Re: Draft resolution formalising Debian's Associated Project status

On Fri, Mar 16, 2007 at 02:24:48PM -0400, Jimmy Kaplowitz wrote:
> > (n). The SPI Board relies on Debian Developers and others to ensure
> > that if the validity of a Debian decision relevant to SPI is
> > disputed, the Board's attention is drawn to the existence of the
> > dispute, if the Board might otherwise remain unaware of it.
>
> How about this:
>
> 5. The Board relies on Debian Developers and others to ensure that the
> Board is made aware of Debian decisions relevant to SPI that are not
> communicated to the Board in a timely manner by the Debian Project
> Leader or the Debian Project Secretary; of disagreement among Debian
> developers regarding the identity of the Debian Project Leader or the
> Debian Project Secretary; and of disagreement among Debian developers as
> to the authority held by either of those two Debian officials, but only
> insofar as this authority is relevant to SPI. The Board requests that
> those who notify it of decisions or disagreements in accordance with
> this paragraph take reasonable efforts to look for prior notifications
> to the Board on the same topic, and that the Board not be notified again
> if the new notification would be substantially the same as a previous
> one.

Just looking at the sheer length, I think you just presented a great case
for the opponents of legalese. Sorry :)

Does everything really have to be spelled out like that? Surely the board
can exercise some common sense in preventing people from making duplicate
and/or pointless queries, and not have to resort to this kind of verbosity?

I know it doesn't seem like this to you now, but a few years from now, this
might actually sound like SPI showing a priori contempt for people trying to
notify it about the aforementioned problems...

Ian's version seemed just fine to me, except that it could have used the
words 'according to the Debian Constitution' somewhere, just to make sure
that we're talking about real disputes and not any random chatter.

--
2. That which causes joy or happiness.