From 41fb2d4ab8c44d645611ac4e78db56cbaf239595 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: =?UTF-8?q?Ludovic=20Court=C3=A8s?= Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2021 18:42:20 +0200 Subject: faq: Publish. * drafts/faq.md: Move to... * posts/faq.md: ... here. Remove "DRAFT" and adjust date. --- posts/faq.md | 94 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 94 insertions(+) create mode 100644 posts/faq.md (limited to 'posts') diff --git a/posts/faq.md b/posts/faq.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..89ee0b6 --- /dev/null +++ b/posts/faq.md @@ -0,0 +1,94 @@ +title: Answering frequently asked questions +author: The GNU Assembly +date: 2021-04-21 19:00:00 +--- + +Following the [Assembly +kick-off](https://web.gnu.tools/en/blog/2021/04/kicking-off-the-gnu-assembly/), +we received lots of questions and read comments that deserved answers. +This post attempts to answer the most common questions. + +# Meta-question: why so much confusion around GNU/FSF? + +Good question! A common belief is that GNU and the Free Software +Foundation (FSF) are the same thing. This is untrue: GNU is not a +registered non-profit, it’s an informal association among contributors, +separate from the FSF. The FSF is oblivious to technical matters in +GNU. + +The FSF supports GNU development primarily in three ways: As legal +guardian (copyright assignments, acting on legal disputes or legal +representation), as [fiscal sponsor](https://www.fsf.org/working-together/fund) +for some GNU packages, and by providing infrastructure like +[Savannah](https://savannah.gnu.org). + +# Is this a fork of GNU? + +No. The [software in question](/en/software) is not being forked and +the people who write that software remain the same. + +What changes is how these people organize themselves beyond their +individual projects—from a +[BDFL](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benevolent_dictator_for_life) +top-down model to a [community-oriented, consensus-based +model](https://gnu.tools/en/documents/governance/). + +# Is the GNU Assembly an initiative of an existing Free Software organization or is it sponsored by a specific corporation? + +No, it’s not! The Assembly was founded by GNU maintainers on personal +title and receives no support, financial or otherwise, from any +organization at this time. At the moment the Assembly uses the +resources of the individuals listed. We will publicly list anybody or +any organization that provides us with sponsorship or resources to be +completely transparent. + +# You’re just a minority anyway + +That’s not a question, but you’re right: about [30 people](/en/people), +mostly appointed GNU maintainers, endorsed the [Social +Contract](/en/documents/social-contract) so far and may participate in +the Assembly. The number keeps increasing but is still a fraction of +the number of contributors to GNU packages: there are 300+ GNU +maintainers “on file”, though not everyone and [not each project is +active](https://wingolog.org/archives/2020/02/09/state-of-the-gnunion-2020), +[some](https://github.com/gnuradio/gr-governance/blob/main/aoa.md) +[even](https://www.r-project.org/foundation/) +[left](https://lwn.net/Articles/529522/) +[years](https://wingolog.org/archives/2009/12/13/gnu-gnome-and-the-fsf) +[ago](https://discourse.gnome.org/t/relation-between-gimp-and-gnome/2376/8) +for all practical purposes despite being [still +listed](https://www.gnu.org/software)—these projects have their own +governance model and rules, independent of “the rest of GNU”. + +Anyway, is being a minority a problem? We don’t think so: we hope this +platform appeals to many GNU contributors and contributors-to-be, but we +can do great things even without on-boarding everyone! + +# Why now? Is this really about ? + +While current events certainly motivated the decision to make our +efforts more visible, the desire for stronger collaboration +between GNU packages and for communal decision-making as it +pertains to a shared vision has been the subject of many +discussions among GNU maintainers and contributors over the past +decade or so. + +# Why didn’t you try to effect change from the inside? + +We did! It goes back to [at least ten +years](/en/blog/2021/04/kicking-off-the-gnu-assembly/). The project was +met with enthusiasm from some and hostility from others. That’s fine, +we don’t have to agree! + +Unfortunately, GNU would host project-wide discussions on private +mailing lists, so these discussions and soul searching were only known +to “insiders”. The Assembly is determined to have transparent +processes; everything we did, starting with the drafting process of the +Social Contract in 2019–2020, was done publicly. + +# Do you support PDP-11 assembly? + +Some of us write assembly code (not sure about +[PDP-11](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PDP-11) though), but all this is +about [a different kind of +“assembly”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popular_assembly). -- cgit v1.2.1