Re: Fwd: Contributor License Agreement

On 11/7/11 11:29 AM, Manu Sporny wrote:
> Alternatively, one can choose to not agree to the CLA and suggest a
> change anyway, at which point an Editor will create some prose to
> achieve the public commenter's request.
>
> So, as I hope you can see - the public can contribute by just commenting
> - no CLA necessary.

Good, this is what I had assumed.


> Where is the flaw? Nobody is being forced to agree to the CLA to
> contribute. The public is well represented as are various organizations.
>
> Does that clear things up, Steven? Or are you still concerned about how
> the mailing lists are structured?

I don't see a problem for myself on the basis of how you've clarified 
that you only have one list and how this one list operates.

But I still see that it may be harder for you; this situation is a 
case in point. We went merrily along with you assuming I had signed a 
CLA and me not doing so and assuming I didn't have to because it's the 
public list.

Now you discover that I didn't. No harm in this case, but what if your 
discovery had happened two years after I had contributed text? (I 
might have done so, being a member of the public who had not read all 
the list background pages about the CLA etc.; and this might happen 
again with other people).

If there had been two lists, one for contributions, formal, and one 
for the public, then that wouldn't happen, correct?

So, I suppose the group has to balance the gain in efficiency it gets 
from having one list with the danger that CLA and non CLA people are 
discussing proposed text and, whenever there's verbatim text 
suggested, somebody needs to figure out which of the two the 
contributor is.


Steven Rowat

Received on Monday, 7 November 2011 21:54:53 UTC