why I hope the OGB won’t accomplish much

Monday, Feb 26. 2007  –  Category: OpenSolaris

now that i’ve caught your attention with my razzy headline, i’ll expand on why i’m running for the OGB and what i hope to achieve if elected.

there is some truth to my headline. i’d honestly like to see the OGB be pretty hands-off. i believe the OGB should be a group that resolves conflicts if necessary, but otherwise pretty much stays out of the way.

imagine a really lazy US Supreme Court. one that did nothing other than mediate conflicts that were appealed up to higher and higher authorities. i think that’d be a pretty neat OGB.

i think the OGB should stay out of technical matters where it has no business going to… engineering issues should be best left to engineers. i challenge you to name one technical engineering product which was done in full, or in majority by any organisation with the words governance board in it.

likewise, i think the OGB should stay out of legal matters. licenses and lawsuits were made by, created by, and fought by lawyers. not governing boards.

IANAL. YANAL. Together…. WANAL (or WANL if you want to get grammatically correct, but well…that loses all the fun of the ANAL acronym). The OGB is most definitely not composed of lawyers.

The OGB should be a group that supports the OpenSolaris community. It exists to serve the OpenSolaris community, not drive it… and dare I say it: it does not exist to lead the community. Don’t get me wrong, I will fight for many things… a bug tracking system that non-Sun developers can use, an RTI process that is external, and more external transparent communication are just a few of the things I’d like to see; but these must be community-driven. They should not be decided by me alone, nor by the OGB alone.

I believe in organic growth. I believe that the OpenSolaris community can organise itself, and get shit done. I believe that yes, there are conflicts in projects or communities. And in the rare cases where those can’t get sorted out, sure… escalate away to the OGB. But by and large, I believe that the OpenSolaris community is made up of some pretty competent people who will grab the community by its various tails (marketing, engineering, documentation, user groups, etc.) kicking and screaming towards progress – despite any valiant attempts (Sun or not) to make mistakes. :)

6 Responses to “why I hope the OGB won’t accomplish much”

  1. Glynn Foster Says:
    February 27th, 2007 at 00:34

    Rocking post Steve – completely agree on all of that. As I see it, the OGB needs to be a communication bridge between the various technical bodies, and/or engage with new communities or otherwise where it sees fit (but all from a non-technical growth element).

  2. Shawn Says:
    February 27th, 2007 at 01:49

    I mostly agree as well. The OGB in general should be there to help drive the general direction of the community in the interest of fostering growth and exapnsion. As Glynn already mentioned, it should also act as a communication bridge between the communities within the larger OpenSolaris community. I also agree that the OGB should not have to be involved in technical, legal, or other discussions unrelated to the governance of the community as a whole.

    I hope that more individuals step up to take this important task “on.”

  3. Glynn Foster Says:
    February 27th, 2007 at 02:24

    While you’re right, the OGB shouldn’t be involved in legal issues, it should be a body responsible for realizing the issues involved, and taking the action to form a working committee around these issues etc.. the same applies for membership, financials, … any issue that potentially hinders the long term growth of the community.

    So Shawn, stepping up to the plate?

  4. Shawn Says:
    February 27th, 2007 at 02:36

    I was trying to say that I didn’t think the OGB should be directly involved with legal issues, etc. unless they have to be. However, the way you put it expresses my view on the topic in an a far more exact manner than I could have and reflects what I was trying to communicate. I especially agree with your comment regarding membership, financials, etc.

    As far as “stepping up to the plate?” Well, I’m not even a “core contributor” so I don’t technically have voting ability :) I did receive an unexpected nomination from ericb though…

    Also, while I have seen a few people announce their “candidacy,” I’m still not certain myself what exactly is involved in the duties of those that are elected. In other words, before I dive in, I’d like to know what lives in the water. I’ve read enough of the discussions on cab-discuss to have a rough idea of what goes on, and I have read through the charter draft, etc. Yet, there remains several questions in my mind…

    Cheers

  5. Glynn Foster Says:
    February 27th, 2007 at 02:50

    To be perfectly honest, I’m not entirely sure what is involved either – the relative lack of transparency of the CAB and OGB over the last couple of years hasn’t helped. I’m imagining it’ll be similar duties to the GNOME Foundation Board – meetings bi-weekly, with active discussion on the list in between that. My guess is that it will be mostly administrative, trying to get a good structure in place for future boards. As Steve mentions, the best OGB will be one that doesn’t need to step in too often, and allow the community the organic growth it needs.

  6. Shawn Says:
    February 27th, 2007 at 03:02

    I agree with you in regards to the issue of transparency as well, while I feel the current OGB has done a fantastic job, it still seems rather “mystical” at the moment.

    Your candid response is helpful. I will seriously consider accepting the nomination.

    Good luck to you both in your campaign! Ultimately, the community will be the winner no matter what happens.

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