[gentoo-nfp] [RFC] Bylaws change: extend inactivity removal to all members

[Michał Górny]

Hi, everyone.

Following the recent discussion, I would like to propose updating
the Foundation bylaws to provide uniform 'removal for inactivity' for
all Foundation members.

More specifically, I propose changing the first two paragraphs
of section 4.4 (Continuation of Membership) from:

  Full members who remain Gentoo developers shall have their membership
  continued until it is terminated in accordance with 4.8 or 4.9.

  Full members who retire from the Gentoo project shall have there
  membership continued while they indicate that they remain interested
  in the affairs of the Foundation unless their membership is 
  terminated in accordance with 4.8 or 4.9.

to:

  Full members shall have their membership continued while they indicate
  that they remain interested in the affairs of the Foundation, unless
  their membership is terminated in accordance with 4.8 or 4.9.

(leaving the last paragraph unchanged)


This means to solve two problems:

1. Technically, the inactivity-removal procedure does not apply to non-
developer Foundation members, and given that unlike regular developers
they won't become 'retired developers', they would never be removed.

2. The active developer status restriction doesn't seem to have much
value.  On one hand, it probably makes sense because the removed
developer could reapply for membership right away, so forcefully
removing him seems pointless.  On the other hand, there's no point to
prevent Trustees from cleaning up the member list periodically if some
of the devs don't really want to stay.

That said, I think the new wording would make the removal procedure
cleaner and more fair, as the removal rules would be the same for all
Foundation members and the list could be determined from a single data
source.

[1]:https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Foundation:Bylaws#Section_4.4._Continuation_of_Membership

-- 
Best regards,
Michał Górny