These are exciting times for PEAR. Recently, we have had a move to new hardware for the website, several exciting PHP5-based packages have been accepted, the next incarnation of the PEAR Installer is in active development, and development roadmaps are available for all packages on the website.

As PEAR moves forward, it is time to re-evaluate the way that decisions are made, who makes them, and how they are documented. Some example decisions:

• How should PEAR handle coding standards for PHP 5, PHP 6 and beyond?
• Who handles acceptance of new packages?
• What defines quality, and who enforces QA in PEAR?

To date, there have been a number of major problems with all of these questions and more. Most importantly, PEAR has not moved fast enough to keep up with innovation, while at the same time providing backwards compatibility.

The purpose of this referendum is to define more clearly PEAR's governing structure.

The three choices are simple:

1. keep things the way they are
   • PEAR Group is appointed for life
   • PEAR Group makes all legislative decisions in private (secret ballot)
   • All packages accepted through PEPr
   • Single developer control of a package is encouraged
   • QA Group is elected through PEPr and is a limited number of developers
   • PEAR Group is responsible for checks and balances
   • use Greg Beaver's proposal
   • PEAR Group is elected from all developers annually
   • PEAR president is elected from all developers annually
   • packages organized into collectives of related packages
   • PEAR Group proposes legislation and votes on it publicly
   • PEAR president approves or vetos legislation publicly
   • QA/package approval is in the package collective responsibility
   • clear system of checks and balances to ensure fairness and support

development innovation

1. use Anant Narayanan's proposal
   • package collectives elect a single leader
   • package collectives elect a single QA leader
   • PEAR Group is made up of package collective leaders
   • QA Group is made up of package collective QA leaders
   • PEAR Group is responsible for checks and balances

As you choose between the three, please read the documentation of each choice completely (click "More Info" for each choice), and vote carefully.

If you decide that you disapprove of all 3 choices, please click the "Abstain" button to register your disapproval. Only a clear winner with a majority of the votes (greater than 50%) is an official decision.

Thank you for your consideration.