Re: meeting materials: what is gnome

[Matthias Clasen <matthias clasen gmail com>]

On Thu, Jul 12, 2012 at 9:04 AM, Colin Walters <walters verbum org> wrote:

> http://www.gnome.org/about/
>
> ?  If not, why not?

Because it doesn't actually talk at all about the product. It has lots
of interesting, positive facts about the project/community. But it
doesn't say much about what the community is built around.

> On the contents of the document itself, first - it *must* mention Free
> Software.  Of course, people here are of diverse motivations, but if
> it's not Free Software, it can't be part of GNOME.

Sure, I have no problem with putting freedom in there. Everything is
better with freedom !

> Or maybe this document isn't trying to *define* principles, it's
> more just attempting to *describe* the state of things as they happen
> to be today. This is the difference between the Declaration of
> Independence and a news article written about the event.  But if
> it's just attempting to be descriptive, then it's going to have
> to change over time, and we can't really use it as *guidance*,
> which it seems like is the goal.

Certainly, it may have to be adjusted over time. I don't expect it to
change very quickly, though.