I'm forwarding this from the reorg list to some of the lists already polled about becoming
top-level.
I have recieved multiple requests for clarifications on why they would want to establish a PMC, and this is the best possible answer IMNSHO.
Roy T. Fielding wrote: >>> The problem(s) in Avalon are very serious, but there are strong project >>> leads in Avalon, so I am not sure what a project PMC would solve there. >> >> >> PR/outward view would seem the major thing to me. Commons lacks a >> governing group with the same name [PMC] as other projects and therefore >> must be anarchy. > > > The concept of a PMC, and the reason that anyone having a vote on the > project code-base should be a member of the PMC, is to provide legal > protection to those people as individuals. Not being on a PMC (as > defined by the bylaws) means that each and every decision made by those > committers is outside the scope of Apache's legal protection, which > in turn means that if a mistake is made (or some asshole lawyer just > feels like it), any suit against the committer actions (such as > infringement of some unknown patent) would have to be defended > by the committers on their own. The ASF would be able to defend the > code itself, but not the people whose actions were outside the PMC. > > That sucks, and I think the only reason the committers tolerate it > is because they don't understand the risks and have no awareness of > the bylaws. > > Jakarta was created because the original Apache members needed an > incubator for Java projects that was independent of httpd. I expected > the projects to form their own PMCs once they were self-governing. > The Jakarta brand name is irrelevant to the PMC issues -- the common > grouping of Apache Java projects under the jakarta.apache.org website > does not need to change at all, nor do the mailing lists need to go away. > > What we do need is to wake up the Jakarta committers to the awareness > that they are working on Apache projects, under Apache guidelines, and > towards shared ownership in the Apache Software Foundation. Phrasing > it as being forced out of Jakarta is why the projects refuse to form > their own PMCs. If you asked people whether they prefer the legal > protection of the ASF or the management hierarchy of the Jakarta PMC, > I think you will find the committers will accept self-governance in > fact rather than the illusion provided by an external PMC. If not, > then at least they will be making an informed decision. > > ....Roy >
-- Nicola Ken Barozzi [EMAIL PROTECTED] - verba volant, scripta manent - (discussions get forgotten, just code remains) ---------------------------------------------------------------------
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