Jim’s been actively involved in Open Source since before the term was even coined. He started off by porting various projects over to Apple’s A/UX operating system and was the host of the infamous jagubox server. This led to his early involvement in the Apache Group. He is one of the co-founders of the ASF and served as a director there for almost 20 years. He’s served on other boards, including OSI, and continues to actively develop code, speak at conferences and earnestly advocate for Open Source. He is the OSPO lead at Salesforce.
How will you contribute to the board
Jim has deep experience in Open Source, and especially in handling the common, real-world pressures that exist in the Open Source eco-system. Being active in all areas and levels of Open Source provides Jim a unique and valued experience and insight. Jim drives trust and candid transparency with a focus on community and the individual contributor.
Why you should be elected
As Open Source has grown in popularity and in success, we have seen how conflicts and confusion has started to increase. The old days of FUD (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt) has started to re-emerge, but not from those against Open Source, but those who want to redefine it. We see this with attempts to redefine the OSD, and with those purport to be the “real” stewards of what Open Source is today.
OSI needs to reinforce its leadership in Open Source and this is one of the primary interests of Jim. OSI should not shy away from making possibly unpopular decisions, if they are in the best interest of Open Source in general. OSI must be the undisputed voice of Open Source and with Jim on the board, his experience and reputation will help drive a pragmatic, radically candid, and forward-thinking board.