In a recent report, VisionMobile points out that Open Source is not only about licensing but also about the governance model adopted by open-source projects.
The governance model used by an open source project encapsulates all the hard questions about a project. Who decides on the project roadmap? How transparent are the decision-making processes? Can anyone follow the discussions and meetings taking place in the community? […] Governance determines who has influence and control over the project or platform beyond what is legally required in the open source license.
The governance model adopted by Madagascar is exceptionally flat and open. So far, 50 people have been given write access to the Subversion repository. Nobody who asked for an access has been denied it so far. Everyone of the 50 developers has equal rights to add, remove, or modify code. We coordinate our efforts through the developer mailing list and annual meetings. This open governance model is a distinctive feature of the Madagascar project, which should be emphasized when comparing it with other projects. VisionMobile states in its report: “Our research suggests that platforms that are most open will be most successful in the long-term.”
I concur.
Since this topic came under discussion, I suggest looking not only to the past and present, but also to the future.
Madagascar is growing, and gaining momentum. We will eventually have to create some sort of nonprofit foundation in order to:
– Properly manage assets and expenses. Money will come in under the form of conference delegate fees, donations, etc. The Madagascar logo (both current, and any improved future version) is also an asset.
– Be able to receive support. If a comercial entity wanted to sponsor Madagascar right now, it would not have a distinct entity to direct funds to.
– Shield from liability. If in the future Madagascar becomes a serious competitor to existing closed-source software, we could see malevolent attacks based on false pretenses, like in the case of the famous SCO vs. Linux lawsuits. See the last paragraph in
https://ahay.org/wiki/Contributing_new_programs_to_Madagascar#Dual_licensing_Madagascar_code for the premises for a potential scenario.
There are probably more reasons, but this is all I could think of right now.