License committee report for January 2008

[Chuck Swiger]

Russ Nelson wrote:
> Dag-Erling Smorgrav writes:
[ ... ]
> "The submittor has refused to change the name of his submission:"
> http://crynwr.com/cgi-bin/ezmlm.cgi?3:14760

Can we get some additional feedback from the members of the OSI board about 
whether they truly wish to rename the submission to the "FreeBSD License"?

>  > > Recommend: Modifying the New BSD License template so that the third
>  > >   clause is optional.  In this manner, both the FreeBSD license and
>  > >   the Dag-Erling's Simplified BSD License will fit into the template
>  > >   with no license proliferation problems.
> 
>  > and your "recommendation" has not been discussed on the lists.
> 
> True.  It's my job to synthesize a compromise position given what
> everything has said.  I think, at this point, that nothing would make
> you happy, so your happiness is not a concern of mine.  At this point,
> it's become an active anti-concern.

Hey, Russ-- I appreciate the work you do to try and form a sane recommendation 
based upon the list's feedback, and it's true that you are free to make your 
recommendation to the board without soliciting other opinions.

However, it's not clear how being abrasive to license submittors without 
strong cause is going to improve the situation.  If you really feel it's 
necessary, can you keep it to private email, please?

>> Perhaps it is time for the board to consider replacing Russ Nelson in
>> this role, as was done for the list moderator role.
> 
> Mmmmm, I'm still postmaster, and I still moderate the lists.  We just
> decided that Ernie has more patience with morons.

While I am entirely familiar with the notion that people get a little hung 
over and perhaps become a bit tactless after, say, a party for New Years, one 
hopes that such a thing will wear off before February....

-- 
-Chuck