Thanks for raising it Juan Pablo, As a Spanish speaker I also thought the same when I saw the email.
There was also a comment about the name being too short and not descriptive. I'd ask to consider finding a different name given the issues. Regards, Raúl El mar, 11 ago 2026, 21:49, Juan Pablo Santos Rodríguez < [email protected]> escribió: > Hi, > > A small comment from the hispanic audience in this list, regarding the MEA > name (apologies in advance for the grossness): in spanish "mear" translates > as "piss", so that Apache MEA == Apache pisses. > > Every functional hispanic adult will dismiss the association, but from an > hispanic viewpoint, the name is not the best. > > OTOH, hispanic people engaging with the product will most probably also > speak at least english, so perhaps this can all be dismished, but I thought > at least I should surface it. > > > best regards, > juan pablo > > El mar, 11 ago 2026, 17:58, mingcheng <[email protected]> escribió: > > > Hi, All > > > > I'm interested in contributing to this project. Besides its practical > > value, I think MEA is also a very good project for learning. It is > > small, focused, and has few dependencies. Each primitive maps to a > > clear async concept, so it is a great way to help newcomers understand > > async Rust (Future/Waker/Context, fairness, cancellation, coordination > > patterns, etc.). I'd be happy to help with documentation. For example: > > concept-based guides, small examples for each primitive, and maybe > > some material that can also be used as a teaching resource for async > > Rust. If the community likes this idea, I'm glad to start from some > > small, well-scoped doc issues after the podling is set up. > > > > By the way, I also share the concern about the name. "MEA" is a very > > short and generic as project name. The new meaning "Modular Essentials > > for Async" helps, but I'd suggest doing the podling name search / > > trademark review early, so we don't have to rename it later after > > people already know the name. > > > > Thanks! > > > > Best regards, > > mingcheng > > > > On Tue, Aug 11, 2026 at 9:46 PM Twice <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > Hi IPMC, > > > > > > I would like to propose MEA [1] as a new Apache Incubator project, you > > > can find the proposal of MEA [2] for more details. > > > > > > I'm acting as the champion, and we currently have 4 mentors (including > > me). > > > > > > The proposal was updated based on the previous discussion [3]. We kept > > > MEA as the project name, but reinterpreted it as 'Modular Essentials > > > for Async.' > > > > > > [1] https://github.com/fast/mea > > > [2] > > > https://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/spaces/INCUBATOR/pages/446071349/MEA+Proposal > > > [3] https://lists.apache.org/thread/4gbqnmw15743r55m68q698lj2g2vzyvo > > > > > > Full proposal inlined below for easy reading. > > > > > > Best regards, > > > Twice > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------ > > > > > > Abstract > > > MEA is a runtime-agnostic Rust library of composable synchronization, > > > coordination, channel, and concurrency-control primitives for > > > asynchronous applications. > > > > > > Proposal > > > MEA provides reusable building blocks for asynchronous Rust programs > > > without coupling applications or libraries to a particular async > > > runtime. Its primitives interoperate through Rust’s standard Future, > > > Context, and Waker interfaces and can therefore be used with Tokio, > > > async-std, or other executors. > > > > > > The proposed project scope includes: > > > - Synchronization primitives such as Mutex, RwLock, Semaphore, > > > Barrier, Condvar, Latch, WaitGroup, Once, OnceCell, and OnceMap. > > > - Communication primitives such as one-shot, bounded and unbounded > > > MPSC, and broadcast channels with different delivery and overflow > > > strategies. > > > - Composed coordination utilities such as graceful shutdown signaling. > > > - Concurrency-control utilities such as admission control and > > > duplicate-call suppression. > > > The following areas are intentionally outside the project’s scope: > > > - I/O reactors or proactors for filesystems, networking, signals, > > > timers, or similar facilities. > > > - Task schedulers or complete async runtimes. > > > - General-purpose Future or Stream combinator libraries already > > > covered by the Rust futures ecosystem. > > > MEA is intended to be a focused, commons-style foundation for async > > > synchronization and coordination in Rust rather than another async > > > runtime. > > > > > > Background > > > MEA was started by Zili Chen (tison) in October 2024 and has been > > > developed publicly on GitHub under the Apache License, Version 2.0. > > > The project publishes the mea crate on crates.io and versioned API > > > documentation on docs.rs. Right now, we have four active contributors > > > and the crate has been downloaded more than 5M times. > > > > > > Rationale > > > Async Rust libraries frequently need synchronization and coordination > > > facilities even when they do not want to impose a particular runtime > > > on downstream applications. Runtime-specific primitive implementations > > > can introduce otherwise unnecessary coupling, while repeatedly > > > implementing low-level concurrency machinery increases correctness and > > > maintenance risks. > > > > > > MEA addresses this gap with a coherent set of executor-independent > > > primitives and a deliberately small runtime dependency surface. It > > > gives libraries a shared implementation for common concurrency > > > behavior while allowing applications to choose their executor. > > > > > > Moving MEA to the ASF would establish durable, vendor-neutral > > > ownership and a transparent, merit-based governance model. It would > > > also create a neutral place for users of different runtimes and > > > downstream projects to collaborate on correctness, API design, > > > performance, documentation, and new primitives within a well-defined > > > scope. > > > > > > Initial Goals > > > By transferring ownership of the project to the ASF, MEA expects to > > > ensure its neutrality and further encourage and facilitate the > > > adoption of MEA by the community. > > > > > > Some of the areas we would like to focus on during the Apache > > > incubation phase include: > > > - A healthier community: More contributors could be able to > > > participate in MEA and own different modules. > > > - Wider adoption: MEA can be adopted by more Rust projects, which in > > > turn drives its own functionality. > > > - Strengthening correctness evidence through cross-runtime integration > > > tests, stress and property testing, and targeted model checking. > > > - Establishing reproducible benchmarks and improving performance > > > without compromising safety, fairness, or API clarity. > > > > > > Current Status > > > Meritocracy > > > MEA has been developed through public GitHub issues and pull requests. > > > Contributors receive credit through the repository history and release > > > notes, but project ownership and release authority are currently > > > concentrated in the founding maintainer, and no formal > > > committer-governance model exists yet. > > > > > > The initial community intends to adopt the Apache Way. Technical and > > > governance decisions will be made transparently on ASF-managed > > > channels, contributions of code and non-code work will be evaluated on > > > merit, and contributors who demonstrate sustained positive > > > participation will be invited to become committers and PPMC members. > > > > > > Community > > > Contributors: 9 > > > > > > Users: > > > - Apache OpenDAL > > > - Prek > > > - Foyer > > > - ScopeDB > > > - ... and more on https://crates.io/crates/mea/reverse_dependencies > > > The donation discussion is public at > > https://github.com/fast/mea/issues/140. > > > > > > Core Developers > > > The current core developers have experience with Rust, asynchronous > > > systems, and public open-source collaboration. Zili Chen is an ASF > > > Member and IPMC member with experience mentoring incubating projects. > > > Yunze Xu is an Apache Pulsar PMC member. Dian Luo and Haixu Ouyang > > > have contributed to the implementation, documentation, testing, and > > > maintenance of MEA and related projects in the fast GitHub > > > organization. > > > > > > This gives the initial group some ASF experience, but not every core > > > developer is familiar with ASF release, governance, and communication > > > practices. The Mentors will help the whole community learn and > > > consistently apply those practices. > > > > > > Alignment > > > MEA is already licensed under Apache-2.0, is developed in public, and > > > is directly used by Apache OpenDAL. Its purpose as reusable, > > > vendor-neutral infrastructure aligns with the ASF’s emphasis on > > > community-led development and long-term stewardship. > > > > > > The ASF hosts a growing set of Rust projects and Rust components, > > > including Apache OpenDAL, Apache DataFusion, and parts of Apache > > > Arrow. MEA can provide shared async coordination infrastructure for > > > Apache projects where appropriate while remaining useful to the wider > > > Rust community. > > > > > > Known Risks > > > Project Name > > > “MEA” is a short and generic acronym. The current community proposes > > > that it mean “Modular Essentials for Async” and prefers to retain the > > > existing crates.io name, but a formal ASF podling name search and > > > trademark review have not yet been completed. The community will > > > complete that review and address any material conflict before the name > > > is finalized. > > > > > > Orphan Products > > > MEA is a small library whose maintenance has so far been led primarily > > > by one person, so loss of interest by the founding maintainer is a > > > real risk. Existing downstream adoption and the commitment of four > > > active contributors reduce the immediate risk, but they do not > > > eliminate it. > > > > > > The central incubation goal is to distribute ownership across a larger > > > group of committers and downstream stakeholders. Transparent > > > governance, documented maintenance practices, and ASF-controlled > > > project assets will make continuation less dependent on any one > > > individual. > > > > > > Inexperience with Open Source > > > MEA has been developed openly on GitHub since its inception, and all > > > initial committers have participated in public open-source workflows. > > > Zili Chen and Yunze Xu have substantial ASF experience, while other > > > initial committers are newer to ASF governance, mailing-list-based > > > decision-making, release voting, and policy requirements. > > > > > > The project will rely on its Mentors and experienced initial > > > committers to teach these practices and ensure that knowledge is > > > shared rather than concentrated. > > > > > > Length of Incubation > > > Expect to enter incubation in two months and graduate in about two > years. > > > > > > Homogenous Developers > > > The initial active developers are geographically concentrated in China > > > and share overlapping professional interests in Rust infrastructure. > > > They are not all employed by the same organization, but the current > > > group is still too small and homogeneous for a sustainable Apache > > > community. > > > > > > The project will actively recruit contributors through downstream > > > users, Rust runtime communities, ASF Rust projects, documentation > > > work, testing initiatives, and well-scoped issues suitable for new > > > participants. > > > > > > Reliance on Salaried Developers > > > MEA is not known to depend on a development team funded by a single > > > employer. The more significant risk is concentration of maintenance > > > work in the founding maintainer, regardless of whether that work is > > > salaried or voluntary. > > > > > > The project will mitigate this risk by sharing release, review, > > > triage, and technical ownership among multiple committers and by > > > recognizing sustained non-code contributions as well as code > > > contributions. > > > > > > Relationships with Other Apache Products > > > - Apache OpenDAL directly depends on MEA and uses it throughout its > > > Rust implementation. > > > - prek depends on MEA and is used in Apache Airflow’s development > > > workflows, creating an indirect relationship with Apache Airflow. > > > - MEA may be useful to other ASF Rust projects that need > > > executor-independent synchronization or coordination, but no project > > > will be expected to adopt it merely because it is hosted by the ASF. > > > > > > An Excessive Fascination with the Apache Brand > > > The proposal is motivated by neutral ownership, durable > > > infrastructure, transparent governance, and community growth rather > > > than by endorsement or marketing value. The initial community > > > understands that the Apache name does not guarantee adoption and that > > > incubation requires sustained work on releases, policy compliance, and > > > community development. > > > > > > Documentation > > > The API documentation of MEA is hosted at https://docs.rs/mea. > > > > > > If the proposal is accepted, the community may establish a project > > > website at mea.apache.org; docs.rs will continue to host API > > > documentation for published crate versions. > > > > > > Initial Source > > > The project currently holds a GitHub repository and a Cargo crate: > > > - https://github.com/fast/mea > > > - https://crates.io/crates/mea > > > The crate will retain its name, while the repository will be moved to > > > the Apache org. > > > > > > Source and Intellectual Property Submission Plan > > > External Dependencies > > > The published crate currently has one direct runtime dependency: > > > > > > MIT > > > - slab 0.4.12 (It is planned to be removed) > > > > > > Cryptography > > > N/A > > > > > > Required Resources > > > Mailing Lists > > > - [email protected] > > > - [email protected] > > > - [email protected] > > > - [email protected] > > > - [email protected] > > > > > > Subversion Directory > > > N/A > > > > > > Git Repositories > > > From https://github.com/fast/mea > > > To https://gitbox.apache.org/asf/repos/mea > > > https://github.com/apache/mea > > > > > > Issue Tracking > > > The community would like to continue using GitHub Issues. > > > > > > Other Resources > > > The community has already chosen GitHub Actions as continuous > > integration tools. > > > > > > Initial Committers > > > - tison [[email protected]] > > > - Dian Luo [[email protected]] > > > - Yunze Xu [[email protected]] > > > - Haixu Ouyang [[email protected]] > > > > > > Sponsors > > > Champion > > > - Mingyang Liu [[email protected]] > > > > > > Nominated Mentors > > > - tison [[email protected]] > > > - Hao Ding [[email protected]] > > > - Jean-Baptiste Onofré [[email protected]] > > > - Mingyang Liu [[email protected]] > > > > > > Sponsor Entity > > > The Incubator > > > > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected] > > > For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected] > > > > > > > > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > > To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected] > > For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected] > > > > >
