I can't do it
Hey everyone - I appreciate those suggesting I return as Gentoo's benevolent dictator, but there are a lot of reasons why I can't do this.
First, I don't want to try to take Gentoo back by force, or honestly, even peacefully. Second, I couldn't afford to do this even if I wanted to - it would take up a ton of time and I need to work to support my family. Third, I don't really want to be Gentoo's benevolent dictator - I've had too many bad experiences during my tenure and I think this has destroyed any ability to be passionate about returning to Gentoo. Invariably, within 48 hours of having Gentoo on the brain I notice that I'm upset, depressed and not enjoying life.
Fourth (yes, this keeps going,) I have started a new Web consulting business, and this is the first career in I-don't-know-how-long that I truly, truly enjoy. Probably since I originally started Gentoo - and that was never really a career. So that is where I want to be focusing my time. I like working with people I can see, and I like helping people with whatever problems they might be having. I like the totally random nature of it. When you find a line of work that fits you so well, it's a good idea not to get distracted from it too much.
But at the end of the day, I am tempted to do something with Gentoo simply because I think Gentoo needs help, and I am concerned about the Gentoo user community being properly served. But really, besides the unexpected discovery of still being President of the Gentoo Foundation, I really am not in a position to do anything to help. But I would like to help. I also have invested so much in Gentoo that often it is hard to see where Gentoo ends and Daniel begins. I have a sense of pride in Gentoo - a compulsion to see it become better than it is. And despite the many Linux distributions out there, none really offer anything equivalent to Gentoo.
What's the secret for making Gentoo better? First, considering the issues with the Gentoo Foundation, it would probably be best if the legal aspects of the Foundation are handed over to another more capable entity to manage. Beyond that, I'm pretty convinced that Gentoo needs to move to a more modular developer organization, with truly independent development teams. Portage needs to evolve to better support this model of development. With smaller independently-managed teams with their own local policies (or local chaos,) developers will be able to create a work environment that reflects the strengths of the team and will allow them to do higher-quality work more efficiently.
Then, developers will begin to become passionate not just about their little piece of Gentoo, but about the whole Gentoo "thing" again. And once there is true passion about that whole Gentoo "thing", I think then you will see developers being more concerned about protecting the larger Gentoo ecosystem and making sure that it continues to thrive.
Also, I do think that Gentoo needs a leader. It doesn't need to be me. I didn't appoint a Chief Architect when I resigned - I expected the 13 trustees step up and passionately direct the project. And I think the trustees did not really comprehend what this meant. I did not want the trustees to be totally detached from software development as they became. Day-to-day project management was not something they were supposed to be doing. But the trustees are charged with protecting the long-term health of the project. And Gentoo is, by its nature, a software development project. To protect the health of a software development project, you need to clearly have some influence over software development. Defining exactly how to go about doing this was left to the trustees, and unfortunately rather than becoming guardians of the software project, it looks like they quickly settled on a position of total non-involvement.
(Am I remembering my initial mandate incorrectly? Anyone have some old gentoo-trustees emails to send me to show me that I'm revising history? Send them to drobbins@funtoo.org. I tried to look up old gentoo-trustees emails to see exactly what I said but there were quite a few that never made it to the archives.)
Eventually, the Council would be created to in some ways fill this role, but there were some missing pieces. The Council really caters to the needs of the immediate development team, and is not looking at the overall health of the project in relation to the larger free software ecosystem. In other words, the Council is more inwardly-focused than outwardly-focused, and thus really doesn't address the issue of strategic direction for the project as a whole.
The solution to this would be for the Foundation to assert more influence over strategic software development of the project, and fill the role formerly served by the Chief Architect. Or, simply have the Council appoint one of the Council members to serve as Chief Architect. The Chief Architect would work with the Foundation to create, maintain and revise a long-term strategic architectural roadmap for the project that would be supported by both the Foundation and the Council. The architectural roadmap would help to clarify and refine the overarching technical goals of the project. The Foundation would provide assistance in helping to achieve these technical goals. (Just an idea on how it could work.)
And now I need to have a relaxing weekend and get back to my day job.
16 comments:
Im sorry to hear this, but I can totally understand the reasoning.
I share your opinion that gentoo needs to become a ecosystem and that it needs leaders - or at least people with a clearly defined vision.
The problem with finding "one leader" for the whole project and the subprojects is - authority. This is why I wished so bad that you would come back. Your authority is the hardest to challenge without making the challenger look like a fool *cough*.
If your authority isnt enough to lead the project, who else should fill that shoe?
I'll stop thinking about this, it will ruin my weekend.
I better start up the BBQ, friends are coming soon.
Ironic that word of passing Gentoo on to better stewardship prompted the suggestion to pass stewardship back to you. In this post, you recomment passing Gentoo to better stewardship. "It's circular. It's like a carousel. You pay the quarter, you get on the horse. It goes up and down and around." (Potter in Happy Gilmore)
Although I can understand your motives I must say I am disappointed with this news.It seems only fair that you retract earlier comments you've made in 'So, Can I have Gentoo back?'
You really got me puzzled by asking for something you didn't want to have in the first place?!
Quote:\
"So, I have this suggestion. If no one has the time or ability to run the Foundation and advance Gentoo, maybe the Foundation should give Gentoo's intellectual property - Portage, code, logos, etc - back to the person who actually created Gentoo and made many personal sacrifices to help it become the extremely successful project that it is today, namely me? Yes, I am being foolish by tooting my own horn, and there are many other contributors to Gentoo - but, honestly, wouldn't this be the right thing to do? At least as a courtesy, as some kind of admission of "Oops - Daniel gave up his future with Gentoo to accommodate our requests - and in return we neglected our responsibilities. We should put the project back into his hands in recognition that we were not good stewards of the project."
Am I demanding Gentoo back? No. And, frankly, I do not expect Gentoo to be offered back to me. I'm just pointing out that this would have been the proper thing to do" /End of quote.
Anirhudda,
I did have a disclaimer that this was a late-night rant.
It is really not my job to jump in and try to fix the mess that currently exists. It is not an efficient use of my time. I am more disappointed at how the Foundation has been run than anything else.
"So, can I have Gentoo back?" was more of a rhetorical comment about how I don't think that Gentoo devs really deserve their wish of an NFP, since they don't seem to take basic steps and file basic paperwork, and actually use it to better Gentoo.
It's complicated - I do have a long-term interest in the health of the Gentoo ecosystem and probably always will, and there will always be a "pull" to dive in in some way and improve Gentoo - but I was not demanding to go back to the days of Daniel Robbins as Chief Architect. Rather, I was saying that Gentoo had failed to move forward as an organization from that point, from the time I set up the NFP and left the project.
Based on this, since it appears that the NFP had essentially died, why not give Gentoo back to me? I intended this to be more of a dare, and a kick in the pants, to maybe scare some developers into using their freedom or losing it. The sentiment among Gentoo devs is that generally they don't want to have someone over them who is telling them what to do. At least, that is my perspective.
I hope that clarifies some things.
If people REALLY want me back as Chief Architect, I'm going to need a salary. And you are going to need to convince all the trustees that it's a good idea to reinstate me as Chief Architect. And then you're going to need to convince me and my wife that coming back to Gentoo is a better use of my time than focusing on my new Web consulting business or simply starting a "Funtoo" open source project. There may be a lot of potential for a new Gentoo or a Funtoo OS, but I think that there is comparatively more potential in Web-based platforms, which is where I'm focusing now. I don't really see Gentoo as a good launching point for next-gen software efforts.
I can blog more about this in the future.
Aniruddha: Now you know the difference between a late night blog post to let your mind steam off and a the result of two days of thought. emotion vs reason.
Well Daniel, as a Gentooist I'd be extremely glad if you were back, but I guess we have to accept the reality and deal with how the things are now; move on and take the path we think is the right one.
Enjoy the weekend... in the next weeks you probably have to fill some papers to make someone worthy and knowledgeable on how to manage non-profit orgs, the next President of the Foundation(but not necessarily a Gentoo developer).
Just give your opinion and hopefully people will take your lead. Maybe not though, people tend to be egocentric.
Looking at where Gentoo is now, the council should step up to fill that gap rather than the trustees.
Also FYI, there is some work going on in the really larger-scale open-source ecosystem via http://flossfoundations.org/ -- I'm on the list, and so is Lance.
This is the worst case of backpedaling I've seen in years. It pretty much undermines the credibility of everything you say, whether Gentoo-related or not.
Unless you really mean it, you shouldn't publish detailed screeds about how others have failed and you should rightly be given the reins. Qualifying it with "this is just a late-night rant" is a cop-out. Peoples' reputations were impugned.
And if you're still legally president of the foundation, the onus is on you to take care of the issues you berated the Trustees for neglecting. Don't add hypocrisy to your resume.
For what it's worth, as a user I was on your side when some of the current Gentoo developer-malcontents rudely pushed you out of the project a second time, but I'm afraid I'm no longer a supporter.
Err... Alex, I don't get you.
I am not in a position to take Gentoo back. If I were independently wealthy and had the time, I would be in a position to do it. I seriously considered it and came to the conclusion that I couldn't do it because it would basically destroy my finances and my startup business.
When I posted my "late night rant," I had absolutely NO idea that I had a tie to anything Gentoo. I had no idea I was still President of the foundation until comment #5.
If you're upset, that's OK - but at least be glad that I seriously considered coming back and that I'm actively working with the trustees to try to figure out what to do to fix this and other legal problems with the foundation.
The onus isn't on me to "fix" anything. I was never responsible for running the Foundation - I only established it, and then I resigned from my ~5 year tenure of creating and running the project myself.
OK, Alex, I thought about what you said and you sort of have a point. :/
The question is - can the trustees fix this mess, and quickly? I need an answer to this question. And I will get an answer to it.
Daniel:
Your response is quite normal, you must be taking in a lot lately. Just remember you have fans (yes I said fans) and supporters who will help you when the need comes.
This should not be a stressful endeavor for you, if it is, you are creating the stress yourself.
You can make money from Gentoo. Many of us, I assure you, would pay a membership fee to become non-voting members of the Gentoo Foundation.
Even better, try to keep Gentoo Technologies going and offer support for a fee. Many of us would like to use Gentoo as an Enterprise server but at times, we would like reliable support that we are willing to pay for.
How about creating a program that, with a fee, will update our systems automatically so we the users do not have to worry about configs, etc. It is a save time and worry-less process for us that some would like.
Oh by the way, everytime I hear that Gentoo did not have a business model, I laugh. It did have one, you did just not see it. How else could it become so popular around the world with a large community of developers? You should also realize that you were the heart of that business model. When you left, the heart and vision of the project died. It and the community is calling for your return.
What was missing was a business plan. Without a business plan, if you had that, you could have, and still can, raise seed money to help your company grow. You were the chief architect but you also needed to be a businessman.
If you do return, and I hope you do, please learn how to delegate. Do not do everything yourself. Appoint another chief architect, your job is just to be President or CEO (if you go the business route) and lead the organization or company.
If you need money for Gentoo, swallow your pride and ask for some. Businessmen do that all the time.
And lastly, please remember that whatever action you take does affect the larger Gentoo community. People do care. You are so lucky that you have an international community following you, you just do not know it yet.
Acknowledge it and I think your return to the Gentoo community will be more rewarding.
And if you decide not to return, I will just have to find you, tear apart your pocket protector and steal your lunch money :-)
Best of luck in your decision...
Daniel,
I am a user who actually tried Enoch. I also went straight to gentoo when the name change and minor architectural changes were made. You even connected up to my server a couple times and helped me with some issues early on, you might remember sc.am (although I doubt it.)
With all of that said, I was at a loss for words when you first left gentoo. When you came back and left just as fast last year I was again in shock. Now I know it was a late night rant, but please dont do that to us.
As another poster said you dont just have people who would like to see you back, you actually have fans. I hope whatever part you take in gentoo going forward, even if it is just a temporary thing, helps clean up this mess.
Daniel, I left Gentoo shortly after you did the first time..I also felt that the atmosphere that originally drew me to Gentoo had gone away. I would spend hours reading and posting on the forums and I could spend hours reading Lovechild's posts. Things have changed with Gentoo and although I only contributed a few ebuilds here and there. The community has not evolved into something good. Of course there are exceptions..But not many.
Hello,
I'm not a gentoo user, but everytime I read something about gentoo, I see the words "political" "flame wars", "resigned", "crysis" etc.
In your previous post, you talk about people being "overly analytical", and that the solution is simply "to get things done". I totally agree !
And I think *now*, you are overly analytical. If you want to help gentoo, just get the source and improve it in your free time.
You said that when you began gentoo it was really fun... now please answer this question : what was fun ? being a TECHNICAL chief architect, or managing the community ? I don't know you, but I guess you simply enjoyed coding something challenging (like you are doing with your web consulting business)
Don't bother about political problems, Trustee, mailing-list etc... Just do things you enjoy. If gentoo improves, the gentoo community will grow and improve.
If you make something great, people will get passionate about it.
I'm sure this is the simplest and best way to help. Like for any other open source project.
Amen.
I hope you understood my poor english...
shamaz, you are wrong. gentoo does not need drobbins as a coder. gentoo needs him as a leader, a visionary and a unifing and focusing force.
There has never been a lack of technical skills in the gentoo project.
I used to use Gentoo, reported bugs, submitted a couple fixes and so on, but left when drobbins did. The last thing Gentoo needs is more "leaders". If Daniel went back, he would need to go back as the lead coder, because he was the only one who actually got shit done. Very few others wanted to get their hands dirty, they just wanted the respect and glory.
I can't imagine the people who have control now will give it up. Daniel, either forget the whole thing ever happened and go on with your real job that actually pays the bills, or take another chance and make a new distro. It's up to you and your wife whether you want to take such a huge risk yet again. Personally, I wouldn't do it, but then again, I'd be happy if you did, because then it would mean I could stop using LFS and let you do the hard work. Sorry, just my selfish POV.
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