Re: [gentoo-user] Daniel Robbins' come back ?

[Dale <dalek1967@bellsouth.net>]

Mick wrote:
> On Saturday 12 January 2008, Jil Larner wrote:
>   
>> Well, it's like if I am opening my eyes. I never looked at what the
>> foundation was supposed to do. For a couple of years I've been using
>> gentoo, I never get any political announcement, maybe because I didn't
>> look at the right place, or maybe there was no. I mean that except the
>> Gentoo's Philosophy and the Gentoo's Social Contract, I didn't see
>> politic, for my eyes were probably closed.
>> It doesn't mean I didn't enjoyed gentoo, its power, its flexibility, its
>> community. But I certainly missed something. There are so many ways to
>> communicate (lists, IRC, boards, wikis, project pages, etc.) that I must
>> admit I'm sometime lost.
>>
>> Today, I learn we're in trouble. Good. What trouble ? What's happening ?
>> Why through the words of Daniel Robbins, I feel some fear ? I feel he
>> foresees a dead end and offers an opportunity to change before it is too
>> late. Once more, to quote Matrix, "the problem is choice". In Free
>> Software, there are often choices where the community can get involved
>> in and it makes our strength. The problem is, and is not, legal papers.
>> Because, IMO, legal papers are the visible part of an Iceberg. Could
>> someone tell me what *really* is the crisis ? If people did not do what
>> they were supposed to do : what should they have done ?
>>
>> Thanks.
>>     
>
> I am equally agnostic of Gentoo management politics, albeit grateful that 
> people volunteer their time and effort to keep it going.  From the little 
> exposure that I have had to it all it seems to me that Alan's views ring 
> depressingly true.  I read Daniel's blog and cannot disagree with what he 
> suggests - it makes common sense that users views and desires should 
> determine Gentoo's direction, but I have not read between the lines to see 
> how might his proposals lead to directions that I would not readily agree 
> with.  See this excerpt of his below from OSNews.com in 2002:
>
> "I very much want to find a way to turn the Gentoo Linux project into a 
> profitable enterprise. My main motivation in wanting to do this is so I can 
> stop living from paycheck to paycheck and focus my professional efforts 
> exclusively on Gentoo Linux development. Many of our developers would like to 
> do the same thing"
>
> (I am not critising this statement of his; after all I would very much like to 
> find myself a sustainable way of being able to do what I like - without 
> having to spend the biggest part of my day in my current job.)
>
> Giving a free hand to any single person is not safe in my humble view, 
> especially if that person is employed by Microsoft - I will find hard to rest 
> assured that there will be no conflict of interest.  On the other hand it 
> seems that Gentoo desperately needs *mature* leadership, which can fulfill 
> some rather significant responsibilities.  From what I read the current 
> Gentoo administration and management setup does not seem to be able to behave 
> with the professionalism required to achieve that.  This makes me anxious for 
> the future of Gentoo.
>
> Just my 2c's.
>   

I have been using Gentoo for about 4 or 5 years now.  I to think Gentoo
has well, lost its way.  It seems like a bunch of teenagers is running
it sometimes.  They decide something then go back a few steps when they
don't like the results.  Proctors come to mind on that.  Users seems to
be the last thing on the higher ups mind.  That is not good. 

I love my Gentoo but I would like to see someone step up and get some
things done and some decisions made, even those we may never know about.

I just don't want to see Gentoo fall into the abyss.

Dale

:-)  :-) 
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