James B. Byrne wrote:
>
> Nonetheless, it is very evident from the heated exchanges on this
> mailing list that there exists a substantial divergence on which
> path to take from here. It seems to me insupportable that the past
> practices of a small coterie of initiates deciding on everything
> without community input will suffice for the future. If that does
> become the choice taken then I foresee the community splitting in
> the future in consequence.
>
> Finally, please drop the word "meritocracy" in future
> communications. It implies a natural worthiness of those to whom it
> is applied which is simply not appropriate to these discussions.
> The proper word in this circumstance is "oligarchy."
>
>
I've been reading this and other threads on the subject and feel
compelled, though I know I'm straying OT, to add my US$0.02 here.
<vent>
IMNSHO, the 'heated exchanges' as you've said here, are the result not
of fears that the project will collapse or splinter - that, again in my
not-so-humble opinion, is FUD and nothing more - but that those of us
who reap the rewards of a rock-solid, stable and secure, 100% upstream
compatible OS should simply appreciate the golden goose (no disrespect
to the CentOS team here, quite the opposite).
From the typical 'when will version XXXX be out' to 'why don't you do
it this way' to 'how dare that IRC op say that to me' are daggers which
shouldn't be flung at the folks who freely give their time, effort,
brain cells and often funds to make CentOS happen.
I've also had a wealth of experience in volunteer organizations, and I
still do volunteer my time to several. The work is hard, the rewards
are entirely based in the feeling of satisfaction of having done
something which makes the world better. The occasional 'thank you' from
the folks being helped through the efforts of my chosen volunteer
organization is of far greater value than one can put a price on. Do
people sometimes get little napoleon complexes? Of course they do. But
when there's a common goal, that is quickly evaporated with humor or,
when needed, a stern reminder that we're all giving, not taking. In our
little distro's volunteer organization, I am well aware that there are
far fewer givers than takers. I, myself, am an admitted taker. I use
and appreciate this distro and am amazed by the brain trust and
dedication which make up our core developers.
The issue of community involvement is simple. The community is free (
as in beer ) to use the mailing list, the forums and submit for
publication to the wiki, any additions or updates they choose to
provide. They can share their own repos or communicate with the
commonly used 3rd party repos for CentOS for sharing what they've done
to add to the community. For the core developers to require a vetting
process for inclusion to that circle is entirely appropriate, just as it
is entirely appropriate for me, if I choose not to endorse what they're
doing, to go upstream or elsewhere (Which I'm not doing...but I am
wholly free to do so). I'm cognizant of the pros and cons of using this
rebuild of upstream's product and I've chosen to be responsible for
systems I administer. Thankfully, the members of this community mailing
list have saved my <expletive> many times - without an upstream
entitlement. It is *that* level of support that makes for positive
community involvement. There are countless professionals on this list,
of which I am in the lower tiers of knowledge, who offer freely their
experience and help. That those professionals include our core
development team, makes this distro *very* special.
I applaud the private attempts to get the project's domain owner in
line. I further applaud the team for taking it public when no private
channel was sufficient. I think it speaks volumes about the integrity
of all those currently involved and makes me even more certain that this
distro will continue down a healthy path of being 100% binary compatible
with upstream and will remain my OS of choice.
The bottom line is that neither meritocracy nor oligarchy are
appropriate terms. A distro is a dictatorship (without forced
citizenry). A good distro, like this one, is a benign dictatorship.
</vent>
<smirk>
Long live the kings
</smirk>
-Ray
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