Ubuntu Governance: Reboot?

[Randall Ross ]

Hi Ubuntu folks!

I'd like to echo a couple of points that Jono touched upon, and also
toss in a couple of (possibly) new thoughts that were either overlooked
or understated in the discussion that ensued after his initial post. I'm
going to keep this brief.

First, I share Jono's delight in seeing the re-ignition of lively
conversation. I've been feeling for some time that the Ubuntu
(non-local) world was getting "too quiet". Though the topic-at-hand was
a reboot, and even if that is not ultimately pursued, at least we will
have exposed some new ideas and catalyzed the discussion.

In any project that is collaborative in nature, there will be dominant
collaborators (stakeholders/partners) and less-dominant ones. We should
recognize that although Canonical dominates some aspects of Ubuntu.

I would also like to point out that our community is not just a
contributor community. Not everyone has the time or the opportunity to
contribute now. Though I wish the situation were different, I think it's
a reality that we should all consider as we discuss reform. Reform must
include people that do not contribute, or only marginally contribute.

That touches on another word. I alluded to it in my comments on Jono's
blog, but I think it bears repeating: I think the word to keep in mind
is *reform*, and not only governance. (I think Charles pointed out that
governance is not the same as leadership.) I believe that if we are to
*reform* Ubuntu, then governance probably isn't the best place to start.
I want to see an enthusiasm-building effort kicked off as a starting point.

Ubuntu is certainly special, as Jono pointed out. It is also at risk.
The people who want Ubuntu to succeed in a big way have the opportunity
to examine the project and its goals, and then to align a community to
those goals. If we don't, we will create friction and ultimately we will
lose.

If you are aware of any aspect of the project that is creating friction
that works against success, then I would encourage you to challenge it
by example, not only words.

Finally, and this will likely not come as a surprise, I encourage
everyone to get *local*. When I say local, I mean in your village, town,
or city. That's where the real progress can be made. Instead of trying
to boil the ocean with an overarching structure, let's make thousands of
nice cups of tea :)

Cheers,
Randall