From: leader@debian.org (Ian Jackson)
To: Debian developers list <debian-devel@lists.debian.org>
Subject: Re: Initial draft proposed constitution (v0.4)
Date: Thu, 26 Mar 1998 18:58:26 +0000

Now available - v4.0 at either of:
 http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~ian/debian-organisation.html
 http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~ian/debian-organisation-0.4.html
(Older versions 0.1 to 0.3 still available.)

Substantive changes in this version:

 - Number of seconders required now limited to 5 (or 10 for delaying a
   decision by the Leader or a Delegate).
 - Quorum for resolutions and elections by developers, of 1.5*sqrt(n);
   if quorum is not met then Further Discussion or None Of The Above.
 - Greatly clarified procedure for delaying the leader's decision
   (thanks to Zed Pobre).
 - General Resolution business must be transacted on public mailing
   lists.
 - Sections 9.1 (SPI authority) and 9.2 (Debian's property) swapped.
 - Mentioned that Debian developers are currently members of SPI.
 - New paragraph saying that Debian developers are not anyone's agents
   or employees.
 - New Procedure section for the Secretary.

Comments again, please !  If you all like it I shall post the text
(rendered by lynx) to debian-devel-announce to encourage discussion.

I propose to use the following mechanism to adopt it: we'll pretend
that this situation is already in place, and I'll propose a General
Resolution:

  That the Project adopt the constitution below in place of its
  previous arrangements.

We'll go through this and vote on it as if it were a constitutional
change, and then (for those who consider it necessary) I'll decree
that it is the new arrangement.

If it is felt to be a problem that there is no way to back out I'm
(of course) happy to suggest the following motion instead:

  That the Project adopt the constitution below in place of its
  previous arrangements, except that the current Project Leader may
  choose to overrule its provisions if they consider it essential to
  the wellbeing of the Project.  This ability to overrule will lapse
  immediately after the next project leader election.

I have no current intention of using any such escape clause and don't
think it necessary, but some people said things that seemed to suggest
a need for it.

Ian.


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