On 16.02.2010, at 21:41, keith wrote:

> The board needs terms of reference, that is all I am saying. Apparently I am not the only one who thinks so.

You're not the only one, and it's good you found supporters. But you are clearly in the minority. We discussed this on the list, and the outcome was that most people are fine with how the oversight board operates:

http://squeakboard.wordpress.com/2009/12/16/meeting-report-for-12162009/

Re-iterating the point does not make it more relevant.

> Having a community in which the release team is not working in irc, members of board that cant be bothered with even the simplest communication and discussion, is not progress.

IRC is clearly deemed to be a medium inferior to the mailing list in this community. Forcing your ideas on us of what the development process should be hasn't worked before, and is unlikely to work in the future. You do have great ideas, it's just unfortunate they sometimes are not aligned with what the community at large wants.

> This mess is a mess of the board's making, no one else's, and it happened because of lack of "due process".

The "messy" trunk process was indeed established to allow contribution without much explicit coordination. It may not be what you like, but it seems to suit this community well. And that's what matters in the end, IMHO. 

- Bert -