The Ubuntu has always been a very openly governed community from the beginning of the project. This open governance means that we have some community organized and run decision-making groups that help to lead and make decisions about different elements of Ubuntu.
In the early days of the project we had the Community Council and the Technical Board, but as the Ubuntu community has grown we have needed to add additional sub-councils to help lead their specific parts of the community.
The current governance map of Ubuntu looks like this:
Click the attachments link on this page to get the LibreOffice file for the above diagram and please make updates as our governance adjusts, thanks!.
This is what the different groups do:
Community Council - makes decisions about community processes and provides a place where community members and other leaders can resolve conflict.
Technical Board - decided on technical policy for the project. Note that the Technical Board does not choose features and packages that go into Ubuntu, that is something the wider community works on.
LoCo Council - leads the LoCo Teams community as well as reviewing and re-approving Approved LoCo Team applications.
IRC Council - leads the IRC and IRC operator community and ensures our IRC channels are operating in a safe and respectful manner.
Forums Council - leads the Ubuntu Forums community and it's moderators.
Membership Board - this is where community contributors can apply to become Ubuntu members.
Application Review Board - reviews Free Software applications submitted via the MyApps portal on http://developer.ubuntu.com (commercial applications are reviewed by Canonical).
Developer Membership Board - reviews applications for developers to get upload access to the Ubuntu archives.
You can also see the Canonical Community Team floating in the middle - this team is employed by Canonical to grow, motivate, and build the community in different areas.
Each of the governance bodies report to someone and their parent body ensures they are elected and performing useful work. While the Community Council and Technical Board don't report to Mark Shuttleworth, Mark has a veto power to overrule decisions, although this power is rarely if ever used.
Governance Boards
Here is a breakdown of the different governing boards, who is on them, and where you can contract them.
Community Council
Mailing List: community-council@lists.ubuntu.com
How They Can Help:
- If you want to propose changes to community processes.
- If you have a conflict you cannot resolve and need help.
- If you would like to propose a new team or leadership board in the community.
- Other general community topics.
LoCo Council
Mailing List: loco-council@lists.ubuntu.com
How They Can Help:
IRC Council
Mailing List: irc-council@lists.ubuntu.com
How They Can Help:
- If you want to propose a new or changed IRC community process.
- If you have a conflict with an IRC moderator you feel is unresolved.
Forums Council
Members: https://launchpad.net/~forum-council
Mailing List: ubuntu-forums-council@lists.ubuntu.com
How They Can Help:
- If you have an idea or proposed changed for the Ubuntu Forums.
- If you have a conflict with a moderator that you need help resolving.
Membership Board
Where To Apply: Click Here
How They Can Help:
- If you want to be a Ubuntu Member, please apply.
Technical Board
Members: https://launchpad.net/~techboard
Mailing List: technical-board@lists.ubuntu.com
How They Can Help:
- If you want to propose a change to technical policy in Ubuntu.
- If you have a legal or other concern about technical policy in Ubuntu.
Application Review Board
Mailing List: app-review-board@lists.ubuntu.com
How They Can Help:
If you have submitted an application via MyApps and need to enquire on it's status.
- If you have queries about how to get your app in Ubuntu.
Developer Membership
Mailing List: developer-membership-board@lists.ubuntu.com
How They Can Help:
- If you want to apply to be a developer and get upload access to the Ubuntu archives.