Jimmy Kaplowitz

I am Jimmy Kaplowitz, or Hydroxide on IRC, and I am running for a position on SPI's board of directors.

I have been a member of SPI's biggest member project, Debian, since May 2001. In Debian, I have participated in such usual developer activities as bug fixing, package maintenance, new maintainer mentoring/sponsorship, and user support via mailing list and IRC.

I have also been active in the governance of SPI itself, where I have accomplished several things:

• I have been a productive member of the Bylaws Revision Committee, which has created a proposal that aims to rectify the problems with our corporate bylaws that have at times impaired the functioning of our organization.
• I researched and made a successful proposal to choose a provider for online credit card donations to SPI, which should be completely set up in the near future, satisfying the requests of many people over a period of years.
• Finally, despite not being a board member, I have attended a significant majority of the board meetings that have taken place within the past year or two, and I have generally participated actively when attending an SPI meeting.

Outside of SPI and Debian, my biggest contribution to the free software/open source community is the founding and leadership of the Linux Users' Group at my university, Brown University. We have held two successful installfests so far, and we plan to continue holding another one every semester.

We also are gaining recognition on campus, with students and staff alike contacting us with unsolicited requests for advice or assistance with getting started with Linux. Our group holds weekly meetings and conducts ongoing discussions on our mailing lists. Talk has begun about organizing a computer-related conference sometime within the next year to educate people on such topics as computer privacy, security, ethics, alternatives to Windows, things to do with computers, etc.

Visit our website at http://blug.brown.edu/ for more information. All in all, this leadership opportunity has given me experience that would be useful in serving as a director of SPI.

I believe that SPI can serve several useful purposes. It is important that it continue holding in trust the money and other legal assets belonging to its member projects such as Debian, Fresco, and OFTC. This at the moment is the primary role it serves, and this role shall probably always be vital to the well-being of SPI and its member projects. SPI can also, as available effort and funds permit, begin to fulfil some more of its stated corporate purposes, involving education of the general public about free software and about computers in general. I ask you to elect me to the board so that I assist more actively in the future of SPI.