[X3D-Public] how about making X3D working group more open?

[Don Brutzman]

X3D Community colleagues:

In recent months I've been thinking that we might improve public
participation in the X3D development process by making the
X3D working group much more open.  We do want more engagement.
The basic idea is that Web3D membership rights and privileges
would still pertain, but public visibility and comment on X3D
issues of interest would reinvigorate our efforts.

Certainly each Web3D working group has a choice to be closed or open.
Historically we have kept deliberations of the X3D working group
closed for business reasons:  members have the option to disclose
patented technology within a "safe haven" as defined by the Web3D
intellectual property rights (IPR) policy.

However, in practice, we do not have any current contributions to X3D
with IPR concerns attached.  Nor have our current Web3D Consortium
business members expressed much interest in doing so.  Should anything
like that later emerge, it can still be handled on a case-by-case basis
by members only.  Most important of course is that any patented
technology contribution would have to become royalty-free anyway
before final acceptance in the X3D Specifications. Thus it appears
that the closed characteristics of the X3D working group don't seem
to be necessary.

We also want to increase Web3D membership, not reduce it.  So opening
up X3D visibility might improve everyone's understanding of the many
valuable results that the X3D process provides.  Membership still remains
a prerequisite under the by-laws for voting and decisions.  Of note
is that the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) opened up participation
in the HTML5 working group while retaining all other membership rules.

So I am hopeful and optimistic that this approach might re-energize
our community, further accelerating the steady progress we continue
to make with X3D.

Wondering what others think?  Is this a good idea?  The X3D working
group has always been guided by consensus, so Web3D members decide.
That dialog is already under way, but public reaction to some of
these possibilities might help inform that debate.  Please tell us
what you think about it.

All opinions are welcome, thanks for considering these possibilities.

all the best, Don
-- 
Don Brutzman  Naval Postgraduate School, Code USW/Br      brutzman at nps.edu
Watkins 270   MOVES Institute, Monterey CA 93943-5000 USA  +1.831.656.2149
X3D, virtual worlds, underwater robots     http://faculty.nps.edu/brutzman