Re: [HACKERS] Decision Process WAS: Increased company involvement - Mailing list pgsql-advocacy

On Monday 02 May 2005 17:32, Dave Held wrote:
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Bruce Momjian [mailto:pgman@candle.pha.pa.us]
> > Sent: Monday, May 02, 2005 3:33 PM
> > To: Dave Held
> > Cc: PostgreSQL advocacy; PostgreSQL-development
> > Subject: Re: [pgsql-advocacy] [HACKERS] Decision Process WAS:
> > Increased
> > company involvement
> >
> > [...]
> > Here is a new FAQ entry:
> >
> >     <H3><A name="1.13">1.13</A>) Who controls PostgreSQL?<BR>
> >
> >     <P>If you are looking for a PostgreSQL gatekeeper,
> >     central committee, or controlling company, give up, because
> >     none exists.  We do have a core committee and CVS committers,
> >     but these groups are more for administrative purposes then
> >     control.  The project is directed by the open community of
> >     developers and users of PostgreSQL.  Everyone is welcome to
> >     subscribe and take part in the discussions.  (See the
> >     <a href="http://www.postgresql.org/docs/faqs.FAQ_DEV.html">
> >     Developer's FAQ</A> for information on how to get
> >     involved in PostgreSQL development.)</P>
> >
> > Adjustments?
>
> "...are more for administrative purposes [then->than] control..."
>
> <p>Because PostgreSQL is a monolithic product, all of its features
> must work together in tight harmony.  It is in the interests of
> the PostgreSQL community that new features be integrated in a way
> that preserves this harmony.  Thus, new feature proposals are
> scrutinized and debated by the community to ensure that changes
> have sufficient technical merit.  Be prepared to defend your
> proposal, and don't assume that a privately developed contribution
> will automatically be accepted by the PostgreSQL community.  To
> maximize the chance of success in proposing a change, consider
> these suggestions:
>
> * Propose your change/feature publicly - OSS is about community,
>     and a collection of contributors working independently without
>     communication is not a community; this avoids duplication of
>     effort and promotes collaboration/cooperation among parties
>     that have a common interest
> * Research your proposal to see if it has already been discussed
>     on the mailing list
> * Research your proposed solution to make sure it is the best of
>     breed - database technology is a very active subject of
>     academic research, and it is possible, if not likely, that
>     someone has written a paper on the topic
> * Engage the community by participating in discussions and patch
>     reviews - your credibility as a contributor depends on your
>     willingness to contribute to the community in non-coding
>     ways as well
> </p>
>
> I realize that this runs a bit far afield from the original
> question of "Who controls PostgreSQL?", but I think it addresses
> the points that someone who asks this question is likely to
> want to know.  It also tackles the contribution question from
> a higher level than the dev-faq.

Actually I think Bruces blurb is good for the general FAQ, and this would be
good for the Developer FAQs

--
Robert Treat
Build A Brighter Lamp :: Linux Apache {middleware} PostgreSQL