Re: Questions for the candidate

[Dominic Lachowicz <domlachowicz gmail com>]

1) The foundation has both a clear purpose and direction, as described
in its charter (http://foundation.gnome.org/about/charter/). Its
purposes are not so broad as to be all-encompassing, nor so narrow as
to forgoe the necessity of the Board. The Foundation's members bring
with them interesting and unique approaches toward solving the
problems faced by Gnome today, within the scope of its charter.

We can best hope to clear up any confusion as to our purpose through
our actions - both through making our workings more transparent and
our actions more visible.

2) The board must serve to be both the face and voice of the Gnome
community. The board must serve as a bridge to bring users and
developers together. The board must serve as a bridge to bring
developers together - it must be the wheel's hub, from which all other
aspects of the Gnome community interconnect and flow.

I believe that with my help, the Foundation can be a better bridge to
the community and to Gnome's future.

3) I believe that in order to attract more mindshare and 3rd-party
development, the development stack must continue to be both flattened
and refined. We must document our technologies (both our APIs and the
"broader picture") and - perhaps more importantly - document best
practices. We need to stop presenting technologies and instead start
presenting solutions. Only then can we begin to present ourselves as a
viable contender and a market force.

Perhaps my initial candidacy announcement was not clear enough as to
my exact intentions. I do not believe that the above task is within
the Board's purview. I do, however, believe that it is within the
Board's purview to formally suggest that a working group be formed to
address these issues and that the Board should endorse the findings of
that working group.

4) I believe that business desktops are Gnome's next logical goal.
When we establish sufficient corporate inroads, we will have
significant follow-on effects as these corporations' employees want to
use the same great software at home.

To do so, the Foundation must serve as a bridge between corporate
interests and the Gnome developer community. As a developer community,
must strive to provide a complete solution instead of a loose
assemblage of technologies. We must build alliances and generate
developer interest. Within two years, I'd like to see Gnome (or more
generally, "The Linux Desktop" - of course, running Gnome) have the
same name-recognition that Firefox has today. And with the right
mindset and leadership, I think that we can do it.

5) Those who know me know that I have unbridled enthusiasm, a clear
sense of direction, and a unencumbered will to get things done - and
get them done right the first time. Like many other candidates, I'm
also adept at managing a great many projects at once. Are these unique
aspects? Probably not. Are these desirable aspects in a Foundation
Board member? Definitely.

6) Gnome isn't "Survivor". I'm not voting anyone off the island. I'm
not looking for immunity. And I'm not looking to form factions to
ensure my survival. I agree with Christian Schaller. If we "need"
preferential voting, our community is poisoned and has more
deeply-seeded problems than it will be able to survive. A nation
divided cannot stand.

7) The best way to motivate others is through example. In tough times,
we need to turn large unsolvable problems into small, solvable ones.
Establishing reachable milestones and showing gratitude to the other
board members will be crucial during tough times.

8) My answer to this is the same as to question #9.

9) I believe that we can best accomplish this via encouraging
community awareness. In order to reach a critical mass, the Gnome
community needs a recruitment program. We need to better market
ourselves. We need to set up an easy system that puts LUGs,
Universities, and corporations in touch with interested Gnome
developers. If we could make a few of our developers available for one
hour per month to visit these sites, the payoff will be immesurable.
Attracting new, youthful energy is vital to our continued success.

10) Gnome cannot hope to grow to the level our community expects it to
without building alliances. We do not and cannot exist in a bubble.
People don't buy the "Explorer" shell on Windows or the "Finder" on
MacOSX. They purchase a complete system, which happens to include a
desktop amongst a great many other things. We must strive to be part
of that complete solution. Like the Foundation Board must be the face
of the Gnome community, so must Gnome be the face of Linux and
Solaris. If that means convincing corporate resellers such as RedHat,
Novell, and Sun that we're the best-of-breed, so be it. Bring it on.