Bruce Perens rejected from license-proliferation committee.

[Russell Nelson]

[ note: I see that the license-proliferation-discuss mailing list is
temporarily misconfigured and I can't fix it right at this moment.
Email sent to the list is sitting in the queue and I'll get to it
AFTER I take my son to buy his DS at the newly discounted price. ]

Ian Lance Taylor writes:
 > > http://bastiat.org/en/the_law.html
 > 
 > This seems to miss the point.

You didn't read it, did you?

 > The OSI is not the law.

No, but in a sense we are.

 > Several years ago I agitated strongly about the lack of any semblance
 > of democracy or transparency in the OSI.

You still didn't read it, did you?  How we do things is immaterial.
What we do is the only thing that matters.  When you eat in a
restaurant, you don't get to vote for the cook.  You voted when you
walked into the restaurant.  People selected OSI because we matter.

 > Personally I think the OSI should drop any claims about representing
 > the community,

We represent everyone who uses the term "Open Source", which is, well,
just about everybody.  They walked into our restaurant.

 > (Full disclosure: I also applied to be on the license-proliferation
 > committee.

You and that army.  When Martin Fink and I sat down in February to
discuss the structure of the solution, he and I were firm in the
belief that the committee should be strictly limited in membership.  I
haven't changed my mind in that regard.  If Martin has, I might be led
to change mine.  Maybe you should ask him?

 > to understand that most people who care seriously about OSI
 > pronouncements don't really understand how the open source world
 > really works in practice, or are just free software wonks like me.

So ... who voted for RMS or Eben?  You're simply confused, Ian.  The
free software world is a meritocracy, not a democracy.  It doesn't
mean, however, that everyone with merit gets to serve.  Certainly you
and Bruce have merit.  What it means is that the people who serve have
merit.  Google for Rishab, or Joi.  We have a damn fine board here,
and I'm proud to serve with them.

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