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Posted to commits@openoffice.apache.org by or...@apache.org on 2015/12/04 01:22:42 UTC
svn commit: r1717884 -
/openoffice/pmc/BoardReportsArchive/2015-10-21-AOO-FINAL.txt
Author: orcmid
Date: Fri Dec 4 00:22:42 2015
New Revision: 1717884
URL: http://svn.apache.org/viewvc?rev=1717884&view=rev
Log:
Provide abridged 2015-10-21 Board Minutes that includes only material relevant to Apache OpenOffice.
Added:
openoffice/pmc/BoardReportsArchive/2015-10-21-AOO-FINAL.txt (with props)
Added: openoffice/pmc/BoardReportsArchive/2015-10-21-AOO-FINAL.txt
URL: http://svn.apache.org/viewvc/openoffice/pmc/BoardReportsArchive/2015-10-21-AOO-FINAL.txt?rev=1717884&view=auto
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--- openoffice/pmc/BoardReportsArchive/2015-10-21-AOO-FINAL.txt (added)
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+ The Apache Software Foundation
+
+ Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
+
+ October 21, 2015
+
+ ABRIDGED VERSION TO FOCUS ON MATTERS RELATED TO APACHE OPENOFFICE
+ Authoritative full version at
+<http://www.apache.org/foundation/records/minutes/2015/board_minutes_2015_10_21.txt>
+
+
+[ ... ]
+ 6. Committee Reports
+
+ Summary of Reports
+
+ The following reports required further discussion:
+
+ # Aries [bp]
+ # Geronimo [bp]
+ # Hadoop [bp]
+ # Incubator [gs]
+ # Maven [bp]
+ # Onami [rb]
+ # OpenJPA [bp]
+ # OpenOffice [bd]
+ # Rave [sr]
+ # Shindig [bp]
+ # Tcl [rb]
+ # TomEE [sr]
+
+[ ... ]
+
+
+ AP. Apache OpenOffice Project [Dennis E. Hamilton / David]
+
+ See Attachment AP
+
+ @Bertrand: Convey to the PMC concerns regarding the different
+ perspectives of the public web site and the actual state of
+ the community
+
+[ ... ]
+============
+ATTACHMENTS:
+============
+
+[ ... ]
+
+-----------------------------------------
+Attachment AP: Report from the Apache OpenOffice Project [Dennis E. Hamilton]
+
+For quarter-to-quarter comparison consistency, this October 2015 report
+rolls-up, updates, and expands material from the September 2015 Interim
+report.
+
+ - - - - - - - - - - - -
+
+Apache OpenOffice is an open-source, office-document productivity
+suite providing six productivity applications based around the
+OpenDocument Format (ODF). OpenOffice is released on multiple
+platforms and in dozens of languages.
+
+STATUS
+======
+
+The Project is working urgently toward maintenance release 4.1.2.
+There is continuing adjustment to the change of Chair for the second
+time in 2015. Warning signs around sustainability and disconnects across
+the community are being brought gingerly to community-wide attention.
+
+ISSUES FOR BOARD AWARENESS
+==========================
+
+The Board needs to be aware of Community concerns, Sustainability
+warning signs, and other matters reported in the Issues sections, below.
+
+
+RELEASES
+========
+
+There is no release in the July - September quarter.
+
+Release 4.1.2 is now anticipated in October 2015, using an accelerated
+approach.
+
+Complete Release History
+ 2014-08-21 4.1.1
+ 2014-04-29 4.1
+ 2013-10-01 4.0.1
+ 2013-07-17 4
+ 2013-01-30 3.4.1 refresh (8 more languages)
+ 2012-08-21 3.4.1 incubating
+ 2012-05-08 3.4 incubating
+
+
+ACTIVITY
+========
+
+Release Effort and Plans
+------------------------
+
+Developer focus is on provision of the Apache OpenOffice 4.1.2
+maintenance release. This will extend to localization, web site
+updates, and provision of any associated security advisories.
+
+Non-4.1.2-release-blocker issues and some anticipated features are
+targeted for the future Apache OpenOffice 4.2 release. There
+is no anticipated date at this time. To accelerate 4.1.2, some but
+not all 4.1.2 blockers and additional feature developments have been
+triaged to 4.2.
+
+Community Operations
+--------------------
+
+The Apache OpenOffice community has three main pillars: development, support,
+and end-user services. The pillars are permeable, with interdependencies
+from end to end.
+
+For AOO, the provision of authenticated binaries as part of Apache releases
+is not a mere convenience. It is overwhelmingly the purpose of the project
+in its openoffice.org origin and as brought to Apache, however much
+downstream use of the code base is also desired and supported.
+
+For context, by the end of August 2015 there were 41 million downloads
+of AOO 4.1.1 since its release one year earlier.
+
+ 87.7% were for Windows
+ 9.1% were for Macintosh
+ 3.2% were for everything else, including Linux
+
+A virtuous cycle of learning and improvement best extends out to those users,
+circling back via end-user services, support functions, and the developer
+community.
+
+Currently, the pillars operate semi-independently in what has been typical of
+operations since the beginning of the project at Apache.
+
+
+PMC/COMMITTERS
+==============
+
+PMC
+---
+The AOO PMC consists of 26 individuals as of 2015-09-30
+
+ 19 have remained continuously out of the
+ 23 from TLP formation in October, 2012.
+ 7 are new or returned PMC members
+
+ 6 of the current PMC are Apache Software Foundation
+ members, including the original Chair
+
+ 2015-02-13 Dennis E. Hamilton joined the PMC
+ 2015-02-11 Jan Iversen returned to PMC as Chair
+ 2015-01-03 Mechtilde and Dr. Michael Stehmann joined the PMC
+ The last preceding addition was on 2014-01-16
+
+ 2015-09-09 Ian Lynch (ingotian) deceased May, 2015
+ 2015-08-23 Jan Iversen retired
+ The last preceding retirement was on 2014-08-30
+
+PMC membership history is available in PDF at <http://s.apache.org/Tw8>.
+
+Committers
+----------
+
+There are 139 committers as of 2015-09-30. Twenty-four have registered PGP
+keys.
+
+ 2015-08-06 Manik Malhotra added
+ 2015-07-27 Gavin McDonald added
+ Last previous committer addition was Tal Daniel on 2014-04-29
+
+ 2015-09-23 Ingrid von der Mehden (ingrid), deceased 2013-06-12
+ 2015-09-09 Ian Lynch (ingotian), deceased May, 2015
+ 2015-08-23 Jan Iversen resigned
+ Reduction in committers is generally not tracked.
+ That's introduced now.
+
+
+ISSUES
+======
+
+The lack of progress on all fronts in the project has been a
+continuing issue. Obstacles are being identified and brought before
+the entire community for its wisdom in identification of consensus-
+based direction.
+
+Development
+-----------
+
+The ability to make "hot" maintenance releases on a compressed schedule for
+critical defects and mitigation of security vulnerabilities remains to be
+introduced post-4.1.2. More compression and an abbreviated release process
+are required to be able to make a hot update in around 30 days or less by
+avoiding all feature enhancements and non-urgent fixes and using an existing
+release as base.
+
+ ACTIONS: Follow through with PMC to develop a slip-stream release setup
+ that is always in hand regardless of what feature release development
+ is underway. Have in place as soon as possible after release 4.1.2.
+
+There is an issue with respect to release dependencies based on optional
+presence of a Java JRE of the same bit-ness (x86 or x64) as the installed
+AOO binaries. Absence of the corresponding JRE denies full functionality
+(i.e., operation of the embedded help system and ability to use the default
+database created by the OpenOffice Base application). Although no JRE is
+distributed with AOO, the dependency remains and is inadequately "optional"
+according to Apache principles.
+
+ ACTIONS: Verify the optionality consideration. Determine ways to
+ avoid surprising and confusing the users.
+
+Community
+---------
+
+At the moment, the various pillars (development, support, and end-user
+service) are served by different individuals although a few notable
+contributors work across the full span.
+
+There is no consolidated organization of expertise (i.e., on the PMC) where
+the diverse interests of contributors of all kinds, including end-users, are
+aligned to address end-to-end project issues and direction.
+
+Considering that the end-user population is dominated by Windows (87.7%)
+and Macintosh (9.1%), it is a concern that the key developers have their
+greatest affinity and direct experience with the least-popular platforms
+(3.7%) in contrast. It is also a concern that development does not keep
+pace with the evolution of the dominant platforms and arrival of their new
+variants. Failure to do so blocks achieving ubiquitous presence in store
+systems and other provisions that inspire end-user confidence and take-up.
+
+Issues brought to the developer and user lists about usage are addressed by
+volunteer users, sometimes unevenly. Discussion is yet to begin on improved
+coordination of issues across the Bugzilla, lists, wiki and forums. There
+is much room for more-reliable capture of issues and consistent provision of
+resolutions and work-arounds.
+
+There are clear misalignments that must be identified more closely and then
+addressed. A noteworthy example is the presence of long-standing (over
+years) usability issues involving crashers for which no repairs have been
+provided. In the face of that, supporters of lists and forums have developed
+manual power-user-class workarounds that are provided when the issues are
+regulary reported anew.
+
+ ASSESSMENT. The current arrangement is incoherent. Separate actions
+ among the pillars are sometimes at cross purposes, especially around
+ usability issues that confront non-expert (i.e. most) users.
+ ACTIONS
+ Broaden participation and coordination among the PMC so that those
+ with expertise on particular areas provide consultation and have their
+ concerns heard. Have all apprised of the overall picture so that impacts
+ on areas of individual focus are better understood.
+ Continue obtaining and presenting measures that expose recuring
+ problems in the context of overall activity so that pain points can be
+ appraised in a realistic manner aligned with the purpose of the project.
+
+
+Sustainability
+--------------
+The following warning signs are noticed with regard to
+sustainability.
+
+CUSTOM IT SUPPORT. The Project has not maintained consistent
+support of the servers that is has agreed to operate as part of its
+agreement with Infra. The services are at risk. (See Infrastructure
+in the next section.)
+
+RELEASE MANAGEMENT. A single Release Manager has undertaken all
+releases up until now. On the stepping down of that RM, Andrea
+Pescetti has stepped in for 4.1.2 and others are needed to rotate
+into Release Management duties thereafter.
+
+SKILL DEVELOPMENT. The learning curve required to contribute
+effectively to the current code base has proven to make it difficult
+to develop or attract experienced developers to the project. While the
+ASF is traditionally about the people and not companies, the AOO
+project is evaluating engagement with companies that might
+have a strategic reason for contributing skills to the project.
+
+EXISTING CAPACITY. The depth and breadth of developer coverage of
+the code base will be assessed after the sprint toward release 4.1.2
+can be reviewed and development and QA capacity assessed.
+
+ISSUE CLEARANCE AND TECHNICAL DEBT. Analysis of bugzilla status
+since the inception of that database provides the following portrait
+of issue legacy as of 2015-08-05
+
+ * the oldest unresolved issue is #497 created on 2001-03-02
+ * 24115/121298 (20%) issues are unresolved from before November,
+ 2012 commencement as a TLP
+ * 2232/5139 (43%) issues unresolved of new issues from November,
+ 2012 through July, 2015
+ * 192/452 (42%) issues unresolved of those created in the first
+ seven months of 2015
+
+There are a number of factors that impact the quality of these
+statistics (PDF details at <http://s.apache.org/OEy>). There is
+every reason to fear that, after suitable filtering, the rate
+of technical debt accrual is even greater than 42-43%.
+
+The disposition of bugzilla issues will continue to be monitored
+along with discussion of improved coordination across the user-facing
+activities of the project.
+
+ ASSESSMENT [2015-09-30]
+ LACKING QU50: The project strives to respond to documented bug reports
+ in a timely manner.
+
+PMC OPERATION. There is reduction of PMC-inessential discussions. There is
+honoring of the principal that PMC-inessential topics one is unwilling to
+discuss in public are not worth discussing in private. Now the inhibition
+to discuss community issues in public needs to be addressed.
+
+COMMITTER/PMC AVAILABILITY. The list of OpenOffice commmitters does not
+appear to reflect available, active committers. A census of available
+PMC/committers and their areas of commitment is called for.
+
+ ACTION: Determine which committers/PMC failed to update their accounts
+ during the past reset. Determine which PMC/committers are no longer
+ subscribed to the AOO dev list. Confirm absence of participation
+ and adjust accordingly. Engage the remainder with regard to
+ available capabilities and their capacity. Complete in the
+ October-December 2015 quarter.
+
+Infrastructure Issues/Needs
+---------------------------
+Apache OpenOffice, by long-standing agreement with Apache Infra,
+takes responsibility for the custom MediaWiki and Forum servers
+operating on Infra-provided VMs. Limited support is achieved;
+more is required. Although operational, the software is out-of-
+date.
+
+ There is also need to support buildbots from within the project.
+ ACTION From 2015-09 Report. Clarify the situation and achieve a
+sustainable arrangement in consultation with Infra. Identify at least
+temporary relief, with solid arrangement by January.
+ PROGRESS: No progress in September.
+ NEXT STEPS: To be carried out in the October-December 2015 Quarter.
+
+[ ... ]
+
+------------------------------------------------------
+End of minutes for the October 21, 2015 board meeting.
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