[OPEN-ILS-GENERAL] Is it time to begin retiring open-ils.org?

[Jonathan Rochkind]

For proprietary software those sorts of groups exist and are called  
"user's groups". :) Could have a somewhat different role with open  
source software like Evergreen, but I still think you're essentially  
talking about a user's group--I believe some of which are non- 
profits. Calling it that might make it make immediate sense to  
library world people.

Jonathan

On Aug 15, 2008, at 9:47 PM, Karen G. Schneider wrote:

>> Question: will the domain name, mailing lists, etc continue to be
>> owned by GPLS, or will it be taken over by Equinox (whois says  
>> Equinox
>> registered evergreen-ils.org back in July, presumably to avoid the
>> curse of domain name squatters), or by some other entity? For the
>> paranoid amongst us, this is where an Evergreen Software  
>> Foundation or
>> something like that could play a role. I'm not worried, personally,
>> but we should be clear about changes that might have side effects
>> beyond just the name.
>
> I raise my hand and say I did it, and also quickly add that as you
> suggest, it was to avoid domain squatting. That said, I quickly  
> turned it
> over to Equinox (in case I got hit by a truck) and at that, we're all
> aware that the domain names should really be in the name of a separate
> entity for Evergreen. Currently they are here and there.
>
> Actually I would say that many people involved in Evergreen  
> (including and
> even particularly Equinox) are in favor of establishing an entity for
> Evergreen.
>
> I will be frank and say that when I came on board with Equinox --  
> well,
> actually well before this -- I kept hearing talk of a "foundation" for
> Evergreen and I thought, well maybe. But after a while I realized that
> people were saying "foundation" (which made me think the focus was on
> soliciting funds--not a bad idea but a not well-gelled) when what I
> /think/ they mean is nonprofit organization (as in a legal entity  
> specific
> to Evergreen, which could in fact be used for fundraising, which is  
> a very
> different emphasis). This is a very sound idea.
>
> I have been (partly) down this road in another life and have some  
> sense of
> the nonprofit landscape. I also have a lot of familiarity (actually  
> too
> much) with managing a project that had no legal status, and I have  
> peers
> (even two in the OSS world) in a similar position. Once a project  
> achieves
> a certain age and size, it is much, much better for everyone  
> concerned if
> it has its own legal identity.
>
> I have certainly seen changes happen -- sometimes overnight -- that  
> have
> adversely  affected a project that really should have had its own  
> destiny.
> Even when all the principals are fully on board -- and I think I  
> can say
> in all sincerity that is completely true with Evergreen -- things  
> happen.
> As Joan Didion wrote, "Life changes in the instant." In my  
> experience, it
> takes longer to get a nonprofit established than it does for most  
> of these
> changes to take place.
>
> I have never actually brought a nonprofit to fruition, though I  
> came very
> close and have spent a lot of time reading up on them, attending  
> nonprof
> conferences, etc. I know enough to believe nonprofit status is a very
> rational path for Evergreen and would be willing to help make this  
> happen
> (in fact, uh, I bet there are some people, including my boss, who  
> actually
> consider this part of my job...). I also think some of our  
> stakeholders
> are similarly interested and would be willing to work to help  
> establish
> this entity.
>
> Karen G. Schneider
> Equinox Community Librarian
> kgs at esilibrary.com
>
>
>
>