Bending the Rules: Community over Code over Policy.
- 1. Budapest, Hungary, 17 November 2014 Bending the Rules Community over Code over Policy. Andrea Pescetti VP, Apache OpenOffice [email protected]
- 2. A Newcomer's Perspective New people. New projects. A lot to learn.
- 3. My perspective: Relatively new at Apache 3 years as Apache committer #Andrea 2 years as Apache OpenOffice PMC Chair, 6 months as ASF Member
- 4. My background: Apache as a user only A lot of open source (with Nuvole, a 100% Drupal company). Previous experience with some foundations. #Andrea
- 5. OpenOffice: New at Apache too No experience with being part of a Foundation. Only a few Apache members in the post-graduation initial PMC. #Andrea
- 6. First, Wrong, Impression Apache seems more complex and rigid than it actually is.
- 7. #WrongImpression First (wrong) impression: a world of rules And a lot of strange terminology: podling, PPMC, IPMC, Incubator...
- 8. #WrongImpression First (wrong) impression: Rules over Community There is so much policy that it seems community comes second.
- 9. #WrongImpression First (wrong) impression: Apache is stuck in 1999 Somewhat antiquated look, “corporate” approach, manuals, 72 hours.
- 10. The Real World Dare to enter and you will see it's much better.
- 11. #TheRealWorld Enter the Matrix at Apache: Welcome to the real word “There's a difference between knowing the path, and walking the path.”
- 12. Policy is at the service of projects, not the opposite. When policy gets in the way, it is not serving its purpose. The community must win. #TheRealWorld
- 13. #TheRealWorld Projects are all different and largely independent Policy cannot be the same for all: guidelines are the same, reality varies.
- 14. We shouldn't dodge our rules #TheRealWorld We should understand them and interpret them for the new situations.
- 15. Examples from OpenOffice Policy that needed to be adapted or clarified.
- 16. Binary downloads New and too big for Apache, vital for OpenOffice. Solved with help from SourceForge. #Examples
- 17. #Examples GPL Dictionaries provided as bundled extensions Apache: “Category X” and forbidden. OpenOffice: unnecessary in sources, but very useful to users.
- 18. Empowering non-committers #Examples Trust localization volunteers; most new committers come from there. Non-committers in Pootle outnumber committers from other projects.
- 19. Exposing Development builds OpenOffice QA is not done by developers. Need visibility on other lists and on the web site. #Examples
- 20. Committers and PMC members #Examples We celebrate a new committer more than a new PMC member.
- 21. Travel fund We can't rely on TAC since it is not inclusive enough. Transitional earmarked fund with pre-Apache resources. #Examples
- 22. Not-so-lazy consensus The press won't wait 72 hours. We either answer or delegate within 24 hours. #Examples
- 23. Code signing: a need largely started with OpenOffice Just a “nice to have” for Apache in earlier times. Now a serious investment being implemented with Infra. #Examples
- 24. Incubator podlings must both learn and teach Incubation is not where the ASF teaches projects HOW it does things. It is where the ASF teaches projects WHY it does things. #Examples
- 25. Advice for the future Recommended ways for policy discussions.
- 26. Ask people who drafted the policy #Advice They will be available to explain what it means, rather than what it says.
- 27. Choose to improve the policy, not to accept it #Advice Your project has peculiarities that others don't; Apache will be enriched.
- 28. Interpret policy rather than rewriting it Understand what it means and the principles behind it. #Advice
- 29. One issue at a time, with those who do the work #Advice Focused discussion with Infra (or whoever relevant), on concrete issues.
- 30. Realize that there is no spoon #Advice Apache is much more flexible than it seems, and it's ready to improve. Rules can be bent if this means a better community and better code.
- 31. Thanks! Andrea Pescetti [email protected] @pescetti The Apache logo and its variants are a trademark of the Apache Software Foundation. Images from “The Matrix” are copyright © 1999 Warner Bros.