October 2010 - openSUSE Project - openSUSE Mailing Lists

[opensuse-project] openSUSE Infrastructure "Vision"
by Andreas Jaeger 05 Oct '10

05 Oct '10

As part of the "community transition" discussion on this list, the question of a "contingency plan" for openSUSE infrastructure came up. I'd like us to go one step back and ask what kind of infrastructure do we want to have in the long run and what kind of policies do we want to have? I know that I have seen a couple of discussions on infrastructure on mailing lists and had some with people face to face but we lack some kind of documented "vision" for our infrastructure. I'm asking this since the openSUSE infrastructure has grown over time and just making a "contingency plan" misses the chance, IMO we should define what kind of infrastructure the project needs and then work on that plan. So, one part of those principles could be these two: * do not relay completely on Novell data centers * have common authentification for all systems This could then lead to the following details: * Do not use ichain for authentification * setup a central user database, e.g. using ldap * Authentificate using oauth * Authentification with openID * Setup an openID provider and then we could ask already today for some folks to start working on a few of these items since they help the openSUSE infrastructure - independend of sponsorship. What do you think? What are your principles for our infrastructure? Any volunteer to collect the responses and write up a good proposal? Andreas -- Andreas Jaeger, Program Manager openSUSE, aj(a){novell.com,opensuse.org} Twitter: jaegerandi | Identica: jaegerandi SUSE LINUX Products GmbH, GF: Markus Rex, HRB 16746 (AG Nürnberg) Maxfeldstr. 5, 90409 Nürnberg, Germany GPG fingerprint = 93A3 365E CE47 B889 DF7F FED1 389A 563C C272 A126 -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-project+unsubscribe(a)opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-project+help(a)opensuse.org

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[opensuse-project] Revising the Board Election Rules, 2nd iteration
by Andreas Jaeger 05 Oct '10

05 Oct '10

A month ago I presented my first draft for the new openSUSE board election rules and received some good feedback, especially on the opensuse-project mailing list. Since the last version presented on the mailing list I reworked the draft some more taking into account the proposal by Henne to remove the split of the elected seats into Novell and non-Novell employees. So, now the goal of the changes for these rules are: * fill the holes that exist in the existing rules * clarify the existing rules * Open up the project even more with removing the restriction on two members beeing Novell employees. To help ensure that the board will always represent a wide part of the community, I've followed the example of the GNOME foundation to have a rule that only 40 % of the elected board members can work at the same company. Note that 40 % of 5 elected seats means 2 seats. I'd like to thank Vincent Untz and Alan Clark who helped me with this revision step. Below is the new draft, for reference I gave each rule a name. I'd like to hear now whether those complete rules are fine or where they need further revision and I'd also like to see wordsmithing to clarify and improve the rules. I've published the rules also on http://lizards.opensuse.org/2010/09/29/revising-the-board-election-rules-2n… iteration/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Complete rules There're too many changes now so that I don't mark additions/removals anymore. * Size: The board consists of six members: five seats are elected by the community and additionally an appointed chairperson. * Eligible candidates: Only openSUSE members may run for the Board. Any previous board member that has previously resigned or has been previously removed from the Board is not eligible for nomination or appointment for or within the next Board election period. * Eligible voters: Only openSUSE members may vote, each member having one ballot that has one vote per seat to be elected. * Election Committee: The election is run by an Election Committee that consists of at least three openSUSE members and gets appointed for each election by the board. None of the Election Committee can run for or be elected as an openSUSE board member while serving on the Election Committee. * Time length: The openSUSE board term is two years. Approximately half of the board is elected every year. This means that every year, the term of approximately half of the board ends, and the term of the other half ends the year after. To provide continuity to the organization the chairperson shall be appointed and replaced at Novell's discretion. The elected board members can appeal to Novell to have the chairperson replaced. * Yearly electing half the board: In case of resignations or removals occured since last elections, the term for elected board members for the current elections will be adjusted to make sure that half of the elected board seats - that means two out of five - will have to be filled during the next elections. To implement this adjustment, the elected seats with the most votes will have a two years term, while the seats with the lowest votes will have a one year term. The number of seats with the lowest votes is calculated so that half of the board seats will have to be filled during the next elections. * Serving time: openSUSE board members can serve for up to two consecutive election periods. After that they must stand down for at least one year, but may be run again after the one year break. * Resignation: A member of the board may resign their current position by giving written notice to the chairperson. * Removal: In the event of repeated absence without contact, or other serious misconduct or negligence, a Board member may be subject to removal. Before any other process occurs, the Board member in question will be personally contacted by the chairperson to try to resolve the situation. If this contact does not successfully resolve the situation, the Board member in question may be removed by a vote of 2/3s of the board members. The board should appoint a new board member. Repeated absence includes missing three consecutive board meetings without sending regrets, not answering at all to emails or sending regrets for more than 10 meetings. * Appointment: The running board is allowed to appoint new members during their term to fill a board vacancy caused by one of the following conditions: 1) Resignation of a Board member or 2) the removal of a Board member, or 3) as part of elections. Appointed seats are only appointed until the next election. Instead of opting to appointmore than one board member, the board may opt to call for a new board election for the vacant seats. * Company affiliation: To help ensure that the board will always represent a wide part of the community, no single organization or company will be allowed to control more than 40% of the elected or appointed board seats, regardless of election results. In the event that individuals affiliated with a corporation or organization hold more than 40% of the seats, affiliates from that corporation will be required to resign until 40% is no longer held. Individuals affiliated with a company or organization are people who are employees, officers, or members of the board of directors of an organization; or have a significant consulting relationship; or own at least 1% of the equity or debt, or derivatives thereof, of a company. Notwithstanding the above, members of the openSUSE board shall act on behalf of all openSUSE contributors in the best interest of the openSUSE project. Although board members may be affiliated with companies that have an interest in the success of openSUSE, they will not be considered representatives of companies with which they are affiliated. * Affiliation during election: If more than 40 % of the elected seats would be affiliated with one company (as defined above), elections results shall be adjusted as follows. Individuals who are affiliated with the company which has an excess of representatives shall be removed based on the number of votes they received until such individuals no longer hold a majority of the seats on the board. Other candidates shall replace them, based on the number of votes they received. * Nominations: The election committee will take self-nominations, nominations by others and can nominate people for election. The election committee will contact the nominated people and ask them whether they stand for election. These nominations are private until accepted by the nominated people. * Insufficient Nominations: In the event that the number of eligible candidates is less than or equal to the number of available seats, the voting period will be delayed by two weeks. A public message will be sent out to ask again for candidates. In the event that the number of eligible candidates is less than or equal to the number of available seats, voting occurs as normal but each candidate needs to have more than 50 per cent yes votes. In case that seats do not get elected, the new board will appoint them. * Constitution: A new board term should start on the first of January, the elections should be finished 14 days before. In the case of delays, the new board will start 7 days after the election results are published. * Tie: In the event of a tie for the final slot on the board, the election committee will schedule run-off elections between the tied candidates within one week, with a voting period of one week to resolve the tie. In the event of a tie during the run-off elections, the newly elected board - or the previous board, if all seats are to be filled during the run-off elections - will appoint candidates running in the run-off elections to fill the remaining slots. * Forced reelection: If 20 per cent of the openSUSE members require a new board election, an election will be held for the complete elected Board seats. * Amendment: Changes by the election rules can be done by vote of the board where 2/3s approve it including the chairperson or by vote of the membership where 2/3 of the openSUSE members approve it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Open Question From Vincent: Should we move to some "smarter" voting mechanism. The GNOME Foundation switched to STV [1][2], and I must admit it feels more "right", when voting. This would need some change in the voting software, though. [1] http://mail.gnome.org/archives/foundation-announce/2009- March/msg00001.html [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_Transferable_Vote ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ References: * http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Board_succession_planning * Jono Bacon in The Art of community management * http://foundation.gnome.org/elections/2010/rules.html * http://foundation.gnome.org/about/charter/ * http://en.opensuse.org/openSUSE:Board_election -- Andreas Jaeger, Program Manager openSUSE, aj(a){novell.com,opensuse.org} Twitter: jaegerandi | Identica: jaegerandi SUSE LINUX Products GmbH, GF: Markus Rex, HRB 16746 (AG Nürnberg) Maxfeldstr. 5, 90409 Nürnberg, Germany GPG fingerprint = 93A3 365E CE47 B889 DF7F FED1 389A 563C C272 A126 -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-project+unsubscribe(a)opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-project+help(a)opensuse.org

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[opensuse-project] Sadly Bryen (suseROCKS) was robbed
by Stephen Shaw 04 Oct '10

04 Oct '10

He is currently traveling in Spain and will soon be off to the openSUSE conference. Over the weekend he was robbed. Among those items were his laptop, camera, kindle, and other various items. We are hoping to raise some money to help replace those items. Thanks to those that have already given. For those that'd like to help out here is a link to the donate site: http://pledgie.com/campaigns/13645 Thanks, Bryen's friends -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-project+unsubscribe(a)opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-project+help(a)opensuse.org

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Re: [opensuse-project] Revising the Board Election Rules, 2nd iteration
by suserocks＠bryen.com 01 Oct '10

01 Oct '10

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry -----Original Message----- From: suserocks(a)bryen.com Date: Fri, 1 Oct 2010 16:09:20 To: Andreas Jaeger<aj(a)suse.de> Reply-To: suserocks(a)bryen.com Subject: Re: [opensuse-project] Revising the Board Election Rules, 2nd iteration Better to say something like: "For up to one year or until the next election cycle, whichever comes first". That way someone appointed in 6ebruary won't stay on past the election in december. Bryen Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry -----Original Message----- From: Andreas Jaeger <aj(a)suse.de> Date: Fri, 1 Oct 2010 16:57:02 To: Rupert HorstkÃ¶tter<rhorstkoetter(a)opensuse.org> Cc: <opensuse-project(a)opensuse.org> Subject: Re: [opensuse-project] Revising the Board Election Rules, 2nd iteration On Thursday 30 September 2010 20:23:14 Rupert Horstkötter wrote: > AJ, > > 2010/9/29 Andreas Jaeger <aj(a)suse.de>: > > Rupert Horstkötter <rhorstkoetter(a)opensuse.org> writes: > >> It's indeed hard to find a better proposal other than infinite > >> voting. It wasn't clear to me (out of the posted draft text) that > >> such a nominated board member would serve just one year as a > >> restriction. IMO > > > > Hi Rupert, this is the rule "Appointment". do you have an idea on how > > to change the text so that it's clear for everybody? I don't want to > > confuse anybody and so I need your help on avoiding that. > > Re-reading the rules whole through, especially in combination with the > "Appointment" rule, it's now clear that we talk about a one year term > for such an appointed board member. That said, I certainly leave it up > to your estimation if an additional hint is required within the > "Insufficient nominations" rule (for my understanding it is as the > rules are tedious long) but in case you decide to change this > slightly, we may write > > "the new board will appoint them (for a one year term)" > > Do you feel this appropriate? I will add something like this. thanks for the suggestion, Andreas -- Andreas Jaeger, Program Manager openSUSE, aj(a){novell.com,opensuse.org} Twitter: jaegerandi | Identica: jaegerandi SUSE LINUX Products GmbH, GF: Markus Rex, HRB 16746 (AG Nürnberg) Maxfeldstr. 5, 90409 Nürnberg, Germany GPG fingerprint = 93A3 365E CE47 B889 DF7F FED1 389A 563C C272 A126 -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-project+unsubscribe(a)opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-project+help(a)opensuse.org

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