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