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Good evening all: |
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I am sure that you have all noticed the recent changes in the Gentoo Linux management. For this effort, I believe that our current managers should be applauded for thier candidness and openness. Although, as with any organization, there is always room for constant change and improvement. Gentoo's current position can be summarized by a quote from bussiness philosopher Edward Demming: |
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Change is not mandatory, because survival is not a necessity. |
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Gentoo is at a crossroads: We can either continue to change and improve our management structure, or simply die like many other Linux distributions. |
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In light of this issue, I propose the following changes to the Gentoo management structure: |
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1. Constitution |
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All great organizations realize the need to protect their most important asset, their volunteers and employees. Gentoo does not have such a document, therefore there is no 'legal' protection for the developers and volunteers. Although we all know that Gentoo is commited to this, it is nowhere in writing. |
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References: The Debian Constitution |
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http://www.debian.org/devel/constitution |
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2. Open voting |
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At this point in time, there is no published ruleset for voting, and there is no public record of voting results. There is also no offical published method of calculating a voting quorum. Additionally, with regard to the election of new managers, the vote is kept secret. |
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In order for any democratic system that uses voting to be successful, there *must* be accountability, concrete rules, and open results. How can there possibly be accountability if the results of the vote are kept completely secret? The find line between an oligarchy and a representative democracy is voting accountability. The developers, managers, and uses *must* know that the Gentoo voting process is secure in its philosophy and practice. |
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References: |
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http://www.debian.org/vote/ (Voting policy) |
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http://www.debian.org/vote/2002/vote_0001 (Sample voting results) |
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http://www.debian.org/vote/howto_vote (Sample voting ballot) |
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3. Defined terms for managers |
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In order to preserve the balance of power, while at the same time protecting the rights and interests of the users and developers, it is necessary that all manager positions have a clear term length along with a clear and defined manager voting process (see above). |
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The developers and users need to make sure that their interests are being maintained, and that the managers are true delegates for the Gentoo community. The developers, as well as managers, need to ensure that this stays true through normal managerial election. |
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4. Clear meeting procedure |
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I encourage all developers and managers to review Robert's Book of Rules, as it provides invaluable information on proactive meeting procedure. |
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By creating this document, I hope to help fix the problems that I see with Gentoo Linux. I believe that positive, intellectual conversation can lead us to the light at the end of the tunnel. I encourage you all to participate in this discussion, but please restrain from anger, lashing out, etc. |
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Kind regards, |
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//zhen |
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-- |
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John Davis |
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Gentoo Linux Developer |
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<http://www.gentoo.org/~zhen> |
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---- |
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Knowledge can be more terrible than ignorance if you're powerless to change your world. |
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