| 1 |
On 2011.08.02 23:37, Markos Chandras wrote: |
| 2 |
> On 08/02/2011 11:21 PM, Roy Bamford wrote: |
| 3 |
> > On 2011.08.02 22:50, Markos Chandras wrote: |
| 4 |
> >> On 08/02/2011 07:24 PM, Roy Bamford wrote: |
| 5 |
[snip] |
| 6 |
> >>> |
| 7 |
> >>> Maybe its time to reorganise Gentoo along standard corporate |
| 8 |
> >>> lines again, as it was before drobbins left. If we go in that |
| 9 |
> >>> direction, the council becomes a technical committee that is part |
| 10 |
> >>> of the Foundation. GLEP39 is no longer needed and the Foundation |
| 11 |
> >>> bylaws are |
| 12 |
> >>> amended to reflect the new structure. |
| 13 |
> >> |
| 14 |
> >> If we go in that direction, I see no point in having the |
| 15 |
> >> Foundation and the Council as two separate entities. In this case |
| 16 |
> >> it would make much more sense to merge them. |
| 17 |
> > |
| 18 |
> > Division of responsibilities is important, in the business world, |
| 19 |
> > its essential, and the Foundation is first and foremost a business, |
| 20 |
> > even if its directors and officers are not paid. The Foundation |
| 21 |
> > does not get any special treatment from the state of New Mexico, |
| 22 |
> > nor the IRS and friends. |
| 23 |
> The Council and the Foundation already have different |
| 24 |
> responsibilities. |
| 25 |
> |
| 26 |
> > |
| 27 |
> > It would be unethical if the council could vote funds for a council |
| 28 |
> > devised project. Likewise, trustees need business administration |
| 29 |
> > skills rather than technical skills and should not determine the |
| 30 |
> > technical direction of Gentoo. |
| 31 |
> Agreed. But this is the kind of structure we have at the moment isn't |
| 32 |
> it? |
| 33 |
Its the way it works at the moment but its not structure. GLEP39 sets |
| 34 |
the terms of reference for the council and the bylaws and corporate |
| 35 |
laws of New Mexico set the terms of reference for the Gentoo |
| 36 |
Foundation. |
| 37 |
|
| 38 |
Where is the relationship between the two bodies documented? |
| 39 |
It isn't. The foundation was set up to inherit the property of Gentoo |
| 40 |
Technologies Inc., in 2004 when drobbins left Gentoo. |
| 41 |
The council was set up some time later (2006?), when the Top Level |
| 42 |
Project Leads could no longer set the technical direction, thus Gentoo |
| 43 |
is unique in the corporate world having two entirely separate leading |
| 44 |
bodies. |
| 45 |
|
| 46 |
> > |
| 47 |
> > I'm suggesting that the informal interdependencies that are present |
| 48 |
> > between the council and the foundation be formalised along the |
| 49 |
> > lines of a standard corporation. |
| 50 |
> |
| 51 |
> This is the part that I don't understand. Could you please explain |
| 52 |
> that and/or provide a layout of the new organizational structure that |
| 53 |
> you propose? |
| 54 |
The following maps a Basic Corporate Structure onto Gentoo. |
| 55 |
|
| 56 |
Basic Corporate Structure | Gentoo Structure​ |
| 57 |
Ownership | Foundation |
| 58 |
Board of Directors | Trustees |
| 59 |
Management Team (CEO CFO COO) | Foundation Officers [1] \ |
| 60 |
General Manager or CTO | Council [2] |
| 61 |
Department Heads | Project Leads |
| 62 |
|
| 63 |
[1] Foundation officers can be anyone capable of discharging their |
| 64 |
duties. They need not be Foundation members. They are |
| 65 |
Foundation employees. Indeed its good to keep the officers and |
| 66 |
directors separate, so the directors direct and the officers do the |
| 67 |
work. Officers do not get board member votes |
| 68 |
|
| 69 |
[2] Its somewhat unusual to have a committee as a general manager but I |
| 70 |
don't see a single individual having the time to undertake a chief |
| 71 |
technical officer role in Gentoo. drobbins was the last one to try and |
| 72 |
it was more than he could manage, even full time plus his spare time. |
| 73 |
The council also become Foundation Officers. |
| 74 |
|
| 75 |
> > |
| 76 |
> >> I don't quite like the idea though. |
| 77 |
> > Would you care to expand on that? |
| 78 |
> > |
| 79 |
> Mainly because I fail to understand the changes you propose and |
| 80 |
> because |
| 81 |
> I am quite happy with the way things are at the moment. |
| 82 |
|
| 83 |
Things work well at the moment because |
| 84 |
a) the individuals involved make things work |
| 85 |
b) we have never hit any bad times |
| 86 |
|
| 87 |
The clarity of a formal structure is needed for when things begin to go |
| 88 |
wrong, e.g. the Foundation loses its good standing ... then what? |
| 89 |
What about in the months before the council was formed, should the |
| 90 |
Foundation have done something to restore technical leadership sooner ? |
| 91 |
|
| 92 |
I don't see it making much difference to the way Gentoo operates during |
| 93 |
normal times, so you might not notice the change. |
| 94 |
|
| 95 |
> |
| 96 |
> -- |
| 97 |
> Regards, |
| 98 |
> Markos Chandras / Gentoo Linux Developer / Key ID: B4AFF2C2 |
| 99 |
> |
| 100 |
|
| 101 |
-- |
| 102 |
Regards, |
| 103 |
|
| 104 |
Roy Bamford |
| 105 |
(Neddyseagoon) a member of |
| 106 |
gentoo-ops |
| 107 |
forum-mods |
| 108 |
trustees |
Archives