[talk] FreeBSD Governance, Foundation/Project

[Warner Losh]

On Wed, Jun 12, 2019 at 1:45 PM Isaac (.ike) Levy <ike at blackskyresearch.net>
wrote:

> Hi All,
>
> I've just finished listening to a very long video, still digesting it all:
>
> "AsiaBSDCon 2019 DevSummit: We don't see a problem. Suggestion of Project
> Governance additions."
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4MetxUV4N0
>
> These are the slides from the presentation,
>
> https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1nu9WVp3-QgkDCQCT8eTAlyYLulADyflzCzmZ3-iX-V0/edit#slide=id.g54d9b68929_21_5
>
> Attendees in the audience can be identified here:
> https://wiki.freebsd.org/DevSummit/201903#Short_Talks
>
> --
> Summary: Michael Dexter is presenting on a number of issues and challenges
> he sees facing the FreeBSD Project, which directly relate to influence from
> the FreeBSD Foundation.  It's a tough but constructive conversation,
> whereby MD is raising a number of important issues which I believe are near
> and dear to many of us around NYC*BUG.
>
> For almost every point, MD touches on something which has affected my life
> around the FreeBSD project, (personally and professionally).  MD tries hard
> not to posit all the solutions, but instead sparks a really long and
> valuable discussion among FreeBSD devs, core, and Foundation folks.  The
> talk isn't directly about code per-se, (but in the end, the issues are
> deeply technical.)
>
> With the stiff opposition in the room, and the patience, directness, and
> openness MD exhibits in his presentation, I feel he deserves a commendation
> from the community for raising these issues- and that this presentation
> should perhaps be required viewing for any new Core/Foundation FreeBSD
> folks.  Criticism and introspection is always difficult for projects we all
> care so deeply about, but critical to growth and survival.
>
> --
> For those who have watched this, (or plan to, or were in the rooom), I'd
> love to openly hear people's thoughts on topics raised?
>
> In the years since the FreeBSD Foundation emerged, what have been it's
> biggest success and failures for the FreEBSD project?  (Aside from the
> obvious success of paying Glen Barber to stabilize RELENG :)
>
> Do other people see value in MD's points, and even better yet, do people
> have constructive ideas toward remediation for any of these issues?  Any
> constructive/actionable asks of the Project or the Foundation?
>

It's hard to know what MD's points were as they were shrouded in so much
passive-agressive toxicity, half-truths and outright lies.

This was a horrible presentation that was painful to sit through because he
belabored so many points, committed so many logical fallacies (FreeBSD core
and FreeBSD foundation are two entirely different things, despite having
the word FreeBSD in them, for example). In addition, a number of his points
were just wrong (yes, you can impeach core, for example). It was poorly
researched, poorly organized and poorly presented. I had dozens of private
messages from other people in the room commenting on just how painful it
was to sit through in person.

But then again, I'm the guy doing the table flipping on the phone because
he was telling bald-faced lies about  me and when I tried to correct the
context, he persisted in those lies.

Warner
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