OSGeo FAQ - Revision history

Jive: /* Projects Joining the Foundation */

2012-03-18T21:56:13Z

Projects Joining the Foundation

Warmerdam: Make clear this is an outdated and unofficial version of the FAQ.

2012-03-18T21:55:20Z

Make clear this is an outdated and unofficial version of the FAQ.

Arnulf: added new Category for content development

2008-01-17T18:00:52Z

added new Category for content development

Neteler: PSCs URL

2007-09-25T07:47:36Z

PSCs URL

Arnulf: link to official version added

2007-07-13T12:58:05Z

link to official version added

Wiki-JoWalsh: /* Open Source */

2007-03-27T01:44:10Z

Open Source

Wiki-JoWalsh: /* Open Source */

2007-03-27T01:43:17Z

Open Source

Wiki-JoWalsh: /* Open Source */ - alternate much shorter wording to the "proprietary" question

2007-03-27T00:54:42Z

Open Source: - alternate much shorter wording to the "proprietary" question

Arnulf: /* Structure and Governance */

2006-06-22T09:23:26Z

Structure and Governance

Wiki-Rich steele at 00:07, 28 February 2006

2006-02-28T00:07:06Z

@@ Line 45: / Line 45: @@
 == Projects Joining the Foundation ==
-; What software projects are currently part of the foundation?
+Please see The official [[http://www.osgeo.org/faq#Projects_Joining_the_Foundation FAQ]] (web) and the [[Incubation_FAQ]] (wiki).
 == Participation ==

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:55, 18 March 2012
Line 1:		Line 1:
−	'''This ~~is the working~~ copy of the [http://www.osgeo.org/content/faq/foundation_faq.html OSGeo FAQ] and has ~~not yet~~ been ~~approved, please check~~ http://www.osgeo.org/content/faq/foundation_faq.html ~~for the official version~~.'''	+	'''This was a development copy of the [http://www.osgeo.org/content/faq/foundation_faq.html OSGeo FAQ] and has been superceeded by the official version (http://www.osgeo.org/content/faq/foundation_faq.html).'''
−
	== Structure and Governance ==		== Structure and Governance ==

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:00, 17 January 2008
Line 89:		Line 89:
	; Does the foundation need money?		; Does the foundation need money?
	: The foundation will be soliciting organizational sponsorships in the coming months. Once some organizational and financial details are worked out it will also be possible for individuals to make tax deductable (if in the USA) donations. However, contributions of time for commmittee work, development, documentation, testing, user support, and advocacy are the preferred form of contribution from individuals. Some countries have tax exempt organisations with similar goals to OSGeo that may be candidates for donations or that are willing to receive donations for OSGeo.		: The foundation will be soliciting organizational sponsorships in the coming months. Once some organizational and financial details are worked out it will also be possible for individuals to make tax deductable (if in the USA) donations. However, contributions of time for commmittee work, development, documentation, testing, user support, and advocacy are the preferred form of contribution from individuals. Some countries have tax exempt organisations with similar goals to OSGeo that may be candidates for donations or that are willing to receive donations for OSGeo.
		+
		+	[[Category:Content Development]]

@@ Line 28: / Line 28: @@
 ; What are the detailed rules of governance of the foundation?
-: The foundation's governance model is still being developed, but it is expected that the foundation will emulate certain features of the governance models employed by other successful open source projects such as Apache.  Individual foundation projects are expected to be governed by their own Project Steering Committees (PSCs), which will be appointed by the foundation's Board of Directors.
+: The foundation's governance model is still being developed, but it is expected that the foundation will emulate certain features of the governance models employed by other successful open source projects such as Apache.  Individual foundation projects are expected to be governed by their own [[Project Steering Committees]] (PSCs), which will be appointed by the foundation's Board of Directors.
 == Open Source ==

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:58, 13 July 2007
Line 1:		Line 1:
−	'''This ~~page~~ is ~~provisional,~~ and ~~the following declarations are~~ not approved by the ~~OSGeo board~~.'''	+	'''This is the working copy of the [http://www.osgeo.org/content/faq/foundation_faq.html OSGeo FAQ] and has not yet been approved, please check http://www.osgeo.org/content/faq/foundation_faq.html for the official version.'''

	== Structure and Governance ==		== Structure and Governance ==

@@ Line 39: / Line 39: @@
 ; Is the foundation against proprietary software?
-: No, the foundation promotes and supports open source software, it is not against anything. In fact, proprietary geospatial software is often built on open source software to some extent.
+: No, the foundation promotes and supports open source software, it is not against anything. In fact, open source geospatial software is often used inside proprietary software.
 ; Does OSGeo support "Open Source Software" or "Free Software"?

@@ Line 22: / Line 22: @@
 ; Who are the board of directors?
-: The [[Interim Board of Directors]] were selected at the Chicago meeting, and will be extended to nine directors in the coming weeks pursuant to the [[Proposed Board Election Procedure]].
+: The [[Board of Directors]] was elected in two separate passes. Five directors were nominated and elected during the Chicago meeting in February 2006. Four additional directors were nominated pursuant to the [[Proposed Board Election Procedure]] and elected on March 18th to form the full board of 9 directors. This board will be in charge for one year. After this period the first five seats on the board of directors will be up for nomination and election again. Until then the [[Proposed Board Election Procedure]] must be formalized, stabilized and approved.
 ; Is the foundation controlled by Autodesk?
-: No.  Autodesk has provided generous support (legal, organizational and financial) to help establish the foundation, but only three members (including one board member) are from Autodesk.  MapGuide Open Source, initially contributed to the foundation by Autodesk, is only one of eight initial foundation projects.
+: No. Autodesk has provided generous support (legal, organizational and financial) to help establish the foundation, but only three members (including one board member) are from Autodesk.  MapGuide Open Source, initially contributed to the foundation by Autodesk, is only one of eight initial foundation projects.
 ; What are the detailed rules of governance of the foundation?

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 '''This page is provisional, and the following declarations are not approved by the OSGeo board.'''
-== Governance ==
+== Structure and Governance ==
 ; What is the legal form of the foundation?
-: The foundation is planned to be a 501(c)3 charitable corporation incorporated in Delaware, USA.
+: The foundation is a membership-based corporation incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware, USA.  The foundation was expressly incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation, and intends to apply for tax exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code so that financial contributions will be tax deductible in the United States.
 ; Who owns/controls the foundation?
-: The foundation is controlled by its voting members, who select a board of directors to control day-to-day operations.
+: The foundation is a non-profit entity and has no shareholders.  Thus, nobody "owns" the foundation.  However, the foundation does have voting members who, like the shareholders in a for-profit company, elect the foundation's board of directors.  The board of directors, acting together, manages the affairs of the foundation.
 ; Who are the members?
-: The membership is composed from users, supporters, promoters, and developers of open source geospatial software.  Becoming a member is as easy as joining the site and contributing to the foundation goals.  Beyond members, there are currently 21 ''voting members'', and 24 more are being added via a temporary [[Membership Process]] that should be completed soon.
+: The membership is composed from users, supporters, promoters, and developers of open source geospatial software.  Becoming a member is as easy as joining the site and contributing to the foundation goals.  Beyond members, there are currently 45 ''voting members'' [add link to membership roster].
 ; Can I become a voting member?
-: Beyond bringing the voting membership up to 45 members, details of the membership process have not been determined.  However, all members of the open source geospatial community are encouraged to participate in foundation mailing lists, committees, and projects.  Voting membership is not required for most forms of participation.
+: Beyond selecting the initial voting membership of 45 members, details of the membership process have not been determined.  However, all members of the open source geospatial community are encouraged to participate in foundation mailing lists, committees, and projects.  Voting membership is not required for most forms of participation.
 ; Can an associate member have any influence?
-: First, a non-voting (''i.e.'' associate) member can do everything a voting member can do, except vote in board elections.  They can be members of committees and vote on them.  They can speak up, and contribute in every other way.  The foundation aims to be a ''do-acracy'', and so the way to have influence is to ''do'' things! Ultimately, of course, the foundation will ''only'' succeed in its [[OSGeo Mission|mission]] if the entire community gets involved -- so please don't hesitate! We need your help!  In line with the do-acracy, those who contribute to the foundation goals will be recognized in the future with voting memberships.
+: Yes!  First, a non-voting (''i.e.'' associate) member can do everything a voting member can do, except vote in board elections.  They can be members of committees and vote on them.  They can speak up, and contribute in every other way.  The foundation aims to be a ''do-acracy'', and so the way to have influence is to ''do'' things! Ultimately, of course, the foundation will ''only'' succeed in its [[OSGeo Mission|mission]] if the entire community gets involved -- so please don't hesitate! We need your help!  In line with the do-acracy, those who contribute to the foundation goals will be recognized in the future with voting memberships.
 ; Who are the board of directors?
-: The [[Interim Board of Directors]] were selected at the Chicago meeting, and will be extended to extended to nine directors in the coming weeks (after the membership has been broadened to 45).
+: The [[Interim Board of Directors]] were selected at the Chicago meeting, and will be extended to nine directors in the coming weeks pursuant to the [[Proposed Board Election Procedure]].
 ; Is the foundation controlled by Autodesk?
-: No.  Autodesk has provided generous support (legal, organizational and financial) to help establish the foundation, but only three (2?) members and one board member are from Autodesk.  MapGuide Open Source, from Autodesk, is only one of eight initial foundation projects.
+: No.  Autodesk has provided generous support (legal, organizational and financial) to help establish the foundation, but only three members (including one board member) are from Autodesk.  MapGuide Open Source, initially contributed to the foundation by Autodesk, is only one of eight initial foundation projects.
 ; What are the detailed rules of governance of the foundation?
-: The detailed rules of governance have not yet been defined.   It is expected that they will be drawn up, approved by the board and ratified by the membership in the coming months.
+: The foundation's governance model is still being developed, but it is expected that the foundation will emulate certain features of the governance models employed by other successful open source projects such as Apache.  Individual foundation projects are expected to be governed by their own Project Steering Committees (PSCs), which will be appointed by the foundation's Board of Directors.
 == Open Source ==
@@ Line 53: / Line 56: @@
 ; Do foundation projects need to sign over copyright to the foundation?
-: This is not a requirement, but is an option.  Assigning copyright to the foundation is most practical for projects where all copyright holders are available and willing to agree to such a copyright assignment.
+: No.  Copyright to individual contributions in foundation projects is expected to remain with the original developer.  The foundation will obtain rights to contributed project code by way of a contributor license agreement from the developer.
 ; Do project developers need to sign a legal agreement?
-: The foundation is expecting to require project committers (and possibly their employers) to sign a legal agreement that ensures they are submitting code to their foundation project legally.  The details of this agreement are still being worked out.
+: Yes.  The foundation is expecting to require project committers (and, in some situations, their employers) to sign a contributor agreement that ensures they are submitting code to their foundation project legally.  The details of this agreement are still being worked out.
 ; Do foundation projects need to turn over project control to the foundation?
-: No.  The foundation is not interested in controlling foundation projects.  However, foundation projects are expected to follow some foundation rules, mostly around the need to ensure that project code is not legally encumbered (''i.e.'', not stolen, or improperly contributed), and that appropriate controls are in place to ensure code is not improperly contributed.  Some additional expectations may exist around projects operating in an open and accountable fashion, handling foundation provided funding appropriately and not taking actions that will cause legal problems for the foundation.  The foundation also encourages, but does not require, projects to support foundation goals, such as implementing standards-based interoperability.
+: No.  The foundation is not interested in controlling foundation projects.  However, foundation projects are expected to follow some foundation rules, mostly around the need to ensure that project code is not legally encumbered (''i.e.'', not stolen, or improperly contributed), and that appropriate controls are in place to ensure code is properly contributed.  Some additional expectations may exist around projects operating in an open and accountable fashion, handling foundation provided-funding appropriately and not taking actions that will cause legal problems or negative goodwill for the foundation.  The foundation also encourages, but does not require, projects to support foundation goals, such as implementing standards-based interoperability.
 ; Can my project operate as a ''benevolent dictatorship''?
-: Detailed requirements for project administration have not yet been worked out, but it is anticipated that rules somewhat related to those for Apache will be followed.  Projects should have a ''Project Management Committee'' responsible for technical decisions and these committees should operate openly and with a consensus based approach.  A benevolent dictatorship is not likely to be considered suitably open and consensus based.
+: Detailed requirements for project administration have not yet been worked out, but it is anticipated that rules somewhat related to those for Apache will be followed.  Projects should have a ''Project Steering Committee'' responsible for technical decisions and these committees should operate openly and with a consensus based approach.  A benevolent dictatorship is not likely to be considered suitably open and consensus based.
 ; Do I have to use mandated source control / web system / bug system / mailing list from the foundation?
@@ Line 71: / Line 74: @@
 ; Does the foundation mandate a particular license for software?
-: The foundation only accepts projects that use [http://www.opensource.org/ OSI] approved licenses for their software, and requires that projects stick to OSI approved licenses.  This includes common licenses such as MIT/X, BSD, GPL, and LGPL.  The foundation encourages library projects to use a the LGPL or a more permissive license (such as MIT/X or BSD) rather than the GPL so that the libraries can be reused by non-GPL projects, but does not require it.  The foundation also discourages a proliferation  of new and incompatible licenses.
+: The foundation only accepts projects that use [http://www.opensource.org/ OSI-certified] licenses for their software, and requires that projects stick to OSI-certified licenses.  This includes common licenses such as MIT/X, BSD, GPL, and LGPL.  The foundation encourages library projects to use the LGPL or a more permissive license (such as MIT/X or BSD) rather than the GPL so that the libraries can be reused by non-GPL projects, but does not require it.  The foundation also discourages a proliferation  of new and incompatible licenses.
-; Does the foundation mandate a particular license for non-software (geodata, etc.)?
+; Does the foundation mandate a particular license for content other than software, such as geodata, educational materials, documentation, etc.?
-: The foundation accepts non-software projects that use [http://creativecommons.org/ Creative Commons] licenses for their public geodata, educational material, or promotional material. The foundation also discourages a proliferation  of new and incompatible licenses.
+: The foundation accepts non-software projects that use [http://creativecommons.org/ Creative Commons] or similar licenses for their public geodata, educational material, or promotional material. The foundation also discourages a proliferation of new and incompatible licenses.
 == Participation ==
@@ Line 80: / Line 83: @@
 ; What can I do to get involved?
 : Visit the [http://osgeo.org/ OSGeo] web site.   Join the main foundation ''discuss'' list.  Check out the [[Volunteers Needed]]. You don't need to be a programmer.
 ; Does the foundation need money?
 : The foundation will be soliciting organizational sponsorships in the coming months.  Once some organizational and financial details are worked out it will also be possible for individuals to make tax deductable (if in the USA) donations.  However, contributions of time for commmittee work, development, documentation, testing, user support, and advocacy are the preferred form of contribution from individuals. Some countries have tax exempt organisations with similar goals to OSGeo that may be candidates for donations or that are willing to receive donations for OSGeo.