are the current weak points of GNOME as an
> organization, and if you were able to, how would you change the GNOME
> organization?

Releases continue to be rocky to get started; we need to work on ensuring
good people who can spend full time are available to shepherd them along.

So far, I've not seen enough involvement with many of the companies of
the foundation: we need to work more with the advisory committee
members to further this involvement.

> 
> 6) The board meets for one hour every two weeks to discuss a handful of
> issues.  Thus, it is very important that the board can very quickly and
> concisely discuss each topic and come to concensus on each item for
> discussion. Are you good at working with others, who sometimes have very
> differing opinions than you do, to reach concensus and agree on actions?

I think I am, and I think my work on the board and on HTTP/1.1 speaks to
this.
> 
> 7) Often Directors have to draft policies, form committees, find
> weaknesses or approaching problems of GNOME and work on solutions, and act
> as liason with various groups (both within and outside GNOME) and
> companies.  Please name three or more areas which you feel are important
> for the Board to address over the next year and which you would enjoy
> contributing some of your time to help get things started and possibly act
> as a liason between the Board and any other committees, groups, or
> companies if relevant.

o Fonts are vital to get the "out of the box" experience of an open
source free dekstop competative.

o Continuing to work on governance structures is vital to long term
stability and success: I've seen a number of different organizational
styles we can model on and/or avoid (e.g. Big Company, X Consortium,
IETF, W3C).  I'm most comfortable with IETF "rough consensus" style
organization.

o I also believe that the future of computing is more along the lines
of what is becoming called "pervasive", or disconnected computing, and
intend to further this vision in Gnome and the open source community at
large over the next year.

> 
> 8) Do you consider yourself diplomatic?  Would you make a good
> representative for the GNOME Foundation to the Membership, media, public,
> and organizations and corporations the GNOME Foundation works with?
> 
> 9) Will you represent the interests of GNOME and the GNOME Foundation over
> all other personal or corporate interests you may represent?

My primary allegience is to seeing an outrageously good open source
desktop evolve.  I believe Gnome is the best chance at this, but only
as a part of a much larger set of projects (e.g. XFree86, KDE, Mozilla,
etc.), and Gnome will not succeed without the success of the others,
and as an officer of Gnome, will work toward the success of all (Gnome
in particular).

For me to participate as the officer of an outside organization, Compaq 
has a policy (wise, I believe) to require prior approval, which was granted.
They understand that I have fiduciary responsibility to Gnome over
Compaq (for areas in which Gnome is active).

I am not an officer of other organizations.

> 
> 10) Will you be willing and have the available time to take on and
> complete various tasks that the Board needs accomplished?
> 

Yes.

--
Jim Gettys
Cambridge Research Laboratory
Compaq Computer Corporation
jg pa dec com