Re: [tdf-discuss] Copyright Assignments & the Document Foundation

On 05/11/10 11.57, Gianluca Turconi wrote:

> And, by saying the truth, why a TDF certification program should be
> better than a hypothetical "IBM LIbO certified professional" label, in a
> wider Community?

The problem is not the quality of the certification program.

Vendors have their own certification programs to their specific 
advantage, and this would neither bring money to the community nor 
liberate the community from a single vendor lock in (certification is 
key for Microsoft lock in).

In addition, the free software community lacks the experience to build a 
certification program (industry certification, similar to Microsoft, 
Adobe, etcetera), and the Sun history shows that free software vendors - 
with several exceptions (RedHat, MySQL prior to Sun, others) - miss the 
point (I have had many talks with Sun marketing about this issue but I 
have not found a single person able to understand).

> I'm surely missing something, but *as far as what I've read in this list
> is concerned*, this foundation is starting to appear like an empty box:
> few needs to exist and even less powers.

At the moment, and judging from outside, this perception is absolutely 
true (and, believe me, we are working hard to dispel this perception, 
but each one of us has to deal with a daily job and it is not easy).

> Please, get me right, I'm really trying to understand, because I've read
> several different opinions from TDF founders and I know a consensus has
> still to be found about this matter.
> However, the vehemence of some voices let me think that a majority may
> already exist in your group, although there hasn't been a vote yet.
> Or, at least, that any decision different from the opinion expressed,
> for example, by Michael Meeks, may cause more problems than anything
> else during the foundation start-up phase, independently of the fair
> evaluation of the alternatives.

Again, another right perception.

Unfortunately, building agreement and consensus is a process, especially 
when you have different minds to put together.

Anyway, Michael is young and energetic and very passionate. I am quite 
old but equally energetic, even if I am less passionate on the subject 
of CA (just because I cannot understand where is the trick for users 
like me, as I see advantages for developers on one side and for 
corporations on the other).

In any case, I would not connect the existence of the foundation to the 
presence of a CA, as this represents only the position of people who 
believe that free software can live only with corporate money.

Of course, I understand the position as there are many people who want 
to make their living "selling" consultancy to corporations who do not 
understand free software but need to be involved in it.

Quite simply, TDF is not going to provide additional ground for sales to 
these individuals, because we do not believe that corporate sponsors (as 
they have been involved in free software project so far) add value to 
the project.

Yes, it is going to be damn difficult to fund a project as big as TDF 
(believe me, after 30 years as a top manager or a consultant for large 
IT companies such as IBM, Dell, Compaq, 3Com, Adobe, and the likes, I 
have some experience, and I understand the business) but we must build a 
different business model (this is not going to be a carbon copy of the 
OOo project, and LibreOffice - as it is today - is not what we see as 
the future of the office suite).

Ciao, Italo

--
Italo Vignoli
italo.vignoli@gmail.com
Mobile +39.348.5653829
VoIP: +39.02.320621813
Skype: italovignoli

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