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Date: Tue, 30 Oct 2007 22:03:16 +0000
From: "Robert Burrell Donkin" <robertburrelldonkin@gmail.com>
To: general@incubator.apache.org
Subject: [VOTE] RAT to enter incubator
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i'd like to propose that the IPMC sponsors the entry of RAT into the incubator

- robert

--8<---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ ] +1 Allow RAT to enter incubator, sponsored by IPMC
[ ] +0
[ ] -0
[ ] -1 Do no allow RAT to enter incubator
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rat Proposal
==========
Abstract
------------
RAT is comprehension and auditing for distributions and source code.

Proposal
--------------
RAT will provide a focus for components, applications and integration
tools for the comprehension and audit of distributions and source
code. It will collect data and meta-data as required. It will create
suitable schemas for this data and meta-data as required.

Background
------------------
RAT began as an attempt to automate the technical part of reviewing
releases in the incubator. Following requests for access from release
managers, RAT was developed as an open source project under the Apache
License 2.0.

Rationale
---------------
Reviewing releases for compliance with Apache technical criteria and
policies is time consuming. The Incubator requires that all releases
are reviewed. Though small mistakes are common, this process typically
adds only a little value. It is common for candidates to be presented
with small but significant defects which then must be fixed and the
candidate represented. Significant energy and good will is wasted by
this process.

This is unnecessary. Given effort, these technical criteria are
capable of automation.

Automated continuous checking of the source would allow the Incubator
PMC to be alerted promptly to potential issues. Integration with build
tools (such as Apache Ant and Apache Maven) would allow releases to be
checked automatically and continuously.

Initial Goals
------------------
    * Read standard license meta-data for documents without license headers
    * Improved RAT reporting
    * RAT source reporting for major build tools
    * Continuous RAT
    * RAT analytics: using meta-data to verify rules
          o Apache third party documents policy analysis
          o license compatibility analysis
    * Discordia integration to allow distributed binaries to be recognised
    * RAT analytic integration for major build tools
    * Improved recursive RAT scripts for better analysis of release
with many distributables

Current Status
===========
Meritocracy
------------------
I'm very happy to move from a solo development model towards a
collective one as more active developers are recruited.

Community
------------------
The RAT community needs to be developed. Having RAT here at Apache
will hopefully encourage release managers to take a more active role
in developing RAT.

Core Developers
--------------------------
It has been developed principally by myself but with significant
contributions of small amounts of code from other Apache members and
committers.

Alignment
----------------
RAT has found itself becoming a standard part of the Apache release
infrastructure. The Incubator needs fully featured release tools. It
makes sense to bring the project here.

Known Risks
==========
Orphaned Projects
-----------------------------
This is a project with a set of definite goals aimed at serving the
wider Apache community. There may well come a time when the coding is
actually finished. It has a small set of developers who all have many
other calls on their time. The target user audience is relatively
small. So, this risk is real.

I think that it's clear that something similar to RAT is required. So,
unless another better product is developed, time will be found to push
RAT forward. Even if one day, RAT is orphaned then it will have done
it's job.

Inexperience With Open Source
-------------------------------------------------
The contributors are Apache members or experienced Apache committers.

Reliance On Salaried Developers
----------------------------------------------------
I know of no one who's paid to work on RAT.

Relationships with Other Apache Products
------------------------------------------------------------------
RAT contains an Ant reporting plugin. Codehaus hosts a Maven reporting
plugin. Analytic plugins for Ant and Maven will be developed. There
are overlaps with Tika and there has been some talk of collaboration.
The discordia lab will likely be used for license and artifact
meta-data. RAT may integrate with Gump for continuous code scanning.

Initial Source
--------------------
    * [WWW] http://code.google.com/p/arat/source
    * [WWW] http://mojo.codehaus.org/rat-maven-plugin

External Dependencies
------------------------------------
Compliant with current Apache policy.

Cryptography
---------------------
Required to check signatures.

Required Resources
--------------------------------
Mailing lists:
    * rat-private
    * rat-dev
    * rat-commits
Subversion Directory: [WWW] https://svn.apache.org/repos/asf/incubator/rat
Issue Tracking: JIRA (RAT)
Other Resources: Continuous integration may eventually required hardware

Initial Committers
---------------------------
    * Stefan Bodewig <bodewig AT apache.org>
    * Robert Burrell Donkin <rdonkin AT apache.org>
    * Nodet Guillaume <gnodet AT apache.org>
    * Garrett Rooney <rooneg AT apache.org>
    * Matthieu Riou <mriou AT apache.org>
    * Jochen Wiedmann <jochen AT apache.org>
    * Henri Yandell <bayard AT apache.org>
    * Karl Pauls <pauls AT apache.org>

Sponsors
=======
Champion
----------------
Robert Burrell Donkin

Mentors
------------
    * Yoav Shapira <yoavs AT guess ;)>
    * Ross Gardler <rgardler AT apache.org>
    * Matt Hogstrom <hogstrom AT apache.org>
    * Jim Jagielski <jim AT apache.org>

The final destination is still uncertain. If RAT accumulates code then
it is possible that a top level project would be appropriate. If RAT
pushes code out to other projects then it might make more sense as a
subproject of Maven or Gump. If RAT is finished before it creates a
viable community then it may make sense as an Incubator subproject.

So I would like to ask the Incubator PMC to sponsor RAT.

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