X.Org Foundation Issues Hasty CFP For XDC2012

[libv]

Matt. Let's put this really plainly: You've been a board member now for about 6 months. What have you done so far? How have you really used your power of an X.org foundation board member to help X or relations?

[alanc]

I feel he's correct about the X.org foundation, not just trying to get more page views. They could fairly easily re-set up their old funding models and hire a fulltime person for managing it.

Actually, that's fairly impossible now. The "old funding model" was that Unix workstation vendors (DEC, Sun, SGI, IBM, HP, etc.) paid annual dues for control of the organizational direction and early access to sources. One of the founding precepts of the Foundation was that we were a true community-based open source group now, with equal access to all, regardless of contribution amounts - and even if we wanted to go back, there are no Unix workstation vendors left to go back to.

[curaga]

Well, consider other models then. A seat on the board for x k$ / year, with N elected community seats in addition, for example. The "organizational direction" can still apply even with open sources.

[agd5f]

Well, consider other models then. A seat on the board for x k$ / year, with N elected community seats in addition, for example. The "organizational direction" can still apply even with open sources.

The foundation doesn't really have the funds to cover a full time person and still have money available for hosting events and EVoC projects at the moment.

[curaga]

That's why the funding

[alanc]

Well, consider other models then. A seat on the board for x k$ / year, with N elected community seats in addition, for example. The "organizational direction" can still apply even with open sources.

Who would pay for a seat on the board when the board has no involvement with the direction of the technology and they can get similar levels of influence by just having developers show up and contribute patches on a regular basis? The few who possibly would are those who you would not want to be in charge - they'd want to be slowing down adoption of new 3D features or development of Wayland since they can't adapt their products fast enough, and want to ensure their profits are protected.

Obviously we're looking for funding models that are much less parasitic, but as we don't need to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to support a paid staff, we don't need to be trying to find anything as big as this.

[agd5f]

It's easy to criticise until you actually have to juggle the board with work and family. Matt has helped organize two documentation book sprints and has managed the EVoC program among other things. To anyone out there who has good ideas or lots of time and energy they want to dedicate to Xorg, please become a member and run in the next election!