License backlog - OSI is making itself irrellevant

[Lawrence E. Rosen]

Initial response:

> I've found three ways to get someone from the OSI respond: provide
> specific suggestions on the website, and the webmaster will respond;
> make specific legal claims, and Larry will respond; or get in a huff
> and Russ will flame you.  General discussion, pointedly asking the OSI
> for a response, etc. is insufficient.

I respond to legal issues because that is the area in which I have
greatest expertise.  I generally prefer to let the license-discuss list
be a forum for others....  I DO read almost everything.

> I think it comes down to control.  It looks to me like, at this point,
> Larry Rosen is making all of the decisions about approvals, because
> he's best qualified to do so.  Well, the people on the list can muddle
> their way through a license pretty OK, excepting specific 
> legal issues,
> and the list can *certainly* devote more time to it than he himself
> can (10 volunteers vs. 1 volunteer).  The OSD is not perfect, the
> licenses themselves are not bulletproof, having a real lawyer handle
> the decisions about which licenses meet the OSD doesn't do us 
> any good.

I don't make ANY of the decisions about approvals.  I'm not on the OSI
board.  I do advise the board, however. 

Like other OSI volunteers I have limited free time.  I try my best as do
the board members.  I'm sorry we're not doing a very effective job yet
of approving licenses.  For what its worth, my frustration level is also
high about that.

/Larry Rosen

/Larry Rosen

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