2) Are there any other aspects relevant in this discussion? Can you summarize
   them?

Hi,

following yesterday's mail[1], we introduce some of the ideas we would like to
discuss with you in order to create a common big picture we can share. This
big picture is relevant in order to define the actions to execute the following
months/ years.

[1] http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-project/2013-11/msg00094.html

What do we want to achieve? Goals
=================================

1) Add focus to increase alignment among contributors.

2) Foster the community and the user base.
   - Starting from our current community, we want to keep increasing the
     number of contributors, specially those working on core parts of the
     distribution/project.
   - The openSUSE user base needs to grow. We propose to be even more open
     to new niches.

3) Catalyze openSUSE maturity process.
   - openSUSE has an interesting number of contributors. Now we think it is
     time to reinforce our structures.
   - Having more solid structures/groups will allow openSUSE to assume more
     responsibilities and deliver.
   - In general, we think we need few rules but good ones, easy to follow and
     analyze.

4) Attract new players by becoming more attractive to new players.
   - The Free Software ecosystem is now full of companies/non-profits that use,
     deploy, develop and/or understand Free Software and its benefits.
   - We want to support ideas toward increasing our value for them so they
     come to openSUSE and become good citizens of the project.

Based on these goals, there are 4 aspects we propose to focus on:

Enhanced Factory
================

We would like to put effort in Factory in the following direction:

 * New process getting the best of Factory, Tumbeweed and devel projects. We
   need everybody contributing in a single point for a single purpose. We are
   just too few to spread efforts.

 * Improve development process based on our strengths. What are we very good
   at? Let's base the new process on that.

 * Clarify roles and responsibilities. Redesign processes so we increase the
   community participation in key areas. Teams instead of champions.

 * More stability and QA. Testing before submitting. Factory should be usable.

 * Rolling distribution based on release early/release often principle.

This proposal will be more in depth described tomorrow on Factory mailing list
where we will expand the bullet points mentioned here.

Overhauled openSUSE Release
===========================

Once we have established the basis, we think we can concentrate in our current
user base. That is, end users and non-OS developers that needs a solid base.

We see the openSUSE Release focused on two main targets:
* A desktop and a server oriented release that target end users that work
  everyday with their computers.

* Using OBS repositories to cover further use cases.
   - The idea is to initially target developers that need a stable base and
     tools on top.
   - Another interesting use case are derivatives. There could be more.

Principles that would drive our efforts:
* Stability and quality as core values.
   - We can make the more stable distribution for users based on Green values.

* Longer release cycle.

* Enhanced maintenance model

* OBS can be use in a smart and efficient way to add flexibility to this model.
  - People that needs stable base but recent version of tools.
  - New niches: big data, NoSQL, new programming languages, cloud....

Open Governance Model
=====================

Our Governance model has improved over the years. We would like to work with
the community the following years in taking some steps further.

* Technical governance model adapted to our new development processes: very
  few but clearer rules. Mentoring ecosystem.

* Project governance model: evolution from our current model while keeping our
  core values. More efficient structure to accomplish the project goals.
  - SUSE role evolution:
    Owner (2005) -> Main sponsor -> Patron, together with other players.

Where can SUSE add value, beyond supporting ideas like the ones described (or
others)?

Ralf Flaxa in his keynote [2] pointed some ideas where SUSE could complement
openSUSE, increasing SUSE's contribution. We would like to hear your feedback
about these or other ideas to define how we can achieve this goal.

[2] http://youtu.be/fdroo2JZano

In summary, we propose to focus in the direction  where we already shine:

The Linux you work with, for a living.

Share your thoughts
===================

There are some questions we would like you to answer:

1) Do you agree with the proposed goals?

2) Are there any other aspects relevant in this discussion? Can you summarize
   them?

3) Which are the major risks you see in this view?

4) How do you think we should proceed in order to go from these ideas to real
   actions?

5) What suggestions  do you have for this "New Factory" and "New Release"?

Please add any other comments or ideas you have in this or a separate thread.

Saludos

-- 
Vincent Moutoussamy
SUSE Technical Support Engineer - France
Tel : +33 (0) 1 55 62 50 29 Mob : +33 (0) 6 07 19 77 98
Email : vmoutoussamy@suse.com