A message from Board Candidate Phillip Hallam-Baker

["Scott McGrath" <scott.mcgrath@oasis-open.org>]

Voting Reps:

 

The following is a message from Board Candidate Phillip Hallam-Baker.

 

Scott…

 

 

 Subject:                       Election Communication

Dear Electors,

 

          Thank you for considering my candidacy for the OASIS board of directors.

 

          I have been asked why I appear to be arguing against ideas such as encouraging co-operation between standards groups and avoiding duplicating work. It may appear to some that I am arguing against the principal functions that the board of directors is intended to perform, questioning an idea that is considered to be as unquestionable as apple pie.

 

          Part of my concern is the general philosophical principle that it is the unquestioned ideas that need questioning. Apple pie has many fine qualities but it can hardly be considered a universal truth. It is easy to support principles that result in no conflict; the question is which decision is to be made in cases of conflict.

 

          It seems to me that the principle that sets OASIS out from other standards bodies is the autonomy allowed to the individual Technical Committees and that this is something to be preserved. For this reason I believe that the board should certainly advise Technical Committees to collaborate and communicate with other groups, both inside and outside OASIS.

 

          I believe that the role of the OASIS board should be equivalent to that of an Oxford College Tutor, providing advice, facilitating collaborations with others working in the same field and where necessary suggesting that the rate of progress is insufficient. An Oxford College Tutor does not however micromanage the student's work.

 

          The right to fail is an important one that must be jealously guarded. If we only allow that which is certain to succeed we are certain to fail.

 

          If a group decides that having considered the conventional wisdom they wish to reject it the board should in most cases respect that decision unless there was a significant risk of serious damage to the fabric of the Internet.

 

          Yours,

 

                      Phillip Hallam-Baker