Tim Rowledge wrote:
> 
> This is my personal suggestion for somethings the Squeak Foundation
> could do for us.
> [Losts of good ideas snipped]

I'd suggest anyone interested in defining or participating in the Squeak
Foundation take a look at Dee Hock's Chaordic Alliance web site.
  http://www.chaordic.org

Dee Hock defines "chaordic" as "the behavior of any self-governing
organism, organization, or system which harmoniously blends
characteristics of order and chaos." I'd suggest this both describes
Squeak's evolution as a population of images (made of objects) and what
we would want from an organization that helps support that continued
evolution.

Dee Hock created VISA and has recently written a book "Birth of the
Chaordic Age" on this topic. In particular, consider the chaordic
approach for defining a chaordic organization.
  http://www.chaordic.org/what_des.html

Here is the brief outline of how to create a chaordic organization (see
the web page for details):

1. Create a statement of purpose

2. Define a set of principles

3. Identify all participants

4. Create a new organizational concept (just, equitable, effective)

5. Write a constitution

6. Foster innovative practices

[These steps may seem obvious when stated, but all too many
organizations ignore one or more of them.]

Anyone (besides me) care to write up ideas on at at least one, two, and
three as a reply to this after reading the Chaordic web pages or Dee's
book? If no one does, I can post a follow-up with my own take on these
answers in a couple of days but I would like to see other people's
comments first. Obviously, the point of this exercise is to establish
some sort of rough consensus -- so the Squeak Foundation is not just on
person's vision, but instead is both broad enough to gain widespread
support and yet specific enough to accomplish something and be taken
seriously.

-Paul Fernhout
Kurtz-Fernhout Software 
=========================================================
Developers of custom software and educational simulations
Creators of the Garden with Insight(TM) garden simulator
http://www.kurtz-fernhout.com