Running and Voting for the Board of Directors
GNOME Foundation Overview
The GNOME Foundation will work to further the goal of the
GNOME project: to create a computing platform for use by
the general public that is completely free software.
To achieve this goal, the Foundation will coordinate releases
of GNOME and determine which projects are part of GNOME. The
Foundation will act as an official voice for the GNOME project,
providing a means of communication with the press and with
commercial and noncommercial organizations interested in GNOME
software. The foundation may produce educational materials and
documentation to help the public learn about GNOME software. In
addition, it may sponsor GNOME-related technical conferences,
represent GNOME at relevant conferences sponsored by others, help
create technical standards for the project and promote the use and
development of GNOME software. For more information, see
The GNOME Foundation Web Site.
Becoming a Candidate for the Board of Directors
If you would like to become a candidate for the Board of Directors,
please:
Read this document.
Read the GNOME Foundation charter
(http://foundation.gnome.org/charter.html).
Read the GNOME Foundation by-laws
(http://foundation.gnome.org/bylaws.pdf).
Make sure you will have adequate time and interest in
performing the tasks described below.
Announce your candidacy by sending an email to
foundation-announce@gnome.org
AND to foundation-list@gnome.org
with a description of how you have contributed to GNOME and why you
want to be on the Board of Directors. (Deadline: Nov 7, 2003)
Partial List of Tasks of the Board of Directors
The Board of Directors must perform a broad set of both technical
and non-technical tasks including:
Help set overall direction for GNOME.
Identify and resolve problems in GNOME. Identify weak points
and opportunities for improvement and work toward improving GNOME in
these areas.
Identify areas in which GNOME needs organizational improvement
and appoint committees or individuals to work on these areas. Work with
and help these teams to ensure the projects move forward succesfully.
Some common examples are the release team, GUADEC organizing committee,
membership and elections committee, and the fundraising committee.
Identify areas where GNOME needs improvements in policy,
draft new policies, and go through revision and concensus-building of
the policies with the GNOME community and Board. Some common examples
include the GNOME Foundation charter, the membership policy, the
GNOME accounts policy, and the software license policy.
Determine where and when GNOME conferences should be held and
appoint individuals to coordinate the conferences.
Make announcements and press releases on behalf of GNOME.
Address any legal issues which come up (trademarks branding,
licensing, copyright assignment, etc.).
Develop the GNOME Foundation.
Administer GNOME Foundation funds.
Hire, oversee, and work with any GNOME Foundation staff.
Maintain a web page and mailing lists. Post public parts of
Board meeting minutes to foundation-list. Discuss them on the mailing
list as necessary to guarantee all non-confidential Board activities are
public and clear.
Arbitrate technical disputes between maintainers.
Act as a liaison with other open source projects.
Work with GNOME Foundation Advisory Board. Act as a liason with
advisory board members, updating them
to the state of GNOME, helping them to integrate into the GNOME
community, and helping to bring their suggestions before the Board.
Work with companies who would like to learn more about GNOME
and define how they can help and work with GNOME.
Diversity of the Board of Directors
The Board of Directors should reflect the diversity of the GNOME
project, including leaders of the core GNOME technologies, volunteer
contributors as well as representatives of companies which are making
major contributions to GNOME, individuals from various geographic
regions, and representatives of other aspects of GNOME.
The Board is tasked with addressing a diverse set of problems and
challenges and will function best if the Board members are equally
diverse in their skill set and expertise.
Qualities of a Good Director
A good director will have the following characteristics:
Be a good leader.
Be willing and able to dedicate a significant amount of time to
GNOME Foundation work.
Be an active GNOME contributor who tracks the day-to-day
happenings of GNOME.
Director Requirements
All directors must be willing to:
Respect confidentiality of private discussions with
corporations who are interested in working with the GNOME
Foundation.
Contribute a significant amount of time to working on various
GNOME Foundation projects and tasks.
Participate in biweekly meetings which are held over a
telephone conference call.
Attend an annual in-person meeting of the Board of Directors
(travel expenses would be covered by the Foundation).
Act on behalf of all GNOME contributors in the best interest
of GNOME, and not solely represent the interests of a specific
company or constituency.
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