[OSM-talk] Voting

[Sven Grüner]

Frederik Ramm schrieb:
> I've been critcised for not suggesting an alternative. So here's my 
> suggestion:
> 
> * [...]

Okay, slowly I realize that I took all this for granted while you didn't.
While I'm not yet certain wether you seriously propose such a task force 
it's no good idea I believe. That would inevitably become a "closed" 
group at that others would point their fingers saying "It's all their 
fault". In contrast our current system is truly open: Anybody can drop 
by in the wiki write one or two lines to a proposal and leave again.

> In this discussion, I find myself on their side: Our project is so open, 
> and I have the impression that you are trying to *reduce* that openness 
> by setting up a voting process. I have the suspicion that in the end you 
> want a project where new tags aren't even allowed unless they underwent 
> discussion and voting. And that's where my fierce opposition comes from.

Naturally I can only speak for myself but I'm almost certain this 
applies to others as well: I don't want to allow or disallow anything! 
When I spent time with proposals I consider that a service to others. 
Those others are free to chose wether they want to use my service of 
neatly structured and described tags or not.

I'm a mechanical engineer and see on a daily basis how industrial norms 
like ISO, DIN, etc. make things easier by allowing you to concentrate on 
your core business rather than worrying if other people will now what I 
mean by a M6x40 bolt. Take ISO 5457 for example: You are free to use 
whatever paperformat you like but isn't it also comfortable to walk into 
any shop and ask for DIN A4 paper sheets, that every printer and every 
desktop application will know what you mean without the need to say that 
it's a piece of paper with the dimensions 210x297mm?
Even when there are several competing norms that's fine as long each one 
clearly defines it's meaning and one knows which one applies.

There are of course laws and alike which enforce people to meet such 
norms but it's false to blame the resulting hassle on those who created 
the norm.
So we should try to scatter the illusion that tags as they can be found 
in the wiki are obligatory in any kind. I'll be glad to do so when you 
point me to such places.

regards, Sven