Open Stack

On Fri, Mar 16, 2012 at 10:31 AM, Mark McLoughlin <markmc at redhat.com> wrote:

>
>  - The OpenStack Foundation is more akin to the Linux Foundation than
>    e.g. the Apache Foundation. It's about bringing the corporate
>    players together and raising funds to "promote and protect" the
>    project.
>

Well, using the ASF as an example, history has shown that the
community itself is able to do that well enough on its own, without
the juggling and concerns when corp. entities have a say in it.

>  - Continuing the Linux Foundation analogy, there is a strong desire
>    for the project itself to have almost as much independence from the
>    Foundation as the Linux project has from the Linux Foundation. This
>    is what the "empower" part of the Foundation's mission is about.
>
>    I say *almost* because, unlike Linux, the Foundation holds the
>    trademark and the Foundation Board has some ability to control the
>    project by e.g. defining the scope of the project to limit the
>    Technical Board's ability to approve new projects. Unlike Linux,
>    the project governance is ultimately subordinate to the Foundation
>    Board.
>

And that doesn't strike fear in people's hearts?

Make no mistake: If a company is able to control or direct an open
source project to increase its own revenues, it will take advantage of
that capability. That's why a level playing field, or a complete
"hands-off" policy is crucial.

Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not
from some farcical aquatic ceremony.