Can someone ELI5 why this is a big deal?
No, it's not hyperbole. Go check the foundations website and you'll find that Microsoft has exclusive access to the highest level of power in the self-styled "independent" organization written right in to the bylaws.
I'm not saying Novotny should be fired, simply that the Foundation has demonstrated a corporate behavior fundamentally at odds with its supposed reason for existence.
Respect for community and contributors was obviously not encoded into the design of the organization. That a board exists to rectify, rationalize, or abet mistakes isn't enough. They have to fix the root of the problem, which is that Novotny was able to do this at all. They need to make an explicit and ironclad promise to developers.
They allowed institutional structure to oppose their mission. That won't change with mere words and staffing shuffles.
- continued lack of communication - for so many issues to occur to multiple parties paints a picture of it being routine - that no immediate reversals have happened with utmost immediacy - the ethos of the maturity model - the policies apparently being enforced - even now… - for calls to solve things privately
It’s culturally indicative of the foundation’s values whether they know it or not.
A healthy community is one where discussions happen in the open, good and bad.
This is not good, and I’d recommend the community coming together and maybe finding or forming an alternative - which is difficult I know.
I think apache.org could help here.
What's being done here is changes to how the project is managed. Basically inserting an upper management over the heads of existing maintainers. AFAIK, this right was not given (or at least the maintainers did not intend to give) to the umbrella org.
The new owner can do further on how he pleases.
Sad in this case(es) but from a legal standpoint it's very likely like that, I guess (INAL).
This is a cooperate thinking applied to a foundation. Is a recipe for failure.
But the argument is about whether the .NET Foundation could do such a thing. The argument is whether they should. And, the .NET Foundation chooses that they should take over the projects, project maintainers can make different decisions themselves.
None of this has been decided yet.
I used the key to steal your car.
Isn't a better analogy that they willingly gifted away their garage with everything in it under a _promise_ that they can still use the car?
Honestly, to me the only way out seems to exercise the licensee rights and fork.