Members of board taking part in the debate [LWN.net]

Members of board taking part in the debate

Posted Mar 22, 2025 12:04 UTC (Sat) by gray_-_wolf (subscriber, #131074)
Parent article: OSI election ends with unsatisfying results

In multiple places in the article people who are members of the board were quoted, stating that they support the "code of silence". I find that interesting. Given the code is currently in place, can they actual take part in honest debate about it? I assume it was put in place by the board, right? So, can they actually do anything else than to support it publicly, regardless of what they actually think?

Members of board taking part in the debate

Posted Mar 24, 2025 2:18 UTC (Mon) by jzb (editor, #7867) [Link] (1 responses)

"So, can they actually do anything else than to support it publicly, regardless of what they actually think?"

They can stay quiet. I don't interpret the agreement as going so far that members are compelled to say things publicly about any specific decision, or about anything at all.

Members of board taking part in the debate

Posted Mar 24, 2025 7:44 UTC (Mon) by bkuhn (subscriber, #58642) [Link]

jzb wrote:
> They [existing Directors] can stay quiet. I don't interpret the agreement as going so far that members are compelled to say things publicly about any specific decision, or about anything at all.

I agree that no Director, under the existing 19 words, *must* speak positively. You're right they can just stay completely silent. That's why it's a form of a gag order. The staying quiet even outlives Board service, because duty of loyalty to an org has residual requirements.

These 19 words are now being used to manufacture consent and create chilling effect on FOSS discourse by some of its key leaders. We are pretty sure that wasn't the intent of these words, but they're being used that way now by current leadership. Fontana and I are saying the emperor has no clothes here, and the emperor doesn't like it. (Ever notice in that fable that we don't hear what happens the next day to the kid who shouted it?)