| Title: Management and Voting |
| <a name="ManagementandVoting-Basicinfo"></a> |
| # Basic info |
| |
| Apache has a few roles that relate to all Apache projects: |
| |
| - Contributors [http://www.apache.org/dev/contributors.html](http://www.apache.org/dev/contributors.html) |
| - Committers [http://www.apache.org/dev/committers.html](http://www.apache.org/dev/committers.html) |
| - PMC Members [http://www.apache.org/dev/pmc.html](http://www.apache.org/dev/pmc.html) |
| |
| Despite there being various roles, we try extremely hard to keep the |
| project flat. All feedback is welcome, all people matter. Everyone should |
| feel very encouraged to participate regardless if they are new or old to |
| the project. If you are new and want to participate, please speak up, |
| we'll always be happy to hear from you. |
| |
| If anything there is a reverse hierarchy that is not unlike traffic laws; |
| pedestrians (users) always have the right of way, bikes (contributors) |
| yield to pedestrians, automobiles (committers) yield to bikes and |
| pedestrians. Depending on what you're driving you have a greater |
| responsibility to those around you. Be careful not to run anyone over. |
| |
| <a name="ManagementandVoting-PMC"></a> |
| # PMC |
| |
| We don't focus on the PMC in this project so many may not have a clear |
| concept of it. Every project at Apache has a PMC which at minimum |
| represents Apache from a legal perspective. The people on it are expected |
| to provide legal oversight, making sure that the legal entity that is |
| Apache has awareness enough to legally protect the code that leaves it's |
| doors, the users that use it, and the people who create it. This means |
| making sure any contributions going into the project are clean and can be |
| legally projected and making sure any binaries going out meet the legal |
| requirements so they as well can be legally protected. It's a lot of |
| watching all commits, keeping an eye on doc contributions, ensuring CLAs |
| are on file for anything of substantial size, screening release binaries |
| and source for headers, license files, making sure any binaries being |
| widely distributed have been voted on, etc., etc. If you are on the PMC |
| and you vote on a release it means *you* have done all these things to the |
| best of your ability. If you have not, you either should not be on the PMC |
| or should not vote +1. |
| |
| Being on the PMC is a service, not an achievement. Therefore if someone is |
| added to the PMC you should not say "congratulations", but simply "thank |
| you." It does not mean anything more than they have the time to help us |
| function legally. If someone is perpetually too busy to provide legal |
| oversight and steps down or goes emeritus, it does not mean they are |
| leaving, just that they are too busy for the extra legal responsibility. |
| |
| Some projects go beyond that and use the PMC as the decision makers and |
| leaders of the project. We do not. We make all our decisions on the dev |
| list. We don't even focus on who is a committer and who is not, which is a |
| major factor of our family-like community and general "everyone is welcome |
| and matters" spirit. If someone doesn't feel like their input matters till |
| they are a committer, or any other status, we've done something wrong. |
| Fortunately, this is one of our strongest attributes and part of the magic |
| that is this community. |
| |
| <a name="ManagementandVoting-FAQ"></a> |
| # FAQ |
| |
| <a name="ManagementandVoting-Q.Whosevotescount?"></a> |
| ## Q. Whose votes count? |
| |
| Apache requires a minimum of three +1 PMC votes which have legal |
| significance to Apache as a corporation. That said, all votes from the |
| community are significant to the project and decision making and any -1 is |
| cause for pause and discussion. We frequently encourage and welcome votes |
| from anyone in the community regardless of status. |
| |
| ## Q. Voting on people: Is it hard to vote -1 in public / Can someone get their feelings hurt ? |
| |
| Yes and yes. Voting in public requires greater care and sensitivity on |
| behalf of everyone; the vote proposer, the voters, and the votee. Prior to |
| voting the proposer should create several opportunities for feedback, |
| hopefully positive and constructive. Community members with concerns |
| should get involved early and actively mentor potential committers, taking |
| opportunities for feedback as queues to get involved, encourage, and work |
| through areas where they see said person needs more help. The contributor |
| should actively solicit and welcome all help and feedback and encouragement |
| and feel welcome to give it in return. Do not rush; all parties (proposer, |
| voters, and votee) have work to do in grooming contributors, etc., and that |
| work takes time. Votes that result in one or more -1s should not be seen |
| as a failure of any one individual and instead be seen as an opportunity |
| for all parties (proposer, voters, and votee) to make improvements, be more |
| active, and give the process more time. |