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List:       avalon-dev
Subject:    [PMC:Proposal] No vetos at all
From:       Berin Loritsch <bloritsch () apache ! org>
Date:       2003-07-31 14:01:29
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Due to the past history in this project with vetos being abused, I want to make
it a matter of policy that no one user can block the rest of the team with a
veto.  We are all free to express our discontent with a resolution, but if the
team chooses against your resolution, then you are out of luck.  Vetos have
consistently been used to ram one developer's opinion on the rest of the team,
making cooperation unattainable.

We must learn to work together.

While the Incubator Voting Policies do allow for the use of a Veto, there has
been no evidence of them being used responsibly in the Avalon project.  Each
time they are used it is to foist one person's view on the whole developer
team.

Avalon is different from many projects in that alot of the project has to do
with concepts and ideas.  It is also different in the fact that there are four
"subprojects" that do the same thing.  It would be like having JAMES with
four very different mail servers, and a small community to try to support them
all.

The policies on Incubator Voting Policies surrounding the Veto are copied
here:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vetos

A code-modification proposal may be stopped dead in its tracks by a -1 vote by a 
qualified voter. This constitutes a veto, and it cannot be overruled nor 
overridden by anyone. Vetos stand until and unless withdrawn by their casters.

To prevent vetos from being used capriciously, they must be accompanied by a 
technical justification showing why the change is bad (opens a security 
exposure, negatively affects performance, etc.). A veto without a justification 
is invalid and has no weight.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As an example of how vetos are abused in Avalon, the last veto presented by
Stephen has no TECHNICAL justification.  No security holes are exposed, it does
not affect performance, impact to existing code was minimal.  As a result by
these rules it was invalid and has no weight.

I have no problems with a -1 vote, and having some dialog ensue.  I do have a
problem when one developer refuses to work with the rest of the Avalon team.
So what if someone doesn't like my idea?  It's not a big deal.  However, the
abuse of vetos has lead me to the conclusion that we cannot use them responsibly
here.

I propose to remove the possibility of a veto.

-- 

"They that give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety
  deserve neither liberty nor safety."
                 - Benjamin Franklin



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