[Strategic] Fwd: Subject: Forks and such

[Mikel Maron]

> Here is an excerpt from the recent board       meeting minutes:

> 
> "* How to handle potential forks (mail of TimSC)
> Board hands this issue to the strategic working group with the       guideline 
>to keep the data under the primary license."
> 
> I think it is clear that with the effort put in the license change       the 
>idea to handle a fork under the umbrella of the OSMF is not       capable of 
>winning a 
>
> majority within the OSMF. Otherwise it would       make more sense to establish 
>an ODbL fork rather than changing the       license of the primary database.

I think our first step with many issues facing OSMF, is for this working group 
to evaluate possible activities against the objectives/mission of OSMF, and the 
community which OSM represents. One of the real services we can provide on 
contentious issues is fully sketching out the various positions, in a unbiased 
and representative way, without necessarily needing to resolve the issues.

In some cases, working through things in a strategic process can lead to 
recommendations for the Board. In this case, I think we've been given clear 
direction to document, but not decide, this issue of forking.

Forking has been well explored on the lists, and here. If someone could give a 
neutral account in the wiki, that would be a good contribution.

-Mikel
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