Not too early to fire this one off, I trust. I'm going to lose track of what's been said by who if I don't start now. After reading through the best part of 100 notifications in the last 24hrs, I have four points (referring to posts up to and including #48) tonight:
1) I'd like to comment on the posts relating to a project leader. First some background:
phppp wrote:Quote:
XOOPS Project Leader:
The XOOPS Core Development Leader will be the overall Project Leader. In this regard, the Project Leader is an ordinary member of the XOOPS Council.
catzwolf_ wrote:Quote:
This goes against everything this community has been asking that the core developer does not do.
mamba wrote:Quote:
Let's look at the history of XOOPS - we had recently Skalpa as Development Leader, and Herko as the Project Leader, but I don't think that we can report great successes from that time, do we?
vaughan wrote:Quote:
project leader should NOT be the core dev leader. conflict of interest anybody?
seth_sd wrote:Quote:
I absolutely agree that the core developer should not be the project leader and actually one of the reasons I like the proposal that Crip put forward. This has never worked before and not going to work in the future.
mamba wrote:Quote:
I don't care if the Core developer is the Project Leader or not. But I don't want to exclude him from being the Project Leader.
catzwolf_ wrote:Quote:
Project leader and core developer is NOT a one man job, and anyone who has ever been in that position will tell you so.
mamba wrote:Quote:
In the end, it all comes to the person, and the people who support him. If he gets a good Council doing what they supposed to do, then he'll have less project management work.
catzwolf_ wrote:Quote:
The problem with XOOPS is that it has always had a weak leadership (Ono not included in this), with no real vision or leadership skills and that is why this project is in a mess.
MadFish wrote:Quote:
everything is up for discussion - including whether there is or isn't a project manager, what they should do and how they should be selected etc. Nothing is set in stone at this stage
My take:
I hesitate in saying this, but I think there's a fundamental problem with people's conception of the role of 'Project Leader'. This is why I referred, in the CCT proposal, to the job as Chairperson of the Community Coordinating Council. I personally don't see the need for an almighty leader. I think each work-group/team is best suited to manage itself. Work-group/team proposals would be presented to the Coordinating council, voted on and
only if the ballot was one short of a majority would the chairperson's vote come into effect. The council would have made it's decision, the work-group/team would have the go-ahead or not, and the work could get done (or a revised proposal could get drafted). A key to this system would be that the Council should have enough members to present a meaningful sample of intelligent opinion. Three, five or even seven councillors (or as I prefer, 'Reps') would not be enough to reflect a balanced sample of the community.
So I say this. Rather than worry about who the Chairperson may be or which work-group/team she may come from, how about we consider how much power should be in the hands of one person. Whoever that might be.
2) Next, the Foundation:
phppp wrote:Quote:
The XOOPS Foundation will serve as a treasury and legal support entity for the XOOPS Project. The Foundation will be managed by a Foundation Team directed by the XOOPS Council directly
vaughan wrote:Quote:
nice conflict of interest arisen there. the council controls the project? >snip< now the council controls the foundation too?
mamba wrote:Quote:
Something I definitely don't want to see is somebody self-appointing himself to be the Foundation chair
Again, I see this as being a fundamental problem of dishing out of too much power to too small a group of people. The new Foundation's role could (should in my opinion) be limited to that of treasury/legal entity representing XOOPS to the outside world according to the community's will. To be fair, the community haven't (in recent memory) shown any semblance of a unified voice to which the foundation could bow down to with confidence that they were doing the right thing. Consequently they have taken on the role of 'guardian' of xoops, but my question is who are they guarding it from and when does guardianship become a hinderance? Further, are we the community able to work in a mature and constructive enough way to reassure the foundation that it's safe to let us get on with things at last? Let's hope so!
3) on participation:
It's good to see so many people here taking part in what many hope will end up being a seminal debate. Personally I'm very happy that seth_sd, MadFish, Wizanda and BlueStocking have accepted their nominations. I sincerely hope that skenow and others decide to be part of a generally positive movement.
I'd like to repeat BS's request that people keep to the topic in hand, namely setting up a committee for and then the actual planning of a new structure of management that will allow
all XOOPS contributors to get on with the jobs that need taking care of so desperately. If you're not going to write about that, please take it elsewhere. As skenow so concisely put it:
Quote:
Any and all personal attacks, insinuations, allegations or rumors must cease before convening any new committee, task force, group or council and undertaking any new initiative. Until these conditions are met, there will be no progress.
I would dearly like to see Herko, Marcan and phppp take a more active part in this debate.
4) a favourite quote:
A (very slightly modified) quotation From Noam Chomsky's book "What We Say Goes"
Quote:
David Barsamian:
I want to ask you about tinkerers versus overhaulers, reforms - cosmetic improvements and adjustments to the system - versus substantive structural change.
Noam Chomsky:
"Tinkering, to borrow your word, is a preliminary to large-scale change. There can't be large-scale structural change unless a very substantial part of the population is deeply committed to it. It's going to have to come from the organized efforts of a dedicated population. That won't happen, unless people perceive that the reform efforts, the tinkering, are running into barriers that cannot be overcome without institutional change. Then you get pressure for institutional change. But short of that realization, there is no reason why people should take the risks, make the effort, or face the uncertainty and the punishment that is involved in serious change. That's why every serious XOOPSTER is a reformist. If you're a serious XOOPSTER, you don't want a coup. You want changes to come from below, from the organized population. But why should people be willing to undertake what's involved in serious institutional change unless they think that the institutions don't permit them to achieve just and proper goals?"
Night all.
Crip
Never let a man who does not believe something can be done, talk to a man that is doing it.