Re: Question about membership.

[Charles Plessy <plessy@debian.org>]

Le Sat, Mar 27, 2010 at 05:42:24PM -0300, Margarita Manterola a écrit :
> On Fri, Mar 26, 2010 at 10:02 PM, Charles Plessy <plessy@debian.org> wrote:
> 
> >> * Do you need to come up with a GR to change membership procedures, or is there
> >> a different way?
> >
> > I will cast a GR if I think it is needed. If I am wrong, the result will be
> > NOTA, and I will resign as DPL.
> 
> You'd really resign as DPL if a certain GR that you wanted was not
> passed?

Hi Margarita,

let me clear your doubts.

I think that one of the roles of the DPL is to lead debates to conclusion. I
want a debate on membership, and if nobody steps up to lead it after my
election (if it happens), I will lead it. If the result is a consensus, no GR
will be needed. Is a result is camps so strongly opposed that chosing one
option will demotivate many DDs, I will not cast a GR and prefer status quo. If
the result it that the Project as a whole is hesitating between possibilities
that are acceptable, I will cast a GR to make a choice and go ahead.

This is what I mean by ‘if I think it is needed’. I never wrote anywhere that I
will twist arms with GRs. Here is the extract of my platform about GRs:

  “GRs: Sometimes, lack of consensus and action does not reflect conflict or
  division, but simply that in a large project like Debian, which heavily relies
  on electronic communication, it can be difficult to get the feeling of
  approbation. In these cases, I think that a vote can be a very healthy process,
  and I will initiate GRs when the Project is blocked on choosing between
  directions that are all acceptable.”

To answer your question about quitting, why would a DPL resign after casting a
GR that results in NOTA? A GR draws energy from the project, and if badly
managed, can create tensions and divisions. In particular on the membership
issue, if as DPL I would cast a GR that leads to NOTA, it would mean that I
failed to understand the situation, and possibly harmed the project. I think
that such a failure would be so high that a demission is the correct reaction.

I hope that I convinced you that it has nothing to do with which option I would
vote for if such a GR would be proposed.

Have a nice Sunday,

-- 
Charles