Re: Questions

[Ali Akcaagac <aliakc web de>]

Eric Baudais wrote:
> I have been participating in a constructive way during this
> discussion. I never meant anything I wrote to offend anyone.
> I have been offended by several things you have said. Please
> offer constructive criticism with several concrete examples
> instead of making wild generalities about the GNOME project.
> I believe through a measured discussion of the issues we can
> come to a satisfactory resolution to your concerns.

Hello,

Ah this sounds so much better. Well I have to admit that this is getting
a bit more complicated for me that I initially thought. Specially
explaining it in english in a way that sounds not intrusive is hard for
me. I could easily explain it in my native language but well I will try
it.

Look, as you read in my initial email here, there was NO word about
CVSGnome or any particular project by name. I made a generalisation of
the subject and please do not miss the line where I pointed out that I
still DO have problems understanding everything around the Foundation.
Its works and Charta even when I have seriously spent a few times
reading everything.

It is clear that for you who you participate every day to this that this
is all really clear, logic and transparent. But you can not assume this
for everyone. So further in my initial email I asked people to bear with
me in case of me not better knowing it.

So this makes you the expert here and me the clueless participant. In
all the years where I was contributing to GNOME I never was interested
much in the Foundation stuff. I initially saw it as some commercial
company who sells merchendise stuff to people only to pay some bills for
Server hosting and stuff like that. I was more like seeing it as
selforganized part doing their own stuff while I was more the technical
person who actually try doing some work.

For me the interests about the Foundation started a few months ago the
interests came with personal needs. During my time of participating to
GNOME I saw that a handful of friends of mine were explaining to me in
private chats about how they feel and how they are being treated by some
people who sit in the upper positions. You can be sure that such things
rarely show up in the public channels or mailinglists. They are usually
being carried around from person to person. People who other people tend
to trust. And you know whenever there are problems you always need
someone who can listen to one and who understand the situation. That was
the reason for me getting active myself and becoming interested in the
GNOME Foundation. I wanted to become part of someone who finally can
vote and shape the people sitting there. I was in the impression that
with that day I can do something good inside GNOME and don't feel upset
afterwards.

Now the day arrived where the people got asked for the Membership
Application. Some mail from the Foundation was sent with a shedule
layout where only some keywords were printed. E.g. Date to election
here. Memebership here. and so on.

But yet again I was clueless what the actual job of a Board Member
really is. What does that person do. I then was chatting with some
people (and some really great people) about this who then told me that
this is more or less a job that no one really wanted. Anyways regardless
of that I thought till last second to place myself in that position as
well but then I backed out because I was afraid at the end.

But what actually happened was that basically the SAME people got
elected again and I heard people saying 'no, not him again' but ok we
are living in a democracy way here and that is ok. The election was paid
with the fact that a quite long list of people didn't vote.

Now how can you have changes happen when things stagnate or structures
do not change. I for sure was a bit worried for my own interests as
well. I didn't want to name CVSGnome here but since someone else
mentioned it's name and now that I also wrote an email to the desktop
development list it was clear what was meant. The election basically
didn't change much and from the release team they seem to be the same
people for years as well until I got active myself again and digged up
some stuff in the burried pages of gnome.org. I then found out that
there should be some sort of rotation happening in the releaseteam so
everyone gets a chance to participate and shape GNOME. But let's make no
secret out of it. We are all humans we have personal preferences of
things, we like people, we dislike people etc. I don't claim for myself
to be best friend of everyone and others do not claim the same of about
yet again others. That is why it is important to guarantee diversion so
other people can have the chance to. Maybe others have yet again other
opinion about software etc.

This was the main intention behind the initial email. I didn't want to
harm people nor wa sit my intention but I do not make a secret out of it
that emotions do play a role here. And people getting offended is a
natural behaviour.

That was the point why I was asking for periodical elections e.g. that
the same people can only do the job for e.g. 2 periods in a row and then
have to back out for another 2 periods to give others the chance to do
this job preferabely in the key locations of GNOME.

And now the problem 'the JOB' I'm aware that for you this is all
naturally clear but not for everyone. I know a good amount of people who
do not really know where to start with the Foundation, what the jobs is
and the importance. It is not enough writing a few documents about that
and have them burried somewhere. The people also needs to get sticked
with the nose to that so they understand the importance. It should be
clear for many people and not just a handful of them.

I also believe that better explainations and announcements would help
people to undestand and see the things better. Maybe in different
languages so it's yet again easier for them.

Please bear with me here. I don't want to make a lot of noise out of it
only brought up some general points that concerns me.

greetings,

Ali Akcaagac

btw: someone finally added CVSGnome to the startpage. I wanted to thank
that person this way. I started believing into this community again.
Thank you.