[no subject]

In our community I often encounter personal insults, sometimes simply
reflecting personal enmity, sometimes used as a tactic.  Could you
face such hostility for years and respond as dispassionately as I do?

> 9) Will you represent the interests of GNOME and the GNOME Foundation over
> all other personal or corporate interests you may represent?

All personal and corporate interests, certainly.  But there are two
higher interests that rightfully apply to GNOME: the GNU system, and
free software.

GNOME is not an independent software project; it is a part of the GNU
system.  This means GNOME does not exist just for its own success.  It
has a larger purpose: to provide the GNU system with a desktop.  So
while we should try to make GNOME successful (all else being equal),
that's not the highest goal of the work on GNOME.

The GNU system does not exist just for its own success either.  It has
a larger purpose: to spread freedom and community to all computer
users.  So while people working on GNOME should try to make GNU more
successful (all else being equal), that's not the highest goal either.
The highest goal is that software should be free.

If some day GNOME, GCC, GNU Emacs, and all of GNU are obsolete and
forgotten, but computer users generally are free to share and change
the software they use, these programs will have done their job well.
If, on the other hand, GNOME and the rest of the GNU system are widely
used in combination with proprietary software, they will have
succeeded only superficially, and a big task will remain ahead of us.

We should elect people to the board that will keep the goal of free
software in mind, and exert their leadership on its behalf.

As long as GNOME and GNU are closely connected in the public mind with
the freedom and community they make enable, success for GNOME, as for
GNU generally, will tend to encourage the spread of freedom in many
ways.  We have every reason to make GNOME succeed.  We just have to
keep the larger issues in mind while deciding how to do it.

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

My time is tight, but GNOME is important, so I will give it the time
that it needs.

> 11) One of the ingredient for success in Free Software project such
> as GNOME is committed and dedicated memberships. How would you
> propose to promote new membership, and encourage commitment of
> existing membership to make the GNOME desktop the desktop of choice?
> [ Hints: the number of Foundation members have reduced from 460 in
> 2001 to approximately 300 in 2002 ]

I think having committed and dedicated developers is more important
for the future of GNOME than having many members of the GNOME
Foundation.

Simple popularity is not the ultimate purpose of GNOME, but popularity
is important for achieving the purpose.  The main way to make GNOME
more popular is by improving and extending it.  It can also help to
take advantage of the connection with GNU, which GNOME's main
competition does not have.  There may be other methods too.  As long
as the GNOME Foundation effectively facilitates these activities, how
many members it has is not crucial.