So, I’m spending much of this week winding down and closing up odds and ends from the openSUSE Summit this past weekend.  And I’ll write more about that in an upcoming article.   But I wanted to take a break from all this and about the big news that was announced during the summit…  Al and Vinny.   (Ok, either one of them is going to kick my ass for calling them by those names…)

In case you’re one of the very few people who missed the news, Alan Clark stepped down as openSUSE Board Chairman and Vincent Untz assumed the role as the third installation of openSUSE Board Chair.  Kind of a weird moment for me when I first heard the news, sad and happy at the same time.  But it also gave me a chance to reflect on my personal experiences working with these two great men.  For both, I take special pride in appreciating them not for the reputation they bring to the table, but for the great work they do while *at* the table.

Alan Clark

I first met Alan in a teleconference call when I was on the openSUSE Board and I was assigned to do some research work for a possible Foundation creation.  He was the point man on the Novell/SUSE side to work with the legal obstacles and identify points how we could come together with the company’s blessings.  I was impressed in that phone call because I had never seen or heard of this man before and yet he seemed to know a great deal about the openSUSE community.  Months later, when Michael Loeffler stepped down as Board chairman, Alan was appointed and I began to see more frequently how he works.

We often worked together to discuss initiatives and try to move things forward.  Frequently, we also appeared together at events throughout the U.S.   After I stepped down from the Board due to term limits, we continued to work together as co-chairs for the openSUSE Summit.

The thing that I most admire about Alan is that he will do anything he can to tear down barriers and get us the resources we need to accomplish our goals.  While others, including myself, might be tempted to say no when an idea came across that seemed too outlandish or difficult to achieve, he never says no.   While he readily admits to being a pessimist, he never lets his pessimism get in the way of what you want to do.  If you care enough about something you want to do, he will support you 1,000% no matter what his own personal opinion is about it.  He gives us the freedom and belief to know that he’s got our back when we push forward against what may seem to be impossible odds.

He’s a “barrier-tear-downer.”  He’s the quiet guy in the background letting others take the spotlight, making sure your pathway is clear.   Many people have complimented me for the success of the openSUSE Summit, but there is absolutely no way it would have been successful if he wasn’t there ensuring that we had the resources we need to make it all happen.

And as busy as he is, he always makes time to talk to you.  I know many people who have had the privilage to speak with him and gain valuable insights.   We’re all blessed to have him in our corner.

Now, OpenStack has claimed him for their own as the new board chairman.  I can’t think of a better choice they could have elected.  If they don’t know yet what he’s fully capable of doing for them and their community, they’re about to find out very quickly!

Vincent Untz

Just about everybody knows Vincent as “Vuntz.”  I first met him on IRC the day he joined Novell.  I was still quite active in the #opensuse-GNOME channel, organizing the weekly meetings.  And here was this guy who comes in and everybody’s climbing over themselves to offer him some virtual ice cream.  (FYI:  virtual ice cream via IRC doesn’t taste anything at all like real life ice cream!)   This was still in the heyday of the old team when there was a large presence and frequent activity going on.  Not too long after that, there were some unfortunate changes in Novell and a number of people were reassigned or laid off.  Soon thereafter, there was only Vuntz left from Novell that was actively working with the openSUSE-GNOME team.

When Vuntz is around, he commands great attention.  Enter a room, and everybody looks in his direction.  Yet, despite his celebrity-status, he employs quiet leadership instead of savoring the limelight.  I’ll have to admit, this can be quite frustrating sometimes, but in the long run, I see the method to his madness bears great fruits.

With the almost overnight change in the team, something remarkable happened.  Instead of dying, the team thrived.  Instead of a continued dependence on Novell employees to do most of the work, the team became community-driven.  Much of this was because Vuntz held a steady hand and availed himself as a mentor to others.  Today, we have a team that probably reacts faster than ever before to changes from upstream to deliver those changes to openSUSE users.  The dependency and conventional thinking that “it’s a paid person’s job to make all this happen” is gone.

Later in the year, the openSUSE Project fell into the unfortunate Desktop War.  I have to admit, I was frustrated that Vuntz didn’t take a more visible stand in the open and often divisive debates that went on during this period.  “C’mon Vuntz!” I kept thinking to myself.

But in the end, looking at today., most of the festering rivalry seems gone.  Oh sure, there will always be those of us who strongly favor one desktop environment over another, but no longer do we have the testy relationships that seemed like a turf war out of “West Side Story.”  Instead, we have harmony and acceptance of each other’s existence.  And I believe Vuntz played an important role in bringing us to this place today.  His steady tone, resisting temptation to jump into negative debates, and always accentuating the positive has made most of us follow in those footsteps.  There are clear lessons to be learned, just by watching Vuntz, on how we can make the open source experience both positive and productive.

Going Forward

Alan and Vuntz both have unique characteristics that make them giants in the sea of thousands.  No doubt, with the many changes the Project is undergoing now, Vuntz will bring some welcome changes to the openSUSE Board.  I’m positive that under Vuntz’s leadership, we’ll see a wonderfully revitalized board.

But at the same time, while new, Vuntz also provides a constant.  Alan recognized that his role was not to control or influence the board, but to provide support and ensure that the board as a whole works together.   Vuntz’s proven actions in the openSUSE-GNOME team tells me that this important aspect of the Chariman’s role will continue under his leadership.

This is important because while SUSE gets to appoint the chairman to the board, the board itself is tasked with community direction and is an entity elected by the community.  And both Alan and Vuntz are people who know that community comes first.

I’m going to miss Alan’s presence on the board.  But I’m heartened to know SUSE made a wise choice bringing Vuntz in to fill some pretty damn big shoes!