367329 - Manifesto: Be More Direct

Status: RESOLVED INVALID

(mozilla.org :: Governance, task)

Description

[Zak Greant]

(Taken from a face-to-face discussion with Nat Torkington at linux.conf.au - and run through a zakalizer (TM) filter ;)

As a participant in the process of developing the manifesto, I know that the manifesto was created to address a set of problems. These problems are not directly listed or addressed anywhere in the manifesto, removing a key piece of context.  Use more direct language in the manifesto - ensure that people who are not involved in the project can understand what the manifesto means.

Comment 1

[Ben Bucksch (:BenB)]

Can Nat Torkington, zak or anybody else write here in the bug what the "set of problems" are that the manifesto tries to address?

Comment 2

[Zak Greant]

Zak can't, as this isn't his feedback and Nat didn't go into details. Nat, do you care to elaborate?

Comment 3

[Nat Torkington]

Without some rationale, the manifesto is just another piece of net.waffle.  Why does it exist?  What connection to the real world does it have?  What will these principles be used for?

When I first encountered the manifesto, many months ago, it was explained as a set of filters that MoFo would use to help it decide which projects it should work on.  If "MoFo should do X" was proposed, and X ran counter to the manifesto principles (or was orthogonal to them) then MoFo should clearly *not* do X.  That's the kind of real world grounding the document needs for people to care about it and understand its place in the world.

Comment 4

[Zak Greant]

We expected broad discussion of the manifesto in many different forums, including this one. However, most discussions happened on the mozilla.governance list or were brought there. 

Closing the entire family of Manifesto bugs.

The first version (oddly called 0.9) may be found at:
  http://www.mozilla.org/about/mozilla-manifesto.html