[Request for Comments] Governance change for Fedora Project

[inode0]

On Fri, Aug 15, 2014 at 2:31 PM, Paul W. Frields <stickster at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Fri, Aug 15, 2014 at 01:38:06PM -0500, Bruno Wolff III wrote:
>> I do think there is a risk in an FPL picking whoever they like. There is a
>> risk of getting some isolated group think that may not see things the same
>> way as significant number of other contributors. I think that FPLs will need
>> to make sure they get a good mix of views when they pick this group.
>
> Yes, this was also discussed.  It's incumbent on the FPL to be open
> and interested in healthy debate in the community and the Board.  At
> the same time, though, to have the Board be more active and involved
> takes some coherence of direction.  Otherwise we end up where we are
> now.

Where we are right now is arguably the most exciting moment in the
recent history of the Fedora Project.

To quote again from the Board's wiki page:

"Like any board of directors, the Fedora Project Board advises Fedora
leadership and helps the project pursue broad goals. The  Board does
not generally implement practices, but instead relies on the
recognized community leadership including but  not limited to the
Fedora Engineering Steering Committee to do so."

While I admit the role of a governance board is somewhat flexible I
think it generally does not include the intended role of the proposed
replacement body. That role would fall into the "... but instead
relies on the recognized community leadership  including but not
limited to the Fedora Engineering Steering Committee to do so" part of
the above description.

And if this proposal was to create a new body to facilitate that goal
I would find it more agreeable at face value. I would still have
questions especially around transitions as I see some sticky and
potentially very disruptive moments in the future when there is a
change of FPL.

Some of the other things the Board does now that I haven't seen any
description of how they will be handled by this replacement body or by
any other person or group include:

* Granting of trademark use as outlined in the Trademark Guidelines.
* Being the ultimate body to resolve disputes of either a personal
nature or of an intergroup nature within the Fedora Project that fail
to be resolved through other means.

Neither of those are fun or exciting work and both could be done by
different groups with some planning.

* Deciding questions that fall at the edges of the the Fedora
Project's philosophy (these largely fall into the area of deciding
whether something proposed somewhere in the project is consistent with
the values of the project as described in the four foundations).

Even though I will be leaving the Board either when my term ends
following the next release or when my fellow Board members disband the
Board I'll say that this to me is the most important thing the Board
does and speaking as a member of the Fedora Community it is important
to me that the Fedora Community as a whole has a large say in who
makes these decisions.

John