Bruce Perens rejected from license-proliferation committee.

[Ben Tilly]

On 8/21/05, Bruce Perens <bruce at perens.com> wrote:
> Geez, Matt. It's a long time since February 1999. Some of us have grown
> a bit since then, and we wish you would too. It's been more than 5 years
> since I've walked off of a Free Software project, and I've gotten a ton
> of stuff done for Open Source in that time.

As an interested bystander with no connections to either side of this
argument, here is how it looks to me.

First, you're being inconsistent.  Either you should be judged on your
history in that period (drafting the open source definition etc) or
not (please ignore your quitting).  You can't have it both ways.  If
you don't want to be judged on it, then make an argument based on what
you've done in the last 5 years.  If you do want to be judged on it,
then don't complain when people bring up the bits that you'd like to
put behind you.

Second, I'd be generally inclined to have you there.  I think that
everyone knows that you've been a key player over the years, and you
have done a lot.  If you want to be involved, you clearly have
valuable perspective and contacts to bring to the discussion.  I have
no argument on any of this.

Third, after this public spat I'd prefer to not have you there, and
I'd not blame the people on said committee for feeling likewise.  The
manner and message that you've used to demand admittance virtually
guarantees that if you were let on the committee, you'd have a
horrible working relationship with everyone else there.

Allow me to explain why.  It is clear that you feel yourself to be
more qualified than anyone who they've rejected, and probably more so
than everyone who is there.  (Which will naturally cause resentment
among those who are there - regardless of how justified your opinion
may or may not be.)  It is clear that if you don't get your own way
you're more than willing to blow up very publically.  (Which is going
to be an ongoing cause of friction.)  And it is clear that if you're
placed there, your status will be very special.  (A further cause of
resentment.)

Beginning with issues like this virtually guarantees bad results in
the end.  Even if everything does appear to work out, it will take a
much higher toll on the participants than it should, resulting in
ongoing problems later.

None of this is to say that I'm happy with this committee (I don't
know who is on it) or how it was selected (I don't know that either). 
However I _really_ dislike how you are trying to get yourself selected
onto it.

Regards,
Ben