Jeff Mahoney, VP of Engineering for Linux Systems at SUSE, has published a draft governance proposal for the openSUSE project, opening a new community discussion on how decisions are made across the distribution’s increasingly complex ecosystem.
The document is non-binding and intended as a starting point for discussion, not as policy. It does not change the current openSUSE Board or its charter. Its goal is to create a clearer, more predictable governance framework to address issues such as decision deadlocks, informal power dynamics, and coordination challenges.
Mahoney notes that as openSUSE has grown to include a rolling distribution, multiple downstreams, shared infrastructure, and a global contributor base, many decisions still rely on informal processes. The proposal states this has sometimes resulted in outcomes driven by persistence or volume rather than transparent, documented decision-making.
To address these concerns, the draft proposes two new elected bodies in addition to the existing openSUSE Board.
- The proposed Technical Steering Committee would provide project-level technical direction, maintain technical roadmaps, and act as a final arbiter when consensus cannot be reached.
- The second proposed body, the Community and Marketing Committee, would focus on community growth, onboarding, outreach, events, and stewardship of community communication spaces.
Both committees would be elected by the community, operate transparently, publish their decisions and rationales, and have limited mandates designed to avoid overlapping authority.
The proposal also outlines clearer visibility and escalation paths for infrastructure stewardship. While the operational model would remain volunteer-driven, the draft seeks to improve communication and accountability for infrastructure issues with project-wide impact.
Finally, Mahoney stresses that the goal is not to centralize power or impose technical outcomes, but to replace informal governance through persistence with governance grounded in legitimacy, transparency, and process.
Community feedback is invited, and the draft will be revised based on discussion before any next steps are considered by the openSUSE Board and the broader project.
