> Question: will the domain name, mailing lists, etc continue to be > owned by GPLS, or will it be taken over by Equinox (whois says Equinox > registered evergreen-ils.org back in July, presumably to avoid the > curse of domain name squatters), or by some other entity? For the > paranoid amongst us, this is where an Evergreen Software Foundation or > something like that could play a role. I'm not worried, personally, > but we should be clear about changes that might have side effects > beyond just the name.
I raise my hand and say I did it, and also quickly add that as you suggest, it was to avoid domain squatting. That said, I quickly turned it over to Equinox (in case I got hit by a truck) and at that, we're all aware that the domain names should really be in the name of a separate entity for Evergreen. Currently they are here and there. Actually I would say that many people involved in Evergreen (including and even particularly Equinox) are in favor of establishing an entity for Evergreen. I will be frank and say that when I came on board with Equinox -- well, actually well before this -- I kept hearing talk of a "foundation" for Evergreen and I thought, well maybe. But after a while I realized that people were saying "foundation" (which made me think the focus was on soliciting funds--not a bad idea but a not well-gelled) when what I /think/ they mean is nonprofit organization (as in a legal entity specific to Evergreen, which could in fact be used for fundraising, which is a very different emphasis). This is a very sound idea. I have been (partly) down this road in another life and have some sense of the nonprofit landscape. I also have a lot of familiarity (actually too much) with managing a project that had no legal status, and I have peers (even two in the OSS world) in a similar position. Once a project achieves a certain age and size, it is much, much better for everyone concerned if it has its own legal identity. I have certainly seen changes happen -- sometimes overnight -- that have adversely affected a project that really should have had its own destiny. Even when all the principals are fully on board -- and I think I can say in all sincerity that is completely true with Evergreen -- things happen. As Joan Didion wrote, "Life changes in the instant." In my experience, it takes longer to get a nonprofit established than it does for most of these changes to take place. I have never actually brought a nonprofit to fruition, though I came very close and have spent a lot of time reading up on them, attending nonprof conferences, etc. I know enough to believe nonprofit status is a very rational path for Evergreen and would be willing to help make this happen (in fact, uh, I bet there are some people, including my boss, who actually consider this part of my job...). I also think some of our stakeholders are similarly interested and would be willing to work to help establish this entity. Karen G. Schneider Equinox Community Librarian [EMAIL PROTECTED]
