On Thu, Jan 12, 2012 at 1:51 PM, Omar Gonzalez <omarg.develo...@gmail.com> wrote: > So being that I'm a new PPMC member, I am not sure what the exact protocol > is for things such as placing my vote. > > Do I always have to add (binding) next to my +/- 1s?
Actually, I'd like to suggest that we are tossing around +1s and -1s a bit too liberally here. Yeah it's kind of a standard Apache way to say "I agree" or "I disagree", but it also carries weight because, technically, a PPMC member's -1 could be considered a veto. Also, technically, no one's +1 or -1 is binding unless an official vote is underway. I've seen a few "+1 binding" or "-1 binding" on something that wasn't even a vote. Secondly, I think the binding aspect of our votes is rarely an issue because we will usually go the same direction as the community at large. Seriously, if the PPMC votes for something and there's a large contingent of the community that is in disagreement, we really need to reexamine our direction and see if it's the right one. It is important to know that only PPMC votes have officially binding weight, but it's not a reason for us to always be throwing around the fact that our weight is binding. Like many things it's a delicate balance and it's sometimes hard to know when to use it and when not to. But it's pretty obvious to me that we need to hold back just a little bit on all the voting and especially on making things look like a vote that are not really a vote. Personally, I prefer to make my +1 and -1 mean something. I'd rather go ahead and type out "I agree with you" than +1. I'd especially rather type out "I disagree because...." than -1 because a simple -1 can seem confrontational when it's not necessary. Now to answer your question: No you don't have to add "binding" to all your votes. It can be helpful to those watching. But it's the responsibility of the person who started the vote and who is tallying the results to find out which votes were binding and which were not. So my advice is that we lean more heavily on discussion than on voting. It's true that discussion threads can seem to never wind down to a consensus. But if the discussion on something is still ongoing in a lively way, it's probably too early to vote. It's also entirely possible that a discussion can wind down and the consensus will be obvious without calling an official vote (except of course on matters of personnel and releases). In that way we can discuss things and get things done without extra layers of bureaucracy. Once something is done and a person has reservations, then a vote can be used. Sorry to ramble on about this. I hope the advice is helpful. Greg
