Re: OBF as associated project, formal resolution

For October board meeting.

Open Bioinformatics Foundation as Associated Project

WHEREAS

1. Open Bioinformatics Foundation (herafter OBF) is a substantial and
significant Free Software project.

2. OBF developers would like SPI's support and assistance, including
taking donations, and holding trademarks and domain names.

THE SPI BOARD RESOLVES THAT

3. OBF is formally invited to become an SPI Associated Project,
according to the SPI Framework for Associated Projects, SPI Resolution
1998-11-16.iwj.1-amended-2004-08-10.iwj.1, a copy of which can be found
at http://www.spi-inc.org/corporate/resolutions/2004/2004-08-10.iwj.1/

4. Hilmar Lapp is recognised by SPI as the authoritative decision maker
and SPI liaison for TideSDK. Future liaisons will be the same person
who is president of the OBF at that time, elected according to the
bylaws at: http://www.open-bio.org/wiki/File:OBF-Bylaws.pdf

5. This invitation will lapse, if not accepted, 60 days after it is
approved by the SPI Board.

Josh Berkus writes ("OBF as associated project, formal resolution"):
> 4. Hilmar Lapp is recognised by SPI as the authoritative decision maker
> and SPI liaison for TideSDK. Future liaisons will be the same person
> who is president of the OBF at that time, elected according to the
> bylaws at: http://www.open-bio.org/wiki/File:OBF-Bylaws.pdf

Is Hilmar Lapp really the autocrat for this project ? Or should we
have something more like the text we have for Debian ? Or something
in between ?

Ian.

On Mon, Oct 1, 2012 at 1:48 PM, Ian Jackson
<ijackson(at)chiark(dot)greenend(dot)org(dot)uk> wrote:
> Josh Berkus writes ("OBF as associated project, formal resolution"):
>> 4. Hilmar Lapp is recognised by SPI as the authoritative decision maker
>> and SPI liaison for TideSDK. Future liaisons will be the same person
>> who is president of the OBF at that time, elected according to the
>> bylaws at: http://www.open-bio.org/wiki/File:OBF-Bylaws.pdf
>
> Is Hilmar Lapp really the autocrat for this project ? Or should we
> have something more like the text we have for Debian ? Or
> something in between ?
>
> Ian.

I'm not sure how you are using the term autocrat, but Hilmer Lapp
is the current OBF president if that's what you are asking:
http://www.open-bio.org/wiki/Board

Peter
(OBF Board member)

Peter Cock writes ("Re: OBF as associated project, formal resolution"):
> On Mon, Oct 1, 2012 at 1:48 PM, Ian Jackson
> <ijackson(at)chiark(dot)greenend(dot)org(dot)uk> wrote:
> > Is Hilmar Lapp really the autocrat for this project ? Or should we
> > have something more like the text we have for Debian ? Or
> > something in between ?
...
> I'm not sure how you are using the term autocrat, but Hilmer Lapp
> is the current OBF president if that's what you are asking:
> http://www.open-bio.org/wiki/Board

An autocrat is a fancy word for a dictator. Small projects are
typically run by the original author as an autocrat. It seems
unlikely that something with a Board of Directors is an autocracy :-).

The resolution should presumably say something about SPI recognising
the OBF board as the authoritative decisionmakers. Some suitable text
can probably be ripped out of the Debian resolution and trimmed to
fit.

Debian's arrangements are more complicated but the Debian resolution
is probably a better template than much smaller projects which really
are autocracies. The Debian template mentions the various edge cases
too.

Ian.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autocracy

On Fri, 28 Sep 2012, Josh Berkus wrote:

> For October board meeting.
>
> Open Bioinformatics Foundation as Associated Project
>
> WHEREAS
>
> 1. Open Bioinformatics Foundation (herafter OBF) is a substantial and
> significant Free Software project.
>
> 2. OBF developers would like SPI's support and assistance, including
> taking donations, and holding trademarks and domain names.
>
> THE SPI BOARD RESOLVES THAT
>
> 3. OBF is formally invited to become an SPI Associated Project,
> according to the SPI Framework for Associated Projects, SPI Resolution
> 1998-11-16.iwj.1-amended-2004-08-10.iwj.1, a copy of which can be found
> at http://www.spi-inc.org/corporate/resolutions/2004/2004-08-10.iwj.1/
>
> 4. Hilmar Lapp is recognised by SPI as the authoritative decision maker
> and SPI liaison for TideSDK. Future liaisons will be the same person
> who is president of the OBF at that time, elected according to the
> bylaws at: http://www.open-bio.org/wiki/File:OBF-Bylaws.pdf

Hi Josh. Paragraph 4 mentiones TideSDK. (Presumed search and replace
error)

Substantively, I have no concerns about OBF being accepted as an
associated project. I researched them quite extensively a couple of
months ago.

Cheers,

Rob

--
Director, Software in the Public Interest, Inc.
Email: robert(at)spi-inc(dot)org Linux counter ID #16440
IRC: Solver (OFTC & Freenode)
Web: http://www.spi-inc.org
Free and Open Source: The revolution that quietly changed the world

Hi Ian -

The roles and decision making powers of the SPI project liaison are consistent with those vested already in the OBF President through the OBF's bylaws as far as OBF assets and their use are concerned. So, I think it's OK to label the OBF president the "authoritative decision maker" for the kinds of decisions required of an SPI project liaison, at least to the extent that I have read about and understand them. It doesn't matter here, I think, whether in a concrete case the OBF President would need to follow certain OBF procedures (such as call a OBF Board meeting) before s/he can render or communicate the decision requested by SPI, so long as there is a process for this laid down (which it is).

-hilmar

On Oct 1, 2012, at 8:48 AM, Ian Jackson wrote:

> Josh Berkus writes ("OBF as associated project, formal resolution"):
>> 4. Hilmar Lapp is recognised by SPI as the authoritative decision maker
>> and SPI liaison for TideSDK. Future liaisons will be the same person
>> who is president of the OBF at that time, elected according to the
>> bylaws at: http://www.open-bio.org/wiki/File:OBF-Bylaws.pdf
>
> Is Hilmar Lapp really the autocrat for this project ? Or should we
> have something more like the text we have for Debian ? Or something
> in between ?
>
> Ian.
> _______________________________________________
> Spi-general mailing list
> Spi-general(at)lists(dot)spi-inc(dot)org
> http://lists.spi-inc.org/listinfo/spi-general

--
===========================================================
: Hilmar Lapp -:- Durham, NC -:- hlapp at drycafe dot net :
===========================================================

Hilmar Lapp <hlapp(at)drycafe(dot)net> writes:

> So, I think it's OK to label the OBF president the "authoritative
> decision maker" for the kinds of decisions required of an SPI project
> liaison...

I agree.

Josh/Ian, I think the text should simply be updated to say that
SPIrecognizes the OBF President as the project liaison, with Hilmar as
the current holder of that title.

Bdale

All,

Revised version:

Open Bioinformatics Foundation as Associated Project

WHEREAS

1. Open Bioinformatics Foundation (hereafter OBF) is a substantial and
significant Free Software project.

2. OBF developers would like SPI's support and assistance, including
taking donations, and holding trademarks and domain names.

THE SPI BOARD RESOLVES THAT

3. OBF is formally invited to become an SPI Associated Project,
according to the SPI Framework for Associated Projects, SPI Resolution
1998-11-16.iwj.1-amended-2004-08-10.iwj.1, a copy of which can be found
at http://www.spi-inc.org/corporate/resolutions/2004/2004-08-10.iwj.1/

4. The president of the OBF is recognized by SPI as the SPI liaison for
OBF. At the time of this resolution, that president is Hilmar Lapp.
This president is elected according to the bylaws at:
http://www.open-bio.org/wiki/File:OBF-Bylaws.pdf

5. This invitation will lapse, if not accepted, 60 days after it is
approved by the SPI Board.

Josh Berkus writes ("Re: OBF as associated project, formal resolution"):
> Revised version:

Thanks, looks good to me.

Ian.