[ogb-discuss] Indiana as the OpenSolaris xxxx distro (was Re: [smf-discuss] Review for 6608098)

[Garrett D'Amore]

Simon Phipps wrote:
> On Oct 18, 2007, at 21:44, Stephen Lau wrote:
>
>   
>> Simon Phipps wrote:
>>     
>>> On Oct 18, 2007, at 19:31, Stephen Lau wrote:
>>>
>>>       
>>>> While OpenSolaris governance, for the most part is left up to the
>>>> various Community Groups, something that is cross-community  
>>>> impacting,
>>>> like Indiana taking on the OpenSolaris name is exactly the kind  
>>>> of issue
>>>> that is a board issue.
>>>>         
>>> I disagree. It is a job for the Advocacy group, just as all the  
>>> other parts of OpenSolaris, upon which we are all reliant, are the  
>>> responsibility of the experts within their respective groups.
>>>
>>> S.
>>>       
>> Sorry I worded poorly - it's not a board issue in the sense that  
>> the board needs to decide.  I think it's a board issue in that if  
>> the  Advocacy community has reached a decision which impacts the  
>> entire OpenSolaris Community (as I think this decision does), then  
>> it's a board responsibility to solicit input and/or hold it up to  
>> an OpenSolaris Community wide vote.  I don't think it should purely  
>> rest in the hands of the Advocacy group.
>>     
>
> I get your point, but why not, exactly? We trust all other parts of  
> the community to take critical decisions on which we all rely without  
> Board review or plebiscite; why should branding decisions by  
> marketing experts be any different? Will we be putting all key  
> architectural decisions up for member vote? It is most certainly not  
> the OGB's responsibility; their role is to create a group where  
> experts can do work, if no such group exists. If they do not believe  
> the Advocacy group is that place, they need to justify the decision  
> and then create a suitable (non-Board) venue.
>   

This is an interesting position to take. Probably more so than anything 
else, Branding is going to suffer from the bikeshed syndrome. (Check 
wikipedia for bikeshed if this doesn't make sense.)

Its also the case, that unlike other decisions advocacy *might* make, a 
major decision effecting the group's *identity* could wind up leaving a 
lot of folks disenfranchised if they feel they didn't get to participate 
in it.

So, can I make a suggestion?

Make a broad announcement targeted to the entire community (possibly 
post it up on the front page at www.os.o) indicating that a "branding 
project" is being formed to figure out how branding is to be done. (This 
is distinct from Indiana, since Indiana is resolving the technical 
issues around building a specific distro, and may not be viewed with the 
same community-wide relevance as branding is likely to be. This is also 
distinct from "advocacy", since, at least to this external viewer, 
"advocacy" sounds like handling websites, evangelism, advertising, and 
other marketing collateral that code monkeys are likely to have little 
desire to participate in. Issues impacting our core "identity" seem a 
bit more relevant for *everyone*, I think.)

This will give the folks who care most about this issue a chance to 
participate (or to know that they are welcome to do so, at least.) (Of 
course, if Sun decides to just ignore the community and do its own thing 
without seeking the community's input and approval, well then Sun can't 
expect to folks to stand up and cheer it while feeling disenfranchised. 
I don't *think* that is Sun's intention here, but I could be misreading 
things.)

All that said, I *do* care about Branding, but I also recognize that the 
dot product of how much I care, with my expertise in branding, means 
that I probably have no business participating in such a project. So 
don't look for me there. But I hope a branding project is created, and 
the smart folks who do care and have the expertise will participate, And 
that nobody will feel disenfranchised by Sun or by any other subgroup 
within the community.

-- Garrett
>   
>> (spoken as my personal opinion only, not speaking for the rest of  
>> the board)
>>     
>
> Naturally :-)  And my comments are as me, not as some Sun guy.
>
> S.
>
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