Minutes of the board meeting of January 13, 2020

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Wiki location: https://wiki.gnome.org/FoundationBoard/Minutes/20200113

Note: These were approved in the board meeting of 27 January. Due to
traveling to FOSDEM, it slipped my mind to publish them and I didn't
realize it until now. My apologies for the lateness.

= Meeting of the GNOME Foundation Board of Directors, 13 January 2020,
15:30 UTC =

== Attending ==

 * AllanDay
 * BrittYazel
 * FedericoMenaQuintero
 * NeilMcGovern
 * PhilipChimento (leaving 16:00 UTC)
 * TristanVanBerkom
 * RosannaYuen (starting 15:42 UTC)
 * CarlosSoriano (starting 16:05 UTC)

== Regrets ==

 * RobertMcQueen
 * CarlosSoriano

== Agenda ==

 * Approve minutes of 9 December
 * Linux App Summit 2020
 * Splitting the directors into two classes

== Minutes ==

 * Approve minutes of 9 December
   * No amendments proposed.
   * Minutes are approved.

 * Linux App Summit 2020
   * Allan: The LAS organizing committee is waiting for some form of
go-ahead from the Foundation to launch their call for proposals. The
organizers are keen to have the event again in 2020 in order to keep the
momentum and not let the Linux app ecosystem languish for attention.
However, that may pose a problem for our capacity to support it.
   * Neil: Normally GUADEC is in July, then people generally want to go on
holiday, then comes GNOME.Asia, and by that time we have only one month
until November. I've talked to Aleix Pol and suggested that March would be
a better time to get support from the GNOME Foundation.
   * Allan: One possibility is to do a lighter event in 2020 by co-locating
with another conference. However, I don't think they have any specific
ideas about what to co-locate with.
   * Neil: Two that spring to mind are SeaGL and CCC.
   * Federico: Would it be a problem to tack LAS onto GUADEC?
     * Britt: That would make it by nature very GNOME-branded.
   * Allan: That seems like something to work out between Neil and the LAS
organizers. However, that brings us to the second part of the question, how
important do we consider it to continue supporting LAS?
     * Federico: I think it's important to have this conference to
emphasize why it's important to have software that runs on your own
computer. It's also an important tie between GNOME and KDE.
     * Britt: Agreed. It's also attracting more parties and it seems
counterproductive to back out.
     * Philip: Agreed that it is important; we also need to test it against
the goals of the Foundation and balance it with the other goals.
     * Neil: It would seem to fit within the goal of having a thriving app
ecosystem, although for example GNOME.Asia fits within another goal of
outreach. The event seemed to go well and has opened up good lines of
discussion.
     * Tristan: Agreed, would like to continue supporting it. I believe the
main concern last time we discussed was taxes. Has that been resolved?
     * Rosanna: Tax issues tend to show up a year later, if there are
issues.
     * Allan: I think we should continue to support it, with the caveat
that there seems to be some ambiguity about the audience of LAS. In a
certain way the conference is still finding its audience. It would be
useful to try to push the organizers to figure that out, and possibly use
the conference as a way to come to an answer to some of these thorny
platform questions.
   * Allan: At this point we don't have a specific proposal to approve. We
can give our general positive assent to continuing to support LAS.
     * Neil: It sounds like the board members are all in favour.
   * Tristan: Is the call for locations blocking on us because of attaching
the GNOME name to it?
     * Allan: Although we don't have to commit a specific amount at this
time, they are also waiting for us to say in principle that we will back
LAS financially.

 * Splitting the directors into two classes
   * Neil: When we adopted our bylaws changes, we split the directors into
two classes of three and four directors, to stagger the terms. That means
the board needs to decide this split. One proposal is to make the three
directors with the most amount of votes in the previous election up for
reelection in 2021, and the remaining four in 2020. That would seem to be
the most democratic option and might go some way towards easing the
concerns of people who had reservations about this change.
   * Allan: Another idea is to make the shortest-sitting directors up for
reelection in 2021, and the longer-sitting ones in 2020.
   * (Philip leaves)
   * Britt: we could just see how many volunteers there are to sit for
another year, and base the decision on that.
   * Some discussion about the lack of women on the board.
   * Neil: If we were publicly listed in California, we would be legally
required to have female directors.
   * Allan: If we were to have a rule about having a percentage of women in
the board, would that have to go in the bylaws?
     * Neil: Yes.
   * Tristan: I would like to see how many people run in the upcoming
election of a half board, as I don't know if enough people would run to
make up for that percentage.
   * (Carlos arrives)
   * Various discussion about who is willing to sit for another year. The
board agrees to keep this discussion going, with a view to agreeing on the
classes in the next few months.

* Announcements
   * Allan: Next week is a working session; there are some pending issues -
please look at them.
   * Britt: events.gnome.org is up and running! We can use that to
coordinate the Board hackfest.

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<div dir=3D"ltr"><div>Wiki location: <a href=3D"https://wiki.gnome.org/Foun=
dationBoard/Minutes/20200113">https://wiki.gnome.org/FoundationBoard/Minute=
s/20200113</a></div><div><br></div><div>Note: These were approved in the bo=
ard meeting of 27 January. Due to traveling to FOSDEM, it slipped my mind t=
o publish them and I didn&#39;t realize it until now. My apologies for the =
lateness.<br></div><div><br></div><div>=3D Meeting of the GNOME Foundation =
Board of Directors, 13 January 2020, 15:30 UTC =3D<br><br>=3D=3D Attending =
=3D=3D<br><br>=C2=A0* AllanDay<br>=C2=A0* BrittYazel<br>=C2=A0* FedericoMen=
aQuintero<br>=C2=A0* NeilMcGovern<br>=C2=A0* PhilipChimento (leaving 16:00 =
UTC)<br>=C2=A0* TristanVanBerkom<br>=C2=A0* RosannaYuen (starting 15:42 UTC=
)<br>=C2=A0* CarlosSoriano (starting 16:05 UTC)<br><br>=3D=3D Regrets =3D=
=3D<br><br>=C2=A0* RobertMcQueen<br>=C2=A0* CarlosSoriano<br><br>=3D=3D Age=
nda =3D=3D<br><br>=C2=A0* Approve minutes of 9 December<br>=C2=A0* Linux Ap=
p Summit 2020<br>=C2=A0* Splitting the directors into two classes<br><br>=
=3D=3D Minutes =3D=3D<br><br>=C2=A0* Approve minutes of 9 December<br>=C2=
=A0 =C2=A0* No amendments proposed.<br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0* Minutes are approved.=
<br><br>=C2=A0* Linux App Summit 2020<br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0* Allan: The LAS orga=
nizing committee is waiting for some form of go-ahead from the Foundation t=
o launch their call for proposals. The organizers are keen to have the even=
t again in 2020 in order to keep the momentum and not let the Linux app eco=
system languish for attention. However, that may pose a problem for our cap=
acity to support it.<br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0* Neil: Normally GUADEC is in July, th=
en people generally want to go on holiday, then comes GNOME.Asia, and by th=
at time we have only one month until November. I&#39;ve talked to Aleix Pol=
 and suggested that March would be a better time to get support from the GN=
OME Foundation.<br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0* Allan: One possibility is to do a lighter=
 event in 2020 by co-locating with another conference. However, I don&#39;t=
 think they have any specific ideas about what to co-locate with.<br>=C2=A0=
 =C2=A0* Neil: Two that spring to mind are SeaGL and CCC.<br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0*=
 Federico: Would it be a problem to tack LAS onto GUADEC?<br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =
=C2=A0* Britt: That would make it by nature very GNOME-branded.<br>=C2=A0 =
=C2=A0* Allan: That seems like something to work out between Neil and the L=
AS organizers. However, that brings us to the second part of the question, =
how important do we consider it to continue supporting LAS?<br>=C2=A0 =C2=
=A0 =C2=A0* Federico: I think it&#39;s important to have this conference to=
 emphasize why it&#39;s important to have software that runs on your own co=
mputer. It&#39;s also an important tie between GNOME and KDE.<br>=C2=A0 =C2=
=A0 =C2=A0* Britt: Agreed. It&#39;s also attracting more parties and it see=
ms counterproductive to back out.<br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0* Philip: Agreed t=
hat it is important; we also need to test it against the goals of the Found=
ation and balance it with the other goals.<br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0* Neil: I=
t would seem to fit within the goal of having a thriving app ecosystem, alt=
hough for example GNOME.Asia fits within another goal of outreach. The even=
t seemed to go well and has opened up good lines of discussion.<br>=C2=A0 =
=C2=A0 =C2=A0* Tristan: Agreed, would like to continue supporting it. I bel=
ieve the main concern last time we discussed was taxes. Has that been resol=
ved?<br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0* Rosanna: Tax issues tend to show up a year la=
ter, if there are issues.<br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0* Allan: I think we should=
 continue to support it, with the caveat that there seems to be some ambigu=
ity about the audience of LAS. In a certain way the conference is still fin=
ding its audience. It would be useful to try to push the organizers to figu=
re that out, and possibly use the conference as a way to come to an answer =
to some of these thorny platform questions.<br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0* Allan: At thi=
s point we don&#39;t have a specific proposal to approve. We can give our g=
eneral positive assent to continuing to support LAS.<br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=
=A0* Neil: It sounds like the board members are all in favour.<br>=C2=A0 =
=C2=A0* Tristan: Is the call for locations blocking on us because of attach=
ing the GNOME name to it?<br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0* Allan: Although we don&#=
39;t have to commit a specific amount at this time, they are also waiting f=
or us to say in principle that we will back LAS financially.<br><br>=C2=A0*=
 Splitting the directors into two classes<br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0* Neil: When we a=
dopted our bylaws changes, we split the directors into two classes of three=
 and four directors, to stagger the terms. That means the board needs to de=
cide this split. One proposal is to make the three directors with the most =
amount of votes in the previous election up for reelection in 2021, and the=
 remaining four in 2020. That would seem to be the most democratic option a=
nd might go some way towards easing the concerns of people who had reservat=
ions about this change.<br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0* Allan: Another idea is to make th=
e shortest-sitting directors up for reelection in 2021, and the longer-sitt=
ing ones in 2020.<br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0* (Philip leaves)<br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0* Britt=
: we could just see how many volunteers there are to sit for another year, =
and base the decision on that.<br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0* Some discussion about the =
lack of women on the board.<br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0* Neil: If we were publicly lis=
ted in California, we would be legally required to have female directors.<b=
r>=C2=A0 =C2=A0* Allan: If we were to have a rule about having a percentage=
 of women in the board, would that have to go in the bylaws?<br>=C2=A0 =C2=
=A0 =C2=A0* Neil: Yes.<br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0* Tristan: I would like to see how m=
any people run in the upcoming election of a half board, as I don&#39;t kno=
w if enough people would run to make up for that percentage.<br>=C2=A0 =C2=
=A0* (Carlos arrives)<br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0* Various discussion about who is wil=
ling to sit for another year. The board agrees to keep this discussion goin=
g, with a view to agreeing on the classes in the next few months.<br><br>* =
Announcements<br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0* Allan: Next week is a working session; ther=
e are some pending issues - please look at them.<br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0* Britt: <=
a href=3D"http://events.gnome.org">events.gnome.org</a> is up and running! =
We can use that to coordinate the Board hackfest.<br></div><div><br></div><=
/div>

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