[gentoo-nfp] Foundation meeting agenda for April 2018

[gentoo-nfp] Foundation meeting agenda for April 2018

[Matthew Thode]

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The canonical version of this agenda is located at:
https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Foundation:Meetings/2018/04

The time / date / location of the meeting are as follows
Saturday, April 21 2018 22:00 UTC on irc.freenode.net #gentoo-trustees

Alicef:
  - Add Foundation:Consultants reference to https://www.gentoo.org/support
    - This seems to be done already, just need an ack for removal
  - (non-corporate) donors / "friends" page
  - licencing update (with ulm)

klondike: request for accounting / bookkeeping (status update, with K_F)

prometheanfire: openssl ecc update (stabilize 1.1)

Infra update: jmbsvicetto
Treasurer update: robbat2

Open Bugs: https://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?bug_status=UNCONFIRMED&bug_status=CONFIRMED&bug_status=IN_PROGRESS&bug_status=VERIFIED&email2=trustees&emailassigned_to2=1&emailcc2=1&emailreporter2=1&emailtype2=substring&known_name=TrusteesOpenBugs&list_id=3290194&order=Last%20Changed&query_based_on=TrusteesOpenBugs&query_format=advanced&resolution=---

Cleanup:  Next meeting: Saturday, May 19 2018 22:00 UTC

Open Floor

=======
If you have any additions you wish to make, please submit it to the
gentoo-nfp list at least 48 hours before the meeting is to take place.

-- 
Matthew Thode (prometheanfire)

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[gentoo-nfp] Re: [gentoo-project] Foundation meeting agenda for April 2018

[Andreas K. Huettel]

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> 
> We request the Board of Trustees to make the following motion part of
> their next meeting agenda, we will ask for a formal vote by council at
> the next council meeting:
> 
> 
>   We request that the Gentoo Council and the Board of Trustees of the Gentoo
> Foundation affirm Gentoo's metastructure GLEP 39 as the governing principle
> of the Gentoo Linux developer community. In particular, both acknowledge
> the split between
>     - the Gentoo Council, which is responsible for the Gentoo Linux
> developer community, its user base and all technical decisions,
>     - and the Gentoo Foundation, whose role is to hold Gentoo's assets
>       (such as trademarks and server infrastructure) and support the
> developer and user community.
> 

Reaffirming this, as a foundation member I request that the Board of Trustees 
passes this precise motion.


-- 
Andreas K. Hüttel
dilfridge@gentoo.org
Gentoo Linux developer
(council, toolchain, perl, libreoffice, comrel)

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[gentoo-nfp] Re: [gentoo-project] Foundation meeting agenda for April 2018

[Alec Warner]

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On Sun, Apr 8, 2018 at 4:27 PM, Matthew Thode <prometheanfire@gentoo.org>
wrote:

> The canonical version of this agenda is located at:
> https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Foundation:Meetings/2018/04
>
> The time / date / location of the meeting are as follows
> Saturday, April 21 2018 22:00 UTC on irc.freenode.net #gentoo-trustees
>
> Alicef:
>   - Add Foundation:Consultants reference to https://www.gentoo.org/support
>     - This seems to be done already, just need an ack for removal
>   - (non-corporate) donors / "friends" page
>   - licencing update (with ulm)
>
> klondike: request for accounting / bookkeeping (status update, with K_F)
>
> prometheanfire: openssl ecc update (stabilize 1.1)
>
> Infra update: jmbsvicetto
> Treasurer update: robbat2
>
> Open Bugs: https://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?bug_status=
> UNCONFIRMED&bug_status=CONFIRMED&bug_status=IN_
> PROGRESS&bug_status=VERIFIED&email2=trustees&emailassigned_
> to2=1&emailcc2=1&emailreporter2=1&emailtype2=substring&known_name=
> TrusteesOpenBugs&list_id=3290194&order=Last%20Changed&query_based_on=
> TrusteesOpenBugs&query_format=advanced&resolution=---
>
> Cleanup:  Next meeting: Saturday, May 19 2018 22:00 UTC
>
> Open Floor
>
> =======
> If you have any additions you wish to make, please submit it to the
> gentoo-nfp list at least 48 hours before the meeting is to take place.
>

I would propose that in lieu of the motion requested by Matthias and
Andreas the board should put forth a roadmap
to dissolution. The roadmap might look like the following:

   1. Return to financial health by completing tax compliance, and hiring a
   bookkeeper / accountant for ongoing accounting work.
   2. Exploration of umbrella support of the organization.
   3. Dissolution of the Foundation with assets transferred to said
   umbrella.

It might contain timelines like:

   1. The board expects to secure an accountant by August 2018 and return
   to financial health by April 2019.
   2. Exploration of umbrella support will begin by August 2018 and last
   until Dec 2018 (at which point the board should have an umbrella selected,
   or not.)
   3. File dissolution papers and transfer remaining assets to umbrella by
   August 2019.

I think this sends a much better message than some non-binding statement
(not that this timeline is necessarily binding either.)

-A


> --
> Matthew Thode (prometheanfire)
>

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[gentoo-nfp] Re: [gentoo-project] Foundation meeting agenda for April 2018

[Michał Górny]

Dnia 8 kwietnia 2018 22:43:03 CEST, Matthias Maier <tamiko@gentoo.org> napisał(a):
>On Sun, Apr  8, 2018, at 15:27 CDT, Matthew Thode
><prometheanfire@gentoo.org> wrote:
>
>> =======
>> If you have any additions you wish to make, please submit it to the
>> gentoo-nfp list at least 48 hours before the meeting is to take
>place.
>
>
>We request the Board of Trustees to make the following motion part of
>their next meeting agenda, we will ask for a formal vote by council at
>the next council meeting:
>
>
>We request that the Gentoo Council and the Board of Trustees of the
>Gentoo
>Foundation affirm Gentoo's metastructure GLEP 39 as the governing
>principle
>of the Gentoo Linux developer community. In particular, both
>acknowledge
>  the split between
>- the Gentoo Council, which is responsible for the Gentoo Linux
>developer
>      community, its user base and all technical decisions,
>    - and the Gentoo Foundation, whose role is to hold Gentoo's assets
>(such as trademarks and server infrastructure) and support the
>developer
>      and user community.

I would go even further and finally cease the completely independent proceedings of the Foundation. Its purpose is to serve the developers, and developers choose their lead in the Council (with new election, ofc).

Most notably, I'd say that all major decisions, including financial and legal matters, should go through Council. Trustees should merely be a 'legal gateway' that confirms or rejects decisions based on the legal implications but doesn't make independent decisions.

This would finally end debates over who is responsible for which area of Gentoo, concerns of 'two headed beast', concerns of Trustees making decisions without awareness of events inside Gentoo (dev status reform, anyone?) and risks of Trustees using their control e.g. over resources to pursue their own goals.

The current model is suboptimal e.g. when infra requests funding from Trustees without actually consulting the goals with Gentoo representatives.

>
>
>Best,
>Matthias and Andreas


-- 
Best regards,
Michał Górny (by phone)

[gentoo-nfp] Re: [gentoo-project] Foundation meeting agenda for April 2018

[Matthias Maier]

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Dear Matthew,

I would like to reiterate our request with a slightly modified version.



On Sun, Apr  8, 2018, at 15:27 CDT, Matthew Thode <prometheanfire@gentoo.org> wrote:

> =======
> If you have any additions you wish to make, please submit it to the
> gentoo-nfp list at least 48 hours before the meeting is to take place.


We request the Board of Trustees to make the following motion part of
their next meeting agenda, we will ask for a formal vote by council at
the next council meeting:


  We request that the Board of Trustees of the Gentoo Foundation and the
  Gentoo Council affirm Gentoo's metastructure GLEP 39 as the governing  
  principle of the Gentoo Linux developer community. In particular, both
  acknowledge the intended (non-exclusive) split between
      - the Gentoo Developer community, currently lead by the Gentoo Council,
        which is responsible for the developer community, its user base and
        all technical development decisions,
      - and the Gentoo Foundation, whose role is to hold Gentoo's assets
        (such as trademarks and server infrastructure) and support the
        developer and user community. Although the Board of Trustees
        exercises its own independent judgment on every decision, it
        generally carries out requests from the community.


Rationale:

(a) We merely want to reaffirm the current status quo, that is
    specifically:

    * GLEP 39: https://www.gentoo.org/glep/glep-0039.html

    * https://www.gentoo.org/inside-gentoo/foundation/
      ""
      In order to sustain the current quality and development swiftness the
      Gentoo project needs a framework for intellectual property protection
      and financial contributions while limiting the contributors’ legal
      exposure. The Gentoo Foundation will embody this framework without
      intervening in the Gentoo development. This latter aspect should be
      seen as a clear separation between coordinating the Gentoo development
      and protecting Gentoo’s assets. Both are distinct concepts requiring
      different skills and working methods.
      ""

(b) This separation has worked well for many open source projects,
    exemplarily we mention

    * https://www.spi-inc.org/

    * https://www.debian.org/devel/constitution#item-9
      ""
      An organisation holding assets for Debian has no authority regarding
      Debian's technical or nontechnical decisions, except that no decision
      by Debian with respect to any property held by the organisation shall
      require it to act outside its legal authority.
      ""

(c) It is legally not possible for quite a number of Gentoo developers
    to have an office status or board member status in the Gentoo
    Foundation. This is because quite a number of employers in academia
    and industry view this as a conflict of interest.


Best,
Matthias and Andreas

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Re: [gentoo-nfp] Re: [gentoo-project] Foundation meeting agenda for April 2018

[Matthias Maier]

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Let us do one more clarification and call it a day with new versions
afterwards:

"""
We request that the Board of Trustees of the Gentoo Foundation and the
Gentoo Council affirm Gentoo's metastructure GLEP 39 as the governing
principle of the Gentoo Linux developer community. In particular, both
acknowledge the intended (non-exclusive) split between

    - the Gentoo Developer community, as unincorporated associations of
      individuals, governing itself through the Gentoo Council, which is
      responsible for the developer community, its user base and all technical
      development decisions,

    - and the Gentoo Foundation, whose role is to hold assets for the Gentoo
      Developer community (such as trademarks and server infrastructure) and to
      support the developer and user community. Although the Gentoo Foundation
      Board of Trustees exercises its own independent judgment on decisions
      affecting its role, it generally carries out requests from the
      community.
"""

Best,
Matthias and Andreas

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