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<snip a bunch> |
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|
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> If I could go back in time a couple of years and prevent this democracy |
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> from ever happening, I would. If I could fix these problems myself, I |
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> would. But it requires buy-in from the entire Gentoo community if we're |
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> to do anything about it. |
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|
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</snip a bunch> |
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|
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First of suffice it to say that many a time in the past (and that is sad |
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to say as I have only been a dev for just over two years) I have been |
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privy to whispered murmurs that happen in back rooms behind closed |
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doors. These whispers have always come about when one of the |
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aforementioned log threads have come about and the penultimate |
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conclusion of every one is that the problem that Gentoo presently faces |
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is in fact too much freedom. |
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|
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Part of me wants to believe that you are right in that the only way to |
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get back to a place where there is true vision and power behind the |
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Gentoo name is to get community buy in and part of me wants to hunker |
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down and accept the likely reality that the only way to get back to a |
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point of health is to start laying the "smack down". Now I don't mean to |
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say that there is any negative connotation to that process...just that |
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those that are elected to be in charge are inherently trusted to do |
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their best for the future of Gentoo and that implicit in that trust is |
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an understanding that they may have to take dirty and potentially |
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unpopular roads to maintain that health. Bitching and complaining be |
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damned; part of what paralyzes us is an acquiescence to that vocal |
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minority. None of us want to deal with hearing the outcry so no-one does |
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what is needed. Basically I'm saying that while some level of acceptance |
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has to come from the community as a whole and some level of it has to |
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come from the top down whatever the outcome. |
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|
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The Council has to be willing to be the body whose job is to maintain |
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the long lasting heath and happiness of the developer community, that |
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community is what Gentoo is. |
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|
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In addition to the conclusion that too much freedom has entered the |
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life-blood that drives Gentoo it is also often the case that from the |
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stance of upper management there is not enough freedom given. Part of |
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what paralyzes the Council and devrel and any other historical body that |
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has tried to keep Gentoo healthy is that there is an understanding that |
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they can only act as a whole...as individuals none of them have power as |
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there is fear that a rouge person in a position to abuse their |
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responsibility will do so. It is my contention that with a body of |
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multiple individuals such as the Council that there would be the ability |
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to recognize and mitigate the damage done by such a rogue. I'd posit |
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that by voting someone onto the council you are saying that you trust |
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them enough to carry this duty on their shoulders. The Council itself |
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should not be just a technical body to validate the merits of GLERs |
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and/or emerging projects, it (or some other yet to be established group) |
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has to carry the solemn duty of carrying Gentoo into the future, |
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nurturing it as only a parent could. |
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|
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I'd also wager that allowing those who have been trusted to be in power |
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to act a little on their own would provide the capability for that group |
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to react more quickly, there wouldn't need to be emergency meetings, you |
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wouldn't need to push off decisions for a full month and in general as |
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there would be more activity there would also be more transparency as |
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the actions of the group would be visible. |
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|
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All in all I suppose that is the platform that I am running on for this |
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years Council...take it for what you will but that is where I stand. |
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|
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Thanks, |
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|
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--Dan |
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|
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-- |
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