[OpenStack Foundation] [Openstack] Foundation Structure: An Alternative

Gil Yehuda gyehuda at yahoo-inc.com
Tue Mar 13 14:33:22 UTC 2012


Jim asks
> Has it ever been considered to actually move to a *pre-existing* foundation,
> one in which already has a proven track record and all these various questions > and issues solved already??

Jim, this was the first question I asked when I was introduced to the idea they wanted a new foundation. First question I asked Mark and Jonathan when I met them. First question I asked their attorney. I even asked it on Quora: http://is.gd/VFhxwX

It seems to me that the Open Source movement does not need one more foundation,  unless that foundation somehow fixes the flaws that the other foundations already have. So I assumed that a careful analysis was performed and the proposal for a new foundation was based on the plan to provide the world with a better foundation -- one that was indeed unique and learned the lessons from the other ones.  I learned that careful analysis was performed learning about the flaws of the other foundations (of course they have flaws), but I haven't seen how this conversation leads to a better model, just a customized one.  
	
Instead it appears to me that the primary issue driving the creation of a net-new foundation instead of using an existing one is that the existing ones would not provide the marketing and branding emphasis that the vendor participants are looking for in order to help fuel their commercial success.  Now, I'm all for that commercial success (even though the company I work for is not in the category of those vendors who plan on selling stuff here).  Make money, it's Ok.  But the way I see it, if that is really the need for the new organization, then perhaps, the community should simply focus on that part of the need -- a marketing-oriented trade association that is composed of the vendors, who promote conferences, business pacts, and various other promotional activities.  While the rest of us create great software using a well-know open source community model -- e.g. under the "Apache way", or Eclipse, or the Linux Foundation -- or whatever.  Let's not try to create something new, unless we can look at it and say "wow, that was really better." 

For me, this would help the group focus their money and attention on the marketing needs (should they see value there), and leverage the technical process and governance of an existing process.  Considering the size and maturity of Open Stack, I'm sure that one of the foundations would be receptive to accommodating this community and even be willing to make some changes in order to get the activity this group would provide them.  I'm sure some won't, but we only need one that works better than the one we have not yet created here.


Gil Yehuda
Director of Open Source and Open Standards at Yahoo! Inc.

-----Original Message-----
From: foundation-bounces at lists.openstack.org [mailto:foundation-bounces at lists.openstack.org] On Behalf Of Jim Jagielski
Sent: Tuesday, March 13, 2012 6:43 AM
To: Jay Pipes
Cc: foundation at lists.openstack.org
Subject: Re: [OpenStack Foundation] [Openstack] Foundation Structure: An Alternative

Has it ever been considered to actually move to a *pre-existing* foundation, one in which already has a proven track record and all these various questions and issues solved already??




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