Richard Littauer
The OSIs purpose is to be a trusted, legitimate source of truth for what open source is and how to use it.
When they fail at holding meaningful, equitable elections, and when they push through controversial work like OSAID and then gag board members from disagreeing with it publicly, they undermine their own work.
I don't know if the OSI needs to exist right now to legitimize OSS. It doesn't stop snake oil OSS or open washing. Surely the public can just call a spade a spade on their own.
Richard Littauer
@downey Bugger the outside, this damages the reputation of the OSI even to those in the FOSS movement. And that includes corporate OSS! I say this as someone who is blessed enough to have an affiliate seat.
Our ideals and vision are always bigger than reality, and it's always difficult to work in the open and in any arena.
But surely, I mean, surely the OSI can do better than this.
Richard Littauer
@downey This is my first time learning about the gag rule for talking about the OSI work.
"[Directors can expect each other] to Disagree during Board deliberation but support publicly all Board decisions, especially those that do not have unanimous consent."
This is horrible. This makes me wonder about so many conversations I have had with board directors over the years, and it also explains a good deal of silence I have gotten to some questions.
You need to allow dissent in the open.
Michael Downey 🧢
@richlitt Co-sign.
When our community's past leaders-by-consensus fail to act with integrity, it damages the FOSS movement's reputation to those "on the outside".
Fortunately, as you say, our ideals and vision are bigger than any leader or organization; they can and will endure.
But at what reputational cost?
Richard Littauer
I get that board directors have a responsibility to the organization. I've served on nonprofit boards. I know what that means.
It does not mean you need to publicly agree with all of a board's decisions.
Again, this is bonkers. It's 3:00am where I am and I'm just kind of sitting here gazing into the middle distance, wondering whether I need to start a new nonprofit just to allow big tent open source to have a voice that says: "You matter, your rights as an author of FOSS matter."
Michael Downey 🧢
@richlitt As a fellow USA-ian, I wonder if you agree with me how wild it is that the SCOTUS justices can offer formal dissents to the Court's decisions, but yet the OSI directors can't....
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