On Thu, Jun 16, 2011 at 7:48 AM, Sam Ruby <[email protected]> wrote:
> Reposting with a new subject line, and copying the appropriate > trademark's mailing list. > > The relevant policy can be found here: > > http://www.apache.org/foundation/marks/ > Early in the morning here... but just to add further information to what Ian already said. The trademark was approved and is already a working group project within the OpenOffice.org Project at http://certification.openoffice.org the business model description is available at the certification wiki pages http://wiki.services.openoffice.org/wiki/Certification Approved discussions were public and handled by the Community Counsil a few years ago. > > - Sam Ruby > > On Thu, Jun 16, 2011 at 7:52 AM, Ian Lynch <[email protected]> wrote: > > On 16 June 2011 12:00, Sam Ruby <[email protected]> wrote: > > > >> On Thu, Jun 16, 2011 at 6:47 AM, IngridvdM <[email protected]> > >> wrote: > >> > > >> > I am really in favor of going without anyone being named leader or > >> manager > >> > or any name that could create the impression that this person has more > >> > rights than the others. Maybe we can choose 'contact' as a neutral > >> > description in case something turns out to be needed? Or is there even > a > >> > more neutral word? > >> > >> The only 'contact' that people need for this project is > >> [email protected]. > >> > >> If this list grows too large or too busy, then we can create > >> additional 'contacts' in the form of more mailing lists. > > > > > > OK, sounds sensible to try using what already exists until there is a > good > > reason not too :-) > > > > Let me test the system ;-) > > > > Alexandro Colorado and myself (both been involved with the OOo community > for > > years) have been negotiating with a large training company to provide a > > community backed certification for OOo but with a vector to potentially > 1500 > > centres. I previously sought and was granted permission by Oracle to use > the > > OOo branding on certificates. I guess we need community consensus here > now, > > to carry on with that. There is quite a long history to all this and I > > declare a financial interest. I set up a UK government accredited > awarding > > organisation (The Learning Machine Ltd) to enable a mechanism for funding > > FOSS and CC education development that was independent of licensing ie > the > > business model is QA so no problem licensing any supporting stuff freely. > > > > To get started required investment so the only way to do that was to set > up > > a for profit and sell shares. That together with EU grants has put well > over > > £1m of investment into this. We have had some successes such as schools > that > > started using our generic certification with MS products that have now > > switched to OOo. I can get the FOSS voice heard in influential government > > places. The strategy is in general to be product neutral but to use FOSS > for > > all exemplars and supporting materials. This gives us a channel to get > > closed source users at least in contact with FOSS so there is a clear > > marketing strategy. With OOo certification we can say eg the WP > certificate > > was achieved in the context of OOo Writer and put an OOo logo on the > > certificate. The assessment criteria are generic so we could do the same > > with LibO, Koffice etc. or indeed any FOSS software project, Inkscape, > Gimp, > > Audacity etc. WE could even do professional Apache qualifications if > there > > was a demand. Once we work out delivery costs (Its variable and depends > on > > volume) we give a kick back to community funds in return for using the > > branding. We have the infrastructure in place using a LAMP stack for > > assessment and certification and Drupal for community support with > dynamic > > links between the 2. Portal is at www.theingots.org. The acronym INGOT > is > > International Grades - Open Technologies. > > > > We are accredited by Ofqual the UK national exam regulators and endorsed > by > > the UK Sector Skills Council for Business and IT. All our qualifications > are > > referenced to the European Qualifications Framework. We have 2 EU > Transfer > > of innovation projects and we are monitored by all these so the community > > can have some confidence that we "know what we are doing". My background > is > > that I was a UK School Inspection Team leader and assessor of the > National > > Professional Qualification for Headteachers. > > > > So what I'm asking for is permission to use the OOo Trademark and general > > community support. > > > > Trying to keep this reasonably short so please feel free to ask any > > questions. > > > > -- > > Ian > > > > Ofqual Accredited IT Qualifications (The Schools ITQ) > > > > www.theINGOTs.org +44 (0)1827 305940 > > > > The Learning Machine Limited, Reg Office, 36 Ashby Road, Tamworth, > > Staffordshire, B79 8AQ. Reg No: 05560797, Registered in England and > > Wales. > > > -- *Alexandro Colorado* *OpenOffice.org* Español http://es.openoffice.org
