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| ''This is a working document with a preliminary proposal, and has not been approved.''
| | {{MovedToTrac|RFC/1_ProjectSteeringCommitteeGuidelines}} |
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| == RFC 1: Project Steering Committee Guidelines ==
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| : '''Author:''' GRASS Founding PSC
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| : '''Status:''' Proposed
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| The GRASS Project Steering Committee ([[PSC]]) is proposed to formalize control
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| over the GRASS codebase and to facilitate GRASS project management issues.
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| It is desired to keep the administrative overhead as low as possible.
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| This document describes how the GRASS Project Steering Committee
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| determines membership and makes decisions on GRASS project issues.
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| The Geographic Resources Analysis Support System, commonly referred to as GRASS, is a Geographic Information System (GIS) used for geospatial data management and analysis, image processing, graphics/maps production, spatial modelling, and visualization. "The GRASS Project" is defined as the collection of community-managed source code, documentation, sample data sets, and related intellectual property which has been submitted under the terms of the project's license(s) (see [[Project:Copyrights]] for details) for shared use.
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| = Terms of Reference =
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| The two primary functions of the PSC are:
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| 1) To enforce control over the GRASS codebase. This can be summarised as:
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| : a) Enforce mechanisms to ensure quality control.
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| : b) Ensure compliance with all required legal measures.
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| 2) Project Management and responsibility for the "public face" of GRASS.
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| The PSC is expected to be able to speak and act on behalf of the GRASS
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| project.
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| == Codebase Control ==
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| === Quality Control Mechanisms ===
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| The quality control mechanisms, which are the responsibility of the PSC,
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| currently include:
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| * Maintaining submitter guidelines and making all developers aware of
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| them.
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| * Granting write access to the source code repository for new developers.
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| * Enforcing the submitter guidelines, with the ultimate sanction against
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| non-compliance being removal of write access to the source code repository.
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| In general, once write access has been granted, developers are allowed to
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| make changes to the codebase as they see fit. For controversial or
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| complicated changes consensus must be obtained on the developers' mailing
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| list as far as reasonably practicable. It is recognised that the ultimate
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| arbitration on technical issues always lies with consensus on the
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| developers' mailing list. Specifically, it is not the role of the PSC to
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| impose technical solutions. Its role is limited to enforcing the quality
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| control mechanisms outlined above.
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| === Compliance with Legal Measures ===
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| Control over the codebase also extends to ensuring that it complies with
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| all relevant legal requirements. This includes copyright and licensing
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| amongst other issues. The PSC is resonsible for developing rules and
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| procedures to cover this. These are outlined in a separate document: "RFC
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| 2: Legal aspects of code contributions". This document will be updated and
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| revised by the PSC as required.
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| == Project Management ==
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| The PSC will share responsibility and make decisions over issues related
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| to the management of the overall direction of the GRASS project and
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| external visibility, etc. These include, but are not limited to:
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| * Release Cycles
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| * Project infrastructure
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| * Website Maintenance
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| * Promotion and Public Relations
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| * Other issues as they become relevant
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| It is the responsibility of the PSC to ensure that issues critical to the
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| future of the GRASS project are adequately attended to. This may involve
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| delegation to interested helpers.
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| = Operation of the PSC =
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| The PSC has its own public [http://grass.itc.it/mailman/listinfo/grass-psc Mailing List].
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| A dedicated [http://grass.itc.it/mailman/listinfo/grass-psc Mailing List] exists for the purpose of PSC discussions. When a
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| decision is required of the PSC, it will be presented by any member to the
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| mailing list in the form of a proposal. A decision will then be achieved
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| by discussion of the proposal on the mailing list until a consensus is
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| reached. Voting on issues is also permissable and may be used as a means
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| to reach a consensus or, only in case of extreme cases of disagreement, to
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| force a decision. The [[PSC Agenda]] lists all open motions.
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| Any member may call a vote on any proposal. That member
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| is then responsible for collating votes and presenting the result to the
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| PSC. The voting procedure is outlined in a separate document: XXXXXXX
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| (Copy all the +1/0- stuff in there). -> Can somebody please do that, potentially a link to the docuemnt is enough.
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| == Issues that must be voted by the PSC ==
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| The following issue(s) *must* have a vote called before a decision is reached:
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| * Granting source code repository write access for new developers
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| * Selection of a committee Chair
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| == Prevent Consensus Process from Stalement ==
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| It is recognised that the ultimate arbitration on technical issues
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| should always lie with consensus on the developers' mailing list.
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| Specifically, it is not the role of the [[PSC]] to impose technical
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| solutions. Its role is limited to enforcing the quality control
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| mechanisms outlined above. In general, once write access has been
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| granted, developers are allowed to make changes to the codebase as
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| they see fit. For controversial or complicated changes consensus must
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| be obtained on the developers' mailing list as far as reasonably
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| practicable. If consensus fails to emerge naturally, issues can be
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| referred to the PSC for more structured efforts to build consensus.
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| As a last resort, if lack of consensus continues, the developer
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| community can request the PSC to choose options best preserving the
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| quality of the GRASS project.
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| == Resolving Deadlock or Break Down ==
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| The Chair is the ultimate adjudicator in case of deadlock or irretrievable
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| break down of decision-making, or in case of disputes over voting.
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| = Composition of the Committee =
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| ''This list could be replace by a link to the [[PSC]] page:''
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| Michael Barton, Dylan Beaudette, Hamish Bowman, Massimiliano Cannata, Brad
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| Douglas, Paul Kelly, Helena Mitasova, Scott Mitchell, Markus Neteler, and
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| Maciej Sieczka are declared to be the founding Project Steering Committee.
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| Addition and removal of members from the committee, as well as selection
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| of a Chair is handled as a proposal to the committee as described above.
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| The Chair is responsible for keeping track of the membership of the [[PSC]].
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