[cgl_discussion] New draft of PoC restructuring proposal

[Mika Kukkonen]

On ma, 2002-10-28 at 13:20, Skip Ford wrote:
> Lynch, Rusty wrote:
> > I have attached a PDF file containing a new draft of the PoC restructuring
> > proposal.  Please review the proposal and come prepared to debate the
> > proposal at tomorrows technical board meeting.
> 
> Why debate it behind closed doors?  One of the bullet points is you're
> preceived to be apart from the community.

Well, I guess the main problem is that the thing called "community" is
really a double-edged sword: it can be utilized for lot of good (look at
the Linux kernel) and for bad (look at some Linux based [ex-]companies).

Unfortunately the potential good effects are long term and the potential
bad effects short term, and companies who nowadays work mostly on their
next quarter kind of care more about the short term.

But we are working on this issue; that's why we have this mailing list
available to everybody in first place. I am also very eager to debate
the issue further, as this is very important to me, for obvious reasons.

> Also, the CGL page defines the subgroup mailing lists as open to the
> public.  I tried to join to learn about your project only to find that
> they're really closed to the public.

No, the requirement is to sign the Participant Agreement 
(http://www.osdl.org/pdf/cgl_twg_agreement.pdf) as an individual.

The sole purpose of that document is to guarantee, that no person or
company can give us input that gets incorporated in our specs and then
later claim IPR etc. rights over it. And believe me, that is a good
thing ...

I know legal text is not something anybody (outside laywyers) wants to
read, but this is what OSDL lawyers told us we need to do. And we
do have several individuals that have succesfully signed the agreement
and gotten access to the internal mailing lists (feel free to speak up
and say, that there is nothing secret and magical in those lists ...).

This mailing list (cgl_discussion) is really the one where most of
debating should happen, actually. It is just difficult to get:
  a) Community to read this list
  and
  b) Convince people in companies that it is ok to post to such a list
     without first clearing the mail through their boss and legal & PR
     departments.

I think only solution to a) and b) is time and mutual understanding and
support from the both sides, and my job is to try to facilitate that.

--MiKu