Adrian: Only partners would get a full-licence.
Adrian: I don't envision having any checking mechanism
for people becoming associates - they'd just subscribe
to the mailing list.
Alain: Associate = Mailing list suscriber. That's it?
Adrian: Partners would require approval from the
current partners before they could "transcend" to
being partners.
Alain: Unanimity?
Adrian: This hierarchy needs to be properly
established, even if it is completely flat, we need to
decide that.
Alain: Flat would be much easier.
Adrian: We've spent a lot of time talking and yet we
just keep returning to the same questions without
finding answers.
Alain: My perception is that things are progressing
slowly but surely. It will all gel soon.
Adrian: By the nature of the internet I don't think we
will ever have the means to determine wether or not we
have complete consensus. We can determine that a
majority or 2/3 or 5/6 agree, but not everyone. We
need to allow for that reality.
Alain: Consensus is not the equivalent of Unanimity.
In my opinion, a consensus is quite similar to a
majority except that dissenting views and other
concerns of minorities are taken into account in the
final decision. A consensus is thus the best
(majority) compromise that is fair for everyone
involved.
> Alain: That is what voting should be used for.
> Voting could help us establish what the consensus is
> at any given time. A polling mechanism instead of a
> binding ruling.
Adrian: Yes, in any system we need to get a
voting/polling system set up.
Alain: Agreed.
Adrian: But as I said above, we won't be able to get
everyone to use that system, some people will still
"lurk".
Alain: If a minority does not express its concerns to
the majority in order to arrive at new consensus that
takes them into account, then the majority is indeed
the consensus. And if everyone was present, then we'd
have a unanimity of sorts.
Adrian: This is a big advantage of having a "dictator"
who has the final say - when topics arise after being
settled once before, the "dictator" can simply say
that it has recently been discussed and that no change
will be made.
Alain: That has always been the argument in favour of
dictatorship. Its more efficient because there is
little or no debate to complicate matters. But is
dictatorship really more efficient than democracy, in
the long run? Not to mention the fact that there is
much more to life than efficiency.
Adrian: However, I would like to avoid a "dictator"
as, like Alain, I would like to branch into new ways
of collaborating and share power among members.
Alain: I am pleased to hear that!
Adrian: Besides this is the way many companies are
heading these days.
Alain: A recognition that collaboration is a better
strategy than competition, even when it comes to
making money. Interesting times that we live in!
> Alain: But, if it really is the only PRACTICAL
> approach to group decision-making, then I will
> reluctantly give up my fool's-dream of consensus.
Adrian: Never give up on your dream, I think it is a
dream that is shared by much of the group, but we just
need to find the way to implement it so that it stands
up to reality and the extra stresses our type of
collaboration places on it.
Alain: That is what I am committed to doing :)
Thank you for your support, Adrian. I needed to hear
this.
Adrian: You are certainly not being a pain in the ass,
I too would like to see a ground-breaking system of
management, but reality keeps kicking in and I look at
how little we have achieved in a collaborative sense
in such a long time.
Alain: Eric has helped move thing along substantially.
Adrian: This project has effectively killed off the
UFP and that's a large price to pay.
Alain: More so than I imagined. I have never quite
given up on it though.
Adrian: I would like to see this project make some
strong advancements which will bring the UFP back to
life ...
Alain: YES ... It will be wonderful. Their roles are
complimentary.
Adrian: ... as well as make OpenCard become a
buzz-word on the lips of all xTalk developers. We
need to get moving.
Alain: Hear! Hear! I will do what I can.
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