Re: A question to candidates

[Brian Cameron <Brian Cameron Sun COM>]

Questions have been asked from a few people.  I will respond to them in
one email rather than clutter your mailbox...

### Dave Neary asks:

> What do you see as the best way to spend this money? In terms of
> hiring, do you prefer hiring a sysadmin, or an executive director?
> What other priorities do you have for expenditure this year, outside
> of our usual cost centers (GUADEC + salaries + travel sponsorship)?

Since GNOME is a volunteer community, I think that someone would need
to have very specific and needed skills to bring to the table to
warrant a salary.

I think it would add value to spend more on marketing and on
evangelical community building opportunities.  For example, Windows
and MacOS have flashy "Welcome to the desktop" presentations.
Perhaps it is time for the GNOME community to find ways to better
advertise itself.

> A second question to all candidates: what do you see as the weak
> points of the current board, and how do you propose addressing those
> weak points?

I think it is a real challenge to bring together all the players who
are invested in the GNOME desktop and get them to work together.  I
think it is important for the board to be more proactive about reaching
out to the players, and find creative new ways to get them to better
work together and share resources.

### Anne Østergaard asks:

> Will you apply for the position as new Executive Director for GNOME?

Unlikely.

> Will you apply for any paid position within GNOME while serving as
> board member?

I am not planning to.

> Will you attend at least 90% of the board calls?

Yes.  Not a problem.

> Can you accept competing official ISO standards?

Yes.  I think a more important and interesting question is whether our
users can accept competing official standards.  I think the Foundation
should be driven by the needs of our users, not the other way around.

> What is your position towards official standards that do not meet the
> gennerally accepted definition of a free and open standard. Such as
> Microsoft OOXML?

I believe poorly designed standards fail of their own accord.  If a
standard is strong enough for a community to build around it, then it
will succeed.  The Foundation should create a healthy atmosphere where
standards have a fair chance to succeed based on their own merit.

### Richard Stallman asks:

> 1. Would you change anything in the GNOME Foundation statement about
> OOXML?

As others have stated, I think the response should have been more
timely.   I'm not sure the "Background" information really adds much
to the position.  I think it would be better to more simply say that
we will wait and see which ODF format gets traction in the free
software community.  I don't think calling Microsoft an abusive
monopolist adds value to a long-term resolution, or helps to encourage
better behavior from Microsoft.

> 2. How do you think the GNOME Foundation should support the Free
> Software Movement in general?

I think closer relationships between the GNOME Foundation and the
Free Software Movement in general would be a good thing to strive
towards, even if it sometimes makes people unhappy or uncomfortable.

Brian