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Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2011 15:33:57 +0100
From: Rory O'Farrell <ofarrwrk@iol.ie>
To: ooo-dev@incubator.apache.org
Subject: Re: [DISCUSS] Having New Committers also be on the PPMC
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On Fri, 30 Sep 2011 10:15:52 -0400
Rob Weir <robweir@apache.org> wrote:

><snip>

> By my count we have 72 committers right now, almost all of them also
> PPMC members.  With the new IBMers coming on board, as well as
> possibly forum admins/moderators/volunteers (at least according to one
> draft proposal), we could shortly have 120+ committers/ppmc members.
> 
> This is not just quantitatively different.  This is qualitatively
> different.  It is no longer a committee.   It doesn't work like a
> committee.  It doesn't think like a committee.  It is not necessarily
> a bad thing, but it is qualitatively a different thing.  It is more
> like a congress, where factions form and individual voices are less
> heard.  The voice of reason is less often heard in a "committee" of
> 120 people.  It doesn't cut through the noise.
>

Without wishing to engage in this discussion in any depth, I point out that the accepted wisdom is that the optimum size of a decision making body is between 6 and 12; our ancestors felt twelve to be optimum (hence the traditional jury size).  My own experience is that about seven to nine is good, if one accepts a majority vote rather than unanimity.

-- 
Rory O'Farrell <ofarrwrk@iol.ie>