On Fri, 27 Jan 2012 07:44:57 +0100, C wrote:
Membership is a privilege, NOT a right.
Actually, C, I'd have to emphatically disagree. Here's why. Membership is a way of recognizing contribution to the project. One shouldn't be in a position of feeling "privileged" to have their contribution recognized through some sort of "official title". For my part, I feel privileged for my contributions to be recognized through membership. But that's not the same as membership being a privilege. It's earned, through hard work and contributions. Telling those that have made a significant contribution that they should consider it a privilege is backwards. *We* should feel privileged that contributors (in their many shapes and forms) consider the project worthy of their time and efforts, whether it's part of their paid job or something they do in their spare time. We need to respect that and we need to recognize it. People have a right to be recognized for their contributions - so in that regard, membership *is* a right, earned through hard work. The question on the table, as I see it, is this: How recent does that work have to be? Should there even be a time limitation on one's contribution? Perhaps there should be, perhaps there shouldn't be - there are pros and cons either way. Jim -- Jim Henderson Please keep on-topic replies on the list so everyone benefits -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-project+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, email: opensuse-project+owner@opensuse.org