Re: Future plans

[Eric Baudais <baudais kkpsi org>]

On Thu, Feb 05, 2004 at 11:17:45AM +0100, Vincent Untz wrote:
> Hi guys
>
> Our work was not well-structured lately and we need to organize
> ourselves. Here's my attempt to do so...
>
> I'd like to know who can work on what in the next weeks. There are some
> tasks that need to be addressed:
>   1. process the remaining applications
>   2. prepare the referendum about "anonymous voting"
>   3. recruit new people into the committee
>   4. build the new infrastructure for handling memberships
>   5. talk with the board about one-year membership and some other stuff
>
> I've done most of 1. There is one new application and an "old" one that
> needs some more information before being processed. Can someone finish
> this?

Thanks for all your work on evaluating most of the applications.  Real
life rudely intruded last week when a water pipe burst in the
apartment above mine flooding my place.  I'm almost back to normal now.

> 2 is definitely a top priority. But we need to work on it. I won't be
> able to do anything about that in the next 2 or 3 weeks. Any volunteer?

We need to collaborate with the hackers who expressed interest in the
thread on the foundation-list to devise a good policy and
implmentation for anonymous voting.  This is the first step.  Then we
can submit the proposal to the foundation-list and alter it according
to the comments.  Afterwards we will have the referendum.

> I'm working on 3 right now. See next mail.
>
> AFAIK, Eric is working on 4. He may need some help. What's the status
> here?
> I remember seeing a french project that does more or less what we want:
> http://www.zopeuse.org/projets/galette/Wiki_galette/FrontPage
> A demo is available here:
> http://www.logeek.com/galette-demo/

I'll look into this hopefully during the weekend.  I hope the entire
site isn't in French because I cannot read very much French at all.

> As for 5, we definitely need to discuss with the board. Glynn is
> listening here and I'm sure he's eager to help us. Right now, here's
> what I'd like to discuss:
>   * one-year membership

Excellent idea.  This 2 year membership renewal confuses a lot of the
membership.

>   * all renewals on the same date (=> it will ease our work because we
>     won't need to track every renewal)

Another good idea to help people get into a habit of sending in their
renewal around the same time every year.

>   * what is the exact status of the committee? This is not clear for me:
>     we have an official role, but how are the members of the committee
>     chosen? How does it work? I don't want to add bureaucracy, but we
>     need some clear rules.

I would like to see some guidelines from the board about the role of
the membership committee.  Maybe adding terms 

>   * recently, I've seen people asking for membership because they want a
>     gnome.org e-mail address. This is not good.

I think we need to better define what the role of the foundation is
and how to be a good member.

>   * how can we make more people vote?

More people have to understand the role of the foundation and care
about the direction it is taking.  I think we need more communication
from the board on their projects and Tim and Leslie on how the
foundation is spreading the GNOME love across the world.  Tim's year
end summary was great and I would like to see monthly reports sent the
foundation list on the work they are doing.

I need to elaborate on some more of the above points.  I'm hurrying
because I need to get back to work and want you European folks to see
this today.

Later,
Eric Baudais

-- 
They give you illusion that has the appearance of truth.  I give you
truth in the pleasant disguise of illusion.
                                             --Tennessee Williams