File contents

--- Log opened Wed Sep 17 14:49:52 2008
15:00 < Ganneff> *BANG*
15:00 < Ganneff> [item 1, Opening] Welcome to today's Software in the Public Interest board of directors meeting, which is now called to order.  Today's agenda and details of pending resolutions can be found on the web at: http://www.spi-inc.org/secretary/agenda/2008/2008-09-17.html
15:00 < luk__> Luk Claes
15:00 < Ganneff> [item 2, Roll Call]
15:00 < Ganneff> Board members, please state your name for the record.  As we have nine board members, quorum for today's meeting is six.  Guests, please /msg your names to Hydroxide if you wish your attendance to be recorded in the minutes of this meeting.
15:00 < Ganneff> Hydroxide: please update us on known and tentative regrets.
15:00 < zobel> Martin Zobel-Helas
15:00 < luk__> Luk Claes
15:00 < linuxpoet> Joshua D. Drake
15:00 < Maulkin> Neil Mcgovernm
15:00 < Ganneff> luk__: too early.
15:00 < schultmc> Michael Schultheiss
15:00 < Hydroxide> Ganneff: agenda is correct - David Graham has sent regrets
15:00 < Ganneff> Joerg Jaspert
15:00 < Hydroxide> Jimmy Kaplowitz
15:00 < Hydroxide> Ganneff: MJ Ray also can't be here, which is only worth noting since one of the agenda items was drafted by him.
15:01 < Ganneff> we seem to have quota, lets go on.
15:01 < luk__> I was only too early because it kept ringing :-)
15:01 < Ganneff> [item 3, President's Report]
15:01 < Ganneff> None.
15:01 < Ganneff> [item 4, Treasurer's Report]
15:01 < Ganneff> schultmc: have fun
15:01 < schultmc> http://www.spi-inc.org/treasurer/2008-09-17-draft-report.html/view is a draft report
15:01 < linuxpoet> allow a moment for viewing please
15:01 < schultmc> I'm currently working with Josh Berkus to get the outstanding credit card donations imported
15:02 < Ganneff> schultmc: when is it scheduled to be non-draft? 
15:02 < schultmc> Josh is also documenting his process so I can run reports ad hoc
15:02 < schultmc> Ganneff: as soon as the credit card info has been input
15:02 < Hydroxide> schultmc: what time period does this report cover?
15:02 < schultmc> I anticipate that data to be available in the next few days
15:02 < Hydroxide> schultmc: (it's an income/expense statement, not a balance statement)
15:03 < schultmc> Hydroxide: start of the data entry system until today - expenses are current as of today, donations via check as end of august
15:03 < linuxpoet> Question in regards to financials
15:03 < schultmc> linuxpoet: go ahead
15:03 < Hydroxide> schultmc: hrm. not a very useful time period, unless it happens to have started on January 1, 2008 or similar.
15:03 < linuxpoet> are we in control of the data yet? (as in not being hosted by personal servers)
15:03 < schultmc> yes
15:04 < schultmc> all data is on treasurer.spi-inc.org
15:04 < linuxpoet> O.k. I have questions about that but I can ask after meeting
15:04 < schultmc> ok
15:04 < Ganneff> more on this topic?
15:04 < linuxpoet> I have one more item
15:04 < Ganneff> go
15:04 < linuxpoet> I am trying to understand this income/expense statement. Am I correct in that it doesn't actually have balances
15:05 < linuxpoet> because it doesn't reflect my knowledge of PostgreSQL's finances
15:05 < schultmc> the net column is an approximation of balances
15:05 < Hydroxide> linuxpoet: it's not a balance sheet, as I said
15:05 < schultmc> it's approximate since the credit card donations haven't been imported yet
15:05 < Hydroxide> schultmc: but it only takes into account transactions since the start of the data entry system, right?
15:05 < Hydroxide> schultmc: it hasn't been added to pre-existing balances ('retained earnings' or similar)
15:05 < schultmc> Hydroxide: yes
15:05 < Hydroxide> (though that's a non-profit term)
15:05 < Hydroxide> *not a non-profit term
15:06 < luk__> normally one begins with a starting balance, so the approximation might not be very good?
15:06 < Hydroxide> schultmc: I appreciate all the re-working of the treasurer infrastructure since I yielded the post, but we do seem to have lost some of the regularity and completeness of the reports since then.
15:06 < Ganneff> so this is not the real amount of money projects have with us?! when/where/do we get a report with that info?
15:07 < schultmc> as soon as the credit card data has been input I'll generate a proper report
15:07 < Hydroxide> schultmc: whether you considered the numbers in my treasurer's reports accurate or not, please try to get some approximation of that set of information. (optionally minus some of the detail at the sub-project level)
15:07 < Ganneff> schultmc: on -private within two weeks a good timeframe?
15:08 < schultmc> Ganneff: yes, that should be doable
15:08 < schultmc> Hydroxide: that's my goal
15:08 < Ganneff> everyone ok with it? more question for this topic? more to say (schultmc?)
15:08 < Hydroxide> schultmc: I'll also send status request in a week to see if you're still making progress, ok? (it's taken a while)
15:08 < schultmc> Hydroxide: sure
15:08 < Hydroxide> cool
15:09 < Ganneff> nothing more?
15:09 < Ganneff> [item 5, Secretary's report]
15:09 < Ganneff> Hydroxide: your time
15:09 < Ganneff> i guess none as in agenda?
15:09 < Hydroxide> well
15:09 < Hydroxide> I'll just mention one thing
15:10 < Hydroxide> Neil is still working on the minutes for the meetings during which he was secretary, up to and including the August meeting
15:10 < Hydroxide> I'll be responsible for minutes starting this meeting
15:10 < Ganneff> fine.
15:10 < Hydroxide> that's about it in that regard.
15:10 < Ganneff> [item 6, Outstanding minutes]
15:10 < Ganneff> Again for Hydroxide. Or well, Maulkin.
15:10 < Hydroxide> who isn't here. as of some time in the last 24 hours, he said they were coming along "slowly", but didn't report any ready yet
15:11 < Maulkin> None from me I'm afraid, I hope to get these for next meeting
15:11 < Hydroxide> oh, hi there
15:11 < Maulkin> I am here! :)
15:11 < Ganneff> so the agenda is wrong?
15:11 < Hydroxide> <Maulkin> Neil McGovern
15:11 < Hydroxide> Ganneff: what's wrong? it says they're outstanding, not that they're ready for approval
15:11 < Ganneff> well, lets go on.
15:11 < Hydroxide> Ganneff: none of them are links and none have text
15:12  * Hydroxide nods
15:12 < Ganneff> [item 7, Stuff for discussion]
15:12 < Ganneff> We seem to have 2 items here, "Resolution 2008-09-17.mcs.1: Tux4Kids from Michael" and then "Statement supporting the World Day Against Software Patents from MJ Ray".
15:12  * kendrick perks up
15:12  * Hydroxide suggests that schultmc or kendrick talk about the first one
15:12 < kendrick> sure
15:13 < Ganneff> go
15:13  * schultmc initially proposed Tux4Kids join SPI when Sam Hart was still involved
15:13 < kendrick> so a little history.  Tux4Kids is participating in Google Summer of Code this year
15:13 < schultmc> that process stalled since T4K needed different things at the time
15:13 < kendrick> towards the end, we discovered that payments to mentor orgs are made as a lump sum to each org
15:13 < kendrick> schultmc: i'm sure tux4kids still needs a lot of the same things as it did back then, but that's another issue. :)
15:14 < kendrick> anyway, since i was admin of Tux4Kid's participation in GSOC, i figured i'd end up taking the lump sum, which i plan to disperse to the other mentors.  that would cause a big tax hit for me.
15:15 < kendrick> so in looking for solutions, i noticed some of the other mentor orgs participating in GSOC were part of SPI  (hi, josh)  so decided to look into joining
15:15 < kendrick> tux4kids is not currently a non-profit.  a friend org, OSEF, is also not currently a non-profit, i think.  and SPI looks like a very good fit.
15:16 < kendrick> we're busy trying to develop edu software  (and manage projects, maintain websites, do PR, etc. etc.)  so having one more thing to do (taxes, finances, etc.) would be a big burden
15:16  * Hydroxide makes minor clarifications to the Tux4Kids line item in the agenda
15:16 < kendrick> should we refresh that page, Hydroxide?
15:16 < Hydroxide> not important, no
15:17 < Hydroxide> anyway, sounds like your needs are indeed a good fit for SPI
15:17 < kendrick> i personally have a long history in Tux4Kids and linux orgs.  i co-founded the LUG in my town, and now (nearly 10 years later) continue to run it.
15:17 < kendrick> i've been working, mostly non-stop, on Tux Paint since mid-2002
15:18 < Ganneff> now. sounds all good and fine, and it seems we dont hate tux4kids, so how about we go on and vote about it?
15:18 < kendrick> and i'm also a glutton for more work, so i've offered to be the 'decision maker' for T4K, with David Bruce (head of one of the other T4K projects) as an assist.
15:18  * Hydroxide seconds
15:18 < kendrick> and noone seemed to care, and hey. looks like you're voting
15:18 < Hydroxide> kendrick: I think we're ready to vote. yes. it has been discussed via email, after all. :)
15:18 < kendrick> (strike that -- people ENCOURAGED me be the desicionmaker :) )
15:19 < kendrick> Hydroxide: good point. :)  i'll shut up now.
15:19 < Hydroxide> Voting started, 7 people (ganneff,schultmc,hydroxide,luk__,linuxpoet,zobel,maulkin) allowed to vote on Tux4Kids as associated project. - You may vote yes/no/abstain only, type !vote $yourchoice now.
15:19 < schultmc> !vote yes
15:19 < Ganneff> !vote yes
15:19 < Hydroxide> !vote yes
15:19 < linuxpoet> !vote yes
15:19 < zobel> !vote yes
15:19 < Maulkin> !vote yes
15:19 < Hydroxide> luk__: ?
15:19 < Hydroxide> going once...
15:19 < luk__> !vote yes
15:20 < Hydroxide> Current voting results for "Tux4Kids as associated project": Yes: 7, No: 0, Abstain: 0, Missing: 0 ()
15:20 < Hydroxide> Voting for "Tux4Kids as associated project" closed.
15:20 < Hydroxide> it passes.
15:20 < linuxpoet> Welcome aboard
15:20 < kendrick> (won't someone think of the children?)
15:20 < Maulkin> Welcome schultmc :)
15:20 < zobel> kendrick: welcome 
15:20 < Ganneff> welcome tux4kids, if you accept it
15:20 < Maulkin> err... =ken
15:20 < Maulkin> bah
15:20 < kendrick> :)
15:20 < Hydroxide> kendrick: for the record, do you accept the invitation to join as per the framework linked from the resolution text?
15:20 < schultmc> Maulkin: thanks? :)
15:20 < Ganneff> now, the other point, Statement supporting the World Day Against Software Patents
15:20 < kendrick>     http://www.spi-inc.org/corporate/resolutions/2004-08-10-iwj.1                ?
15:20 < Ganneff> who wants to speak?
15:20 < Hydroxide> Ganneff: one sec
15:20 < linuxpoet> Ganneff: hold
15:20 < kendrick> yes, i accept
15:21 < Hydroxide> kendrick: cool. that was primarily for the record so that the invitation didn't lapse, etc
15:21 < Ganneff> there. now, who wants to speak? :)
15:21 < Hydroxide> Ganneff: I'll just say one or two things since slef isn't here
15:21 < linuxpoet> let me do a quick review again
15:21 < Ganneff> Hydroxide: go
15:22 < Hydroxide> making a statement in support of this event was proposed via email by slef on -general a couple of weeks ago, and he proposed the text in the agenda one week ago
15:22 < linuxpoet> Ok I read it
15:22 < Hydroxide> it speaks for itself and doesn't really need slef here to explain it, which is why it's still on the agenda in his absence
15:22 < Hydroxide> any comments, wishes to vote, etc?
15:22 < linuxpoet> Yes
15:23 < Ganneff> well. i say we should vote.
15:23 < linuxpoet> I think there is a question as to whether we want to be an activist organization
15:23 < Hydroxide> linuxpoet: that's definitely a relevant question. do any other board members or non-board attendees have thoughts on that?
15:24 < Hydroxide> linuxpoet: we already do have a stated position opposed to software patents as per the resolution which MJ references in his second preamble paragraph
15:24 < Ganneff> difference to proposed text?
15:24 < linuxpoet> Right but my question isn't really relevant to software patents (which I concur are bad)
15:24 < linuxpoet> Its about aligning ourselves in a political manner and thus representing ourselves as an activist organization versus an educational one
15:25 < linuxpoet> *shrug*
15:25 < luk__> linuxpoet: well I think we can make an exception for software patents, no?
15:25 < Hydroxide> anyone else have thoughts or motions? I'd like to hear from at least one or two other board members
15:25 < Hydroxide> (such as luk__ )
15:25 < schultmc> http://www.spi-inc.org/corporate/resolutions/1998-11-16.iwj.2 is already a statement on software patents (and other IP)
15:25 < Ganneff> i think its ok to support this anti-patent stuff (and already proposed to vote on this, thats unchanged) :)
15:26 < Hydroxide> personally, I have no problem with us taking stances on issues directly related to free software
15:26 < Hydroxide> especially when it isn't related to specific legislation or politicians
15:26  * Hydroxide points out that anyone can cause a vote on the statement by seconding it
15:26 < Hydroxide> (seconding Ganneff's call to vote)
15:26  * Maulkin seconds
15:27 < Hydroxide> ok
15:27 < Hydroxide> Voting started, 7 people (ganneff,schultmc,hydroxide,luk__,linuxpoet,zobel,maulkin) allowed to vote on Statement on World Day Against Software Patents. - You may vote yes/no/abstain only, type !vote $yourchoice now.
15:27 < Maulkin> !vote abstain
15:27 < linuxpoet> !vote abstain
15:27 < Ganneff> !vote yes
15:27 < Hydroxide> !vote yes
15:27 < luk__> !vote yes
15:27 < schultmc> !vote yes
15:27 < zobel> !vote yes
15:27 < Hydroxide> Current voting results for "Statement on World Day Against Software Patents": Yes: 5, No: 0, Abstain: 2, Missing: 0 ()
15:27 < Hydroxide> Voting for "Statement on World Day Against Software Patents" closed.
15:28 < Hydroxide> it passes.
15:28 < Ganneff> fine. lets go on.
15:28 < Ganneff> [item 8, Next board meeting]
15:28 < Ganneff> Going with third Wed of months it should be on Wednesday, 14th October 2008 - 19:00 UTC i think
15:28 < luk__> Hydroxide: I guess you take care of the press announcement?
15:28 < Hydroxide> who wants to work with me to draft the news release and notice to members?
15:28 < Hydroxide> Ganneff: one sec
15:28 < Ganneff> Hydroxide: sure.
15:28 < Hydroxide> luk__: I'll be responsible for making sure it happens, yes
15:28 < Hydroxide> I guess we can talk about this another time. just contact me if you're available to help.
15:29 < luk__> Ganneff: it's Wed *15*th
15:29 < Ganneff> ok. right
15:29 < Ganneff> Going with third Wed of months it should be on Wednesday, 15th October 2008 - 19:00 UTC i think
15:29 < Hydroxide> yes. and Daylight Saving / Summer Time will not have changed at all in US/EU
15:29 < Ganneff> anyone against this?
15:29 < Hydroxide> *US/EU/CA
15:29 < linuxpoet> Works for me at this time
15:29  * Maulkin sends tentative regrets
15:29 < Hydroxide> works for me
15:29 < schultmc> works for me
15:29 < Maulkin> I have a council meeting at 6 UK time, and if it's on, it's unlikely I'll make it
15:29 < Hydroxide> Maulkin: please email me too
15:29 < Ganneff> thanks everyone for attending, now:
15:29 < Hydroxide> Maulkin: to state that
15:29 < Maulkin> ack.
15:30 < Hydroxide> k
15:30 < Ganneff> *GAVEL*
15:30 < linuxpoet> Ganneff: hold
15:30  * Maulkin thanks ganneff
15:30 < linuxpoet> Ganneff: you forgot the final remarks segment
15:30 < Ganneff> right. aob (could we put it in agenda please?)
15:30 < Ganneff> for future.
15:30 < Hydroxide> Ganneff: sure, will do.
15:30 < Ganneff> linuxpoet: go, secretary: please include it in a log later.
15:30 < linuxpoet> O.k. I have two things
15:31 < Hydroxide> Ganneff: I'm still logging.
15:31 < linuxpoet> 1. PostgreSQL is having their West conference Oct 10-12th in Portland :) Anyone West of Denver please join us http://www.pgcon.us/
15:31 < linuxpoet> 2. I know we have a new deadline for finance finalization but I would like it noted for the record that the PostgreSQL Project is getting increasingly agitated at the continual delays.
15:31 < linuxpoet> That is all.
15:32 < Ganneff> anyone else something to add?
15:32 < Hydroxide> linuxpoet: noted for the record.
15:32 < linuxpoet> ty
15:32 < luk__> nope
15:32 < Ganneff> *GAVEL* (now really)