[OpenIndiana-discuss] What does the OpenIndiana leader do?

[Gary Mills]

Since we are in need of a new OI team leader, I've given some thought
to what this leader actually does.  The technical aspect seems fairly
small.  Part of this is packaging various software products for OI.
These tasks could be delegated to a number of other people.  For these
products, the bug fixes and enhancements are all done upstream.
Another part is building, testing, and distributing of OI releases.
These tasks could also be delegated in large part.  I see few
opportunities for visible contribution in the technical aspect of OI.

The other aspect is administration.  The team leader needs to maintain
policies and directions that are clearly defined, but at the same
time, open to change.  There are many users of and contributers to OI.
Each one has their own biases and agendas.  Some want to maintain the
Solaris tradition and legacy in OI.  Others want OI to be just like
Linux.  This is one dimension of advocacy but there are also many
others.  Each user or contributor also brings their own tolerable
range of deviation from their ideal.  The team leader must accept
suggestions from all of them, but has to mediate between them to
strike a balance and to define the OI policy and direction.

These are just my thoughts.  If I've omitted something or stated
something incorrectly, please let me know.

-- 
-Gary Mills-		-refurb-		-Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada-