Hello Vojtech, On Sat, Dec 11, 2021 at 1:54 AM Vojtěch Zeisek <vojtech.zeisek@opensuse.org> wrote:
Regarding governance, do You think the current governance model, purpose of the Board, etc. is the best, or it could be improved? I ask specifically because we all saw some issues in the Project during past year, so I wonder if some changes would help to prevent or at least mediate better such issues.
The model is not perfect but a lot of the issues can be addressed with better transparency and also participation of the community, something that in my opinion has already been improved. Since the introduction of the board meetings that are open to the public to attend, guests are encouraged to raise issues at the end of the meetings however the attendance is usually rather low. It would be important to understand the reason, whether it is communication or simply people's schedule not permitting it. The framework of the Board is defined by the bylaws but if there is a gap between the Board's role and people's expectations, I think the community should be encouraged to discuss it openly.
The platform wasn't immediately available but was uploaded[0] earlier last week. [0] https://en.opensuse.org/openSUSE:Board_election_2021_platform_m4u
Thank You for the platform. :-) I like Your section about inspiring newcomers, it's crucial for any future development. What do You think are the biggest blocks preventing new people from contributing? And how to remove them?
The biggest block may be that new people may not know that the entry bar to contributing to openSUSE is rather low and that anyone can have a meaningful impact, because of our do-ocracy aka "those who do, decide". Of course the impact may not be immediate and a packager may not submit things the right way from the start, but generally persevering will get them there, if we provide the right environment to do so. Whichever is our area, ideally us "veterans" could be mentoring new users, by giving guidance and support. But generally speaking we can also start from the simple things, for example if someone writes an email not following the netiquette or a bad bugzilla report, we reachout politely to explain rather than publicly embarrassing them.
Restoring faith in Geeko is also condition needed for any future of the project. It's very sad we even have this as a topic to discuss... :-/
It's a bitter pill but as community we are still here and I'd like to stay positive that things are going to be bright :D Best, Maurizio