Topic: Recent Travails of SMF Team and Friends

[Kindred]

We are pleased to announce that negotiations have opened in an attempt to reach a mutually satisfactory solution to the recent disputes between the current SMF team management and the SMF Friends group.

The discussion will be chaired by Kindred (Operations Manager for the SMF team).
He was selected because he is recognized as fair and objective by both parties to the negotiations.

The negotiators for the SMF team are:

Compuart (Lead Developer)

SleePy (Site Manager)

The negotiators for the SMF Friends are:

Douglas

Eren Yasarkurt


Please note that while we are cautiously optimistic that such a solution is possible it will not happen overnight. Regular updates will be made public as discussions proceed, but we do ask that the negotiators are left to do their jobs without undue public pressure.

All of them also have other things to take care of in their work lives and private lives so a reasonable amount of time must be allowed for them to do this job as well.

Thank you in advance for your understanding.

[Runic]

cant see much coming of it but good luck to all

[Looking]

What did I miss? What are the disputes over if I may ask?

[Owdy]

You have my support, good luck! I really hope this works out

[K@]

* Kat crosses his fingers.

[K@]

What did I miss? What are the disputes over if I may ask?

It's a very long story, Looking. 

[Looking]

Someone is updating me by PM, I hope it all works out.

[K@]

Well, it could well mean "Bye-bye!" to SMF, if it doesn't.

[babjusi]

You have my support, good luck! I really hope this works out

I wish the same thing

[~DS~]

Good luck, hope this put an end to our misfortunate. Let's bring our home back to what it once was.

[Kindred]

 

Well, it could well mean "Bye-bye!" to SMF, if it doesn't.

Kat,

Let's not be so pessimistic, or start spreading rumors.
A lot of things COULD mean bye bye...  after all, the US could be hit with a 15.5 earthquake and we all fall into the ocean...

[K@]

the US could be hit with a 15.5 earthquake and we all fall into the ocean...

That's it. Get our hopes up.


This meeting thingy IS that important, though.


At least, it seems that way, to me.

[vbgamer45]

I am here as long as SMF remains and will help the community though mods and support when I can.

This is best forum software I have ever used and will continue to use for everything I do.

[Mick.]

Good luck, both parties.

[Sabre™]

I am here as long as SMF remains and will help the community though mods and support when I can.

This is best forum software I have ever used and will continue to use for everything I do.

My thoughts and action aswell.
Good luck peeps with your 'negotiations', I'm happy to see even this step has been taken
As long as the community stands strong, I'm sure SMF will not 'die'. I don't even understand where that idea comes from 

[Jade Elizabeth]

the US could be hit with a 15.5 earthquake and we all fall into the ocean...

My dad was a military lifeguard. He taught me to swim, so I'm good.

However, I'm not too good on being shaken.

[Nolt]

after all, the US could be hit with a 15.5 earthquake and we all fall into the ocean...

Dont act like US is a whole world maybe uS can fall into ocean after earthquake but rest of the world will not, especially EU    (no earthquakes xD)

@topic
good luck, dont screw anything whole world count on SMF

[bugstomper]

What did I miss? What are the disputes over if I may ask?

I'm ignorant other than what I found out by Googling just now and I won't link to anything as I only found things that might be considered as presenting just one side or the other, but I think I can phrase it in a way that is not offensive to anyone:

I have seen something similar happen in some other open source projects where it finds itself in a situation where some one or all of the copyrights to the code, the servers, and the trademarks are owned by one person or one company, and the development work is done by volunteers who don't have that ownership. Unless the project is specifically set up to keep problems from happening (e.g., the owning organization is set up as a non-profit with a charter that requires them to provide a community development process, or it is jointly owned or has some other contractual set up that tends to prevent disputes) then you can imagine that if there is any dispute between the two sides it can end up difficult and messy to resolve. What happens after that depends on the people involved and perhaps depends on whether the license on the open source software is one that makes a fork possible or impossible. Sometimes they resolve their issues. Sometimes the project forks and sometimes the original or the fork or both or neither end up successful. Sometimes it just all falls apart.

I think what I just said is specific enough to give an idea of what this is about without in any way being biased to one side or the other. Mediated negotiations are good. I hope this works out to a positive resolution that allows this great software to keep going as an active project.

[live627]

Hopefully they can smoke the peace pipe.

[(Ha)²]

Hopefully they can smoke the peace pipe.

If I'm not mistaken, smoking a pipe may have been what started this mess in the first place.
Good luck, everyone.