201ca8ab9b
2001-11-03 Dan Mueth <d-mueth@uchicago.edu>
Created documentation section for the web page.
* charter.html:
* faq.html:
* index.html:
711 lines
14 KiB
HTML
711 lines
14 KiB
HTML
<!doctype html public "-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en">
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<html>
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<head>
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<title>The GNOME Foundation FAQ</title>
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</head>
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<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
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<center>
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<table BORDER=2 CELLPADDING=5 WIDTH="595" NOSAVE >
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<tr VALIGN=TOP NOSAVE>
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<td VALIGN=TOP NOSAVE>
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<center>
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<a href="http://www.gnome.org">
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<img SRC="gnome.jpg" ALT="" height=250 width=198 border=0></a><img
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SRC="text.png" ALT="The GNOME Foundation" height=198 width=354>
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</center>
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</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>
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<center>
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<a href="index.html">Home</a> :
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Documentation :
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<a href="membership.html">Membership</a> :
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<a href="elections.html">Elections</a> :
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<a href="directory.html">Directory</a>
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</center>
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<br>
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<center>
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<a href="documentation.html">Index</a> :
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<a href="charter.html">Charter</a> :
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FAQ
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</center>
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</td>
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</tr>
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<!-- End of Boilerplate -->
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<tr>
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<td>
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<br>
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<h2>GNOME Foundation FAQ</h2>
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<P
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CLASS="COPYRIGHT"
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><A
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HREF="faq-ln7.html"
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>Copyright</A
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> © 2000 by Dan Mueth and Havoc Pennington</P
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><HR
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WIDTH="75%"
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ALIGN="CENTER"
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COLOR="#000000"
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SIZE="1"></DIV
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><P
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> This is a list of the most frequently asked questions about the
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GNOME Foundation.
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</P
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><DIV
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CLASS="QANDASET"
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><DL
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><DT
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>1. <A
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HREF="faq.html#AEN13"
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>General</A
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></DT
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><DD
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><DL
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><DT
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>1.1. <A
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HREF="faq.html#AEN16"
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> What is the GNOME Foundation?
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</A
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></DT
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><DT
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>1.2. <A
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HREF="faq.html#AEN21"
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> Why does GNOME need the GNOME Foundation?
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</A
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></DT
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><DT
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>1.3. <A
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HREF="faq.html#AEN35"
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> Is there a web page for the GNOME Foundation?
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</A
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></DT
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><DT
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>1.4. <A
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HREF="faq.html#AEN40"
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> Where can I read the current draft of the GNOME Foundation charter?
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</A
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></DT
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><DT
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>1.5. <A
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HREF="faq.html#AEN45"
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> Who are the members of the GNOME Foundation?
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</A
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></DT
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><DT
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>1.6. <A
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HREF="faq.html#AEN50"
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> Is the GNOME Foundation an industry consortium?
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</A
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></DT
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><DT
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>1.7. <A
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HREF="faq.html#AEN55"
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> Why did so many large companies join the GNOME Foundation?
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</A
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></DT
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><DT
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>1.8. <A
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HREF="faq.html#AEN60"
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> Will GNOME continue to work with KDE to develop compatibility
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and desktop standards?
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</A
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></DT
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><DT
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>1.9. <A
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HREF="faq.html#AEN65"
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> Who can I contact with questions about the GNOME Foundation?
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</A
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></DT
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></DL
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></DD
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><DT
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>2. <A
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HREF="faq.html#AEN69"
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>GNOME Foundation Structure</A
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></DT
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><DD
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><DL
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><DT
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>2.1. <A
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HREF="faq.html#AEN72"
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> What does the advisory board do and who is on it?
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</A
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></DT
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><DT
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>2.2. <A
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HREF="faq.html#AEN77"
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> What is the board of directors and what does it do?
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</A
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></DT
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><DT
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>2.3. <A
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HREF="faq.html#AEN82"
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> What is the membership and what does it do?
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</A
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></DT
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></DL
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></DD
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><DT
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>3. <A
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HREF="faq.html#AEN86"
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>Joining the GNOME Foundation</A
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></DT
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><DD
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><DL
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><DT
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>3.1. <A
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HREF="faq.html#AEN89"
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> Who can join the Membership?
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</A
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></DT
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><DT
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>3.2. <A
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HREF="faq.html#AEN94"
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> How can I join the GNOME Foundation as a member?
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</A
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></DT
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><DT
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>3.3. <A
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HREF="faq.html#AEN99"
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> Who can join the advisory board?
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</A
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></DT
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><DT
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>3.4. <A
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HREF="faq.html#AEN104"
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> Should my company join the GNOME Foundation?
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</A
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></DT
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><DT
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>3.5. <A
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HREF="faq.html#AEN109"
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> How can my company join the advisory board?
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</A
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></DT
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></DL
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></DD
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></DL
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><DIV
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CLASS="QANDADIV"
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><H3
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><A
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NAME="AEN13"
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></A
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>1. General</H3
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><DIV
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CLASS="QANDAENTRY"
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><DIV
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CLASS="QUESTION"
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><P
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><A
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NAME="AEN16"
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></A
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><B
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>1.1. </B
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> What is the GNOME Foundation?
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</P
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></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="ANSWER"
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><P
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><B
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> </B
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> The GNOME Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to
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advancing the GNOME Project. The GNOME Project is a free
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software development effort, intended to create an open source
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platform for home, office, and appliance desktops.
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</P
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></DIV
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></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="QANDAENTRY"
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><DIV
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CLASS="QUESTION"
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><P
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><A
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NAME="AEN21"
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></A
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><B
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>1.2. </B
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> Why does GNOME need the GNOME Foundation?
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</P
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></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="ANSWER"
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><P
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><B
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> </B
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> The GNOME Foundation serves several important roles:
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<P
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></P
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><OL
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TYPE="1"
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><LI
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><P
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> GNOME has grown to a point where we have hundreds of developers as well
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as a fair number of companies working together to improve GNOME.
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GNOME's previous, completely informal method for making decisions does
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not scale well to its current size. The GNOME Foundation will provide
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a forum where all of the members of the GNOME community can have a
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voice and help decide the direction that GNOME moves in.
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</P
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></LI
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><LI
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><P
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> GNOME needs a voice. The GNOME Foundation will be
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responsible for communicating information about GNOME to
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the media and corporations.
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</P
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></LI
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><LI
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><P
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> The GNOME Foundation will make GNOME more open. All of the important
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"political" decisions which used to be made behind the scenes by the
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top GNOME hackers will now be made in public by the GNOME Foundation.
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Technical decisions will still be made by package maintainers.
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</P
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></LI
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><LI
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><P
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> The GNOME Foundation is a legal entity that can accept donations and
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make purchases to benefit GNOME.
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</P
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></LI
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></OL
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>
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</P
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></DIV
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></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="QANDAENTRY"
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><DIV
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CLASS="QUESTION"
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><P
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><A
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NAME="AEN35"
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></A
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><B
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>1.3. </B
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> Is there a web page for the GNOME Foundation?
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</P
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></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="ANSWER"
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><P
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><B
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> </B
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> For now, there is no dedicated GNOME Foundation page, only
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the GNOME Project page.
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</P
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></DIV
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></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="QANDAENTRY"
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><DIV
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CLASS="QUESTION"
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><P
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><A
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NAME="AEN40"
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></A
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><B
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>1.4. </B
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> Where can I read the current draft of the GNOME Foundation charter?
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</P
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></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="ANSWER"
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><P
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><B
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> </B
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> The current draft of the charter is at
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http://www.decrem.com/gnomefdn.html. This is an informal document,
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which will guide the lawyers as they write the formal paperwork
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required for incorporation (such as the foundation bylaws).
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</P
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></DIV
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></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="QANDAENTRY"
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><DIV
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CLASS="QUESTION"
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><P
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><A
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NAME="AEN45"
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></A
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><B
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>1.5. </B
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> Who are the members of the GNOME Foundation?
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</P
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></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="ANSWER"
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><P
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><B
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> </B
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> Anyone who has contributed to the GNOME Project may become a member of
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the GNOME Foundation. The primary benefit of membership is the ability to vote
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for the Foundation's board of directors. If you have CVS access, become a
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member by adding your information to gnome-foundation/membership.txt in
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CVS. Otherwise, mail your full real name, your email address, and a sentence
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or so describing your contribution to GNOME to membership@gnome.org, and they
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will add you. Contributions need not be code - documentation, webmastering, etc.
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are also considered GNOME contributions.
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</P
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></DIV
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></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="QANDAENTRY"
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><DIV
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CLASS="QUESTION"
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><P
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><A
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NAME="AEN50"
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></A
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><B
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>1.6. </B
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> Is the GNOME Foundation an industry consortium?
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</P
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></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="ANSWER"
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><P
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><B
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> </B
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> No. In the current draft of the charter, corporations are represented on
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an advisory board, which has no decision-making power. Individuals
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working for a corporation may be elected to the board of directors by a
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popular vote of the GNOME Foundation membership (i.e. GNOME developers and
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contributors). Also, the GNOME Foundation charter specifies that the
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board of directors cannot have a majority of individuals affiliated with
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any single company.
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</P
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></DIV
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></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="QANDAENTRY"
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><DIV
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CLASS="QUESTION"
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><P
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><A
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NAME="AEN55"
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></A
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><B
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>1.7. </B
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> Why did so many large companies join the GNOME Foundation?
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</P
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></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="ANSWER"
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><P
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><B
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> </B
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> These companies wanted to see the Linux and UNIX desktop move forward
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decisively, so put their support behind GNOME.
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</P
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></DIV
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></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="QANDAENTRY"
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><DIV
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CLASS="QUESTION"
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><P
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><A
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NAME="AEN60"
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></A
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><B
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>1.8. </B
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> Will GNOME continue to work with KDE to develop compatibility
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and desktop standards?
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</P
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></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="ANSWER"
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><P
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><B
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> </B
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> Yes. The GNOME Foundation is simply a response to the increasingly
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difficult task of managing a project as large as the GNOME Project. It
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does not represent a significant change in technical direction or overall
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goals. It is not intended to be an attack on anyone else, simply a positive
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step for GNOME.
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</P
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></DIV
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></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="QANDAENTRY"
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><DIV
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CLASS="QUESTION"
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><P
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><A
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NAME="AEN65"
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></A
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><B
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>1.9. </B
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> Who can I contact with questions about the GNOME Foundation?
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</P
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></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="ANSWER"
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><P
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><B
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> </B
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> If you're a contributor or community member, you might mail
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foundation-list@gnome.org, where discussion of the foundation is
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ongoing. It's probably a good idea to read the current draft of the
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charter first, to avoid repeating issues we've already covered. If you're
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a member of the press, you might mail gnome-press-contact@gnome.org.
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</P
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></DIV
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></DIV
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></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="QANDADIV"
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><H3
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><A
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NAME="AEN69"
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></A
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>2. GNOME Foundation Structure</H3
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><DIV
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CLASS="QANDAENTRY"
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><DIV
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CLASS="QUESTION"
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><P
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><A
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NAME="AEN72"
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></A
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><B
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>2.1. </B
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> What does the advisory board do and who is on it?
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</P
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></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="ANSWER"
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><P
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><B
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> </B
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> The advisory board is comprised of companies and organizations which want
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to further the progress of GNOME. This is a forum for them to communicate
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with each other and the GNOME Foundation membership. They have no power
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to make decisions about GNOME. We've invited the Debian Project and the
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Free Software Foundation to join the advisory board in addition to the
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companies who announced their support at LinuxWorld this year.
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</P
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></DIV
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></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="QANDAENTRY"
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><DIV
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CLASS="QUESTION"
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><P
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><A
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NAME="AEN77"
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></A
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><B
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>2.2. </B
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> What is the board of directors and what does it do?
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</P
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></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="ANSWER"
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><P
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><B
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> </B
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> The board of directors is a group of GNOME contributors who are elected by
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the membership (i.e. every person who contributes to GNOME). This group
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oversees the GNOME Project and does its best to keep things running
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smoothly, making decisions that need to be made. Typical activities of the
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board might include approving the purchase of a new server, talking to
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companies about getting involved with GNOME, making sure we have a release
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roadmap and release coordinators, and so on.
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</P
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></DIV
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></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="QANDAENTRY"
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><DIV
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CLASS="QUESTION"
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><P
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><A
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NAME="AEN82"
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></A
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><B
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>2.3. </B
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> What is the membership and what does it do?
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</P
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></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="ANSWER"
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><P
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><B
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> </B
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> The GNOME Foundation membership is comprised of everybody who
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contributes to the GNOME project. Thus, it it primarily
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comprised of volunteer GNOME contributors (even with all the
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corporate contributions to GNOME, volunteers still make up the
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majority of contributors - GNOME is a huge project). The
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membership's primary role (aside from participation in the GNOME
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Project) is to elect the board of directors.
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</P
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></DIV
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></DIV
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></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="QANDADIV"
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><H3
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><A
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NAME="AEN86"
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></A
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>3. Joining the GNOME Foundation</H3
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><DIV
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CLASS="QANDAENTRY"
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><DIV
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CLASS="QUESTION"
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><P
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><A
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NAME="AEN89"
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></A
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><B
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>3.1. </B
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> Who can join the Membership?
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</P
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></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="ANSWER"
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><P
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><B
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> </B
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> Anybody who contributes to GNOME can become a member.
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</P
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></DIV
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></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="QANDAENTRY"
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><DIV
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CLASS="QUESTION"
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><P
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><A
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NAME="AEN94"
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></A
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><B
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>3.2. </B
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> How can I join the GNOME Foundation as a member?
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</P
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></DIV
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><DIV
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CLASS="ANSWER"
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><P
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><B
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> </B
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> Send an email to membership@gnome.org with your name, email address,
|
|
and a description of how you have contributed to GNOME.
|
|
</P
|
|
></DIV
|
|
></DIV
|
|
><DIV
|
|
CLASS="QANDAENTRY"
|
|
><DIV
|
|
CLASS="QUESTION"
|
|
><P
|
|
><A
|
|
NAME="AEN99"
|
|
></A
|
|
><B
|
|
>3.3. </B
|
|
> Who can join the advisory board?
|
|
</P
|
|
></DIV
|
|
><DIV
|
|
CLASS="ANSWER"
|
|
><P
|
|
><B
|
|
> </B
|
|
> Any company or organization with an interest in GNOME can join the
|
|
advisory board.
|
|
</P
|
|
></DIV
|
|
></DIV
|
|
><DIV
|
|
CLASS="QANDAENTRY"
|
|
><DIV
|
|
CLASS="QUESTION"
|
|
><P
|
|
><A
|
|
NAME="AEN104"
|
|
></A
|
|
><B
|
|
>3.4. </B
|
|
> Should my company join the GNOME Foundation?
|
|
</P
|
|
></DIV
|
|
><DIV
|
|
CLASS="ANSWER"
|
|
><P
|
|
><B
|
|
> </B
|
|
> The advisory board is a forum where your company can discuss GNOME with
|
|
other companies and key figures from the GNOME community. Joining the
|
|
advisory board also allows you to show your support for the GNOME Project.
|
|
</P
|
|
></DIV
|
|
></DIV
|
|
><DIV
|
|
CLASS="QANDAENTRY"
|
|
><DIV
|
|
CLASS="QUESTION"
|
|
><P
|
|
><A
|
|
NAME="AEN109"
|
|
></A
|
|
><B
|
|
>3.5. </B
|
|
> How can my company join the advisory board?
|
|
</P
|
|
></DIV
|
|
><DIV
|
|
CLASS="ANSWER"
|
|
><P
|
|
><B
|
|
> </B
|
|
> In the current charter (which is not yet official, because we have not yet
|
|
legally incorporated the foundation), there is an annual fee of $10,000 to
|
|
join the advisory board. This money is used to support the GNOME Project,
|
|
by purchasing servers, attending conferences, etc. The companies that
|
|
announced their participation at LinuxWorld were expressing their intent
|
|
to join the foundation once it is formally incorporated. The primary benefit of
|
|
joining the advisory board is the opportunity to discuss GNOME issues
|
|
with the other companies on the board, and the opportunity to show your
|
|
support for the GNOME Project.
|
|
</P
|
|
><P
|
|
> If you're interested in discussing membership in the advisory board,
|
|
mail Miguel de Icaza (miguel@helixcode.com) and he'll put you in touch
|
|
with the interim steering committee we've established to handle
|
|
Foundation details until formal incorporation is complete.
|
|
</P
|
|
></DIV
|
|
></DIV
|
|
></DIV
|
|
></DIV
|
|
></DIV
|
|
>
|
|
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