This post is a reworked version of a response that I posted on the eclipse.proposals forum.
I cannot recall any project proposal garnering so much discussion and stirring as much emotion as the recent proposal to move Hudson to Eclipse. Frankly, this is the first time that anybody has ever–in my memory–explicitly voted on a project proposal. I thought it would be valuable for me to take a few minutes out to discuss how this works at Eclipse.
For starters, there is no provision the Eclipse Development Process for voting on whether or not a proposal will be accepted. It is the case, that the opinions expressed by Eclipse committers and the community are taken into account as part of this process; as is the responsiveness of the project proposers to questions, criticisms, and other concerns.
The purpose of the proposal period is to develop community, and for the “proposers, in conjunction with the destination PMC and the community, collaborate in public to enhance, refine, and clarify the proposal.” (section 6.2.2) I am very happy that members of the community have expressed their opinions and have posed so many thoughtful, and important questions. I am equally happy that–in my opinion–the project proposers have been doing a fantastic job of addressing the all of the issues presented in a timely, courteous, and professional manner.
The EDP does not explicitly state with whom the decision of whether or a project proposal has advanced enough to warrant a move to a creation review. In practical terms, however, that decision is made by me upon request by the proposers. The creation review provides the community with one last chance to ask the hard questions before we declare success and actually create the project, or declare failure and withdraw the proposal.
For completeness, in section 6.3 the EDP states that the “EMO(ED) approves or fails the Review based on the public comments, the scope of the Project, and the Purposes of the Eclipse Foundation as defined in the Bylaws.” EMO(ED) refers to the “subset of the EMO consisting of the Executive Director and whomever he or she may delegate that specific approval authority to.” (section 4) In this particular case, authority has been granted to me.
In the case of the Hudson proposal, I have been watching this communication channel (and others) carefully. I believe that the proposal is quite clear on intent, that community concerns are being adequately addressed, that significant community is developing around the proposal, and that the contributor community is diverse and dedicated. In short, the Hudson proposal should soon be ready to move to a creation review.
Be sure that your voice is heard on the eclipse.proposals forum.
