Re: Special GNOME event in California next week

[Dan Winship <danw gnome org>]

Jeff Waugh wrote:
> Those paying close attention over the last 12 months will have a fair idea
> what this is about, but please resist the temptation to reply to this post
> about it, as we're hoping to keep it under wraps until Thursday. :-)

Or, if the GNOME Foundation is going to start behaving like Apple, how
about we set up a "gnomerumors" web site and forum, where people can
post rumors anonymously and try to figure out what the Board is up to
before the official announcements?

</snark>

Seriously though, this "surprise announcement" stuff is exactly the sort
of behavior that the community despises when Novell[1] and Red Hat[2] do
it, and now we're doing it to ourselves???

If the secrecy here is necessary because of third parties that are
involved (who might have their hands tied by SEC regulations on
information disclosure, for instance), then IMHO the board should be
*apologizing* to the membership about it, not trying to make it sound
all exciting and fun.

And if the secrecy isn't actually *necessary*, then WTF?

    All discussions must be publicly viewable, any person must have the
    opportunity to contribute to the decision-making process, and every
    GNOME contributor must have the direct ability to influence the
    decisions which are made.[3]

-- Dan

[1]
http://mail.gnome.org/archives/desktop-devel-list/2006-February/msg00129.html

[2] http://www.beatniksoftware.com/blog/?p=58

[3] http://foundation.gnome.org/about/charter/