# 2025-12 CentOS board meeting

https://hackmd.io/@centosboard/Byeos3kSel

Passcode will be sent to participants and guests the day the meeting takes place.

# 2025-12 CentOS board meeting - Agenda

# Attendees

## Board members

* Amy
* David
* Jefro
* Mike
* Pat
* Shaun
* Steve
* Troy

## Directors Absent

* Davide
* Jack
* Johnny

## Guests

* Neal Gompa
* Peter Georg

# Agenda

* Previous minutes
* https://hackmd.io/@centosboard/HkpxYMY1-g

### On going discussion

* AI Policy governance continuation
*
* SIG Rollup status
* Can't make a distro - restriction
* Stream, EPEL, and SIG snapshots
* Troy will talk to Fabian, David might have a place
* SIG Council Status
* Announce it at Connect? Introduce folks
* Maybe do a meeting early January
* Short session at Connect - Amy will submit

### Issues

https://gitlab.com/CentOS/Board/tracker/-/issues

**Issues to be closed (ACTION close all of them if no objection)**

* None

**New issues**

**Issues on hold**

* None

### Community Architect updates

* CentOS Connect CFP closes Monday, December 15.
* https://cfp.fedoraproject.org/centos-connect-2026/cfp
* Please register for CentOS Connect if you want swag and food.
* https://www.centos.org/events/connect/
* Sponsor opportunities are available for CentOS Connect.
* https://gitlab.com/CentOS/promo/centos-events/-/raw/main/2026-01-connect/connect-2026-sponsor-prospectus.pdf
* FOSDEM Distros Devroom is on Sunday. No CentOS booth, but we'll hang with Fedora.
* Flock CFP is open too.
* https://www.fedoraproject.org/flock/2026/
* https://cfp.fedoraproject.org/flock-to-fedora-2026/
* Newsletter hasn't happened in months. Posting one today. We need to find better solutions to solicit content.
* Ongoing hackmd - https://hackmd.io/ZO2x9Nx9QU6xvEUY9Pgzuw

### SIG Reports

### AOB

* TBC

###### tags: `agenda`

## David's notes
# CentOS Board Meeting - December 10, 2025

## AI Policy Governance Continuation Discussion

### Background
- Board voted last week to use the Fedora AI document as basis
- Continuing discussion on policy implementation details

### Section 2: Accountability Discussion

**Pat's concern:**
- Raised issue about sentence in Section 2 that seemed to remove something
- Self-corrected, saying he might be overthinking it

### Disclosure Requirements Debate

**Steve's position:**
- If disclosure is mandatory, make the process formal (not suggestion)
- Wants automated handling mechanism for disclosure
- **Clarification**: Thinks board is recommending (not mandating) a model for implementation
- Recommendation is to create automated approach

**David Duncan:**
- Points out that policy is not the same as practice
- (Distinction between what the policy says vs. how it's implemented)

**Shaun McCance:**
- Identifies that policy is not enforcement
- (Policy defines rules, enforcement is separate implementation)

**Neal G:**
- Fine with removing format details from policy document
- As long as the format specification is documented somewhere else

### Resolution Summary (Amy)

**First Issue:** Cleared up per Pat's input

**Second Issue:**
- Needs a developer guide (separate from policy)
- Need to determine alignment with RHEL approach
- Amy will work on it before or after PTO
- Board is clear on what needs to be outlined in the policy document

## Next Agenda Item: BU Perception Issue

**Topic:** Business Unit (BU) perception that CentOS team doesn't know how to build a distribution

### Discussion

**Troy's Investigation (per Amy):**
- Troy was looking into this issue
- Asked for clarification on exactly what needs to be done for rollout
- Wasn't clear how requirements applied to him specifically
- Asked what parts apply to him

**Proposed Approach:**
- Single point in time where CentOS was not following RHEL cycle
- Would annotate and document that deviation

**Steve's Clarification:**
- "We can't make a distro, but we can make a snapshot of things"
- Proposed snapshot would include:
- CentOS Stream (CS)
- EPEL
- All SIGs (Special Interest Groups)

### Solution Identified

**Neal's Previous Work:**
- This is exactly what Neal was commissioned to do for Hyperscale SIG
- Neal worked on this approach and believes his work is ideal for this task
- Called a "SIG Rollup"

**Troy's Response:**
- Was planning to use Neal's work
- Now clear on the approach after Neal's explanation
- Going to talk to Fabian about implementation methodology

## Next Agenda Item: SIG Council

**Question:** Can we have a SIG Council?

### Discussion

**Shaun's Status Update:**
- Have 7-8 SIGs with committed people to make reports
- Wants to know if meeting time works for participants
- Ready to schedule something for early January

**Connect/FOSDEM Opportunity:**
- Shaun suggests doing something at Connect (FOSDEM)
- Most people on the list are in Brussels
- Thursday has meetup commitments for everyone

**Amy's Proposal:**
- Can have a slot at Connect event declaring SIG Council work
- Prefers formal announcement over showcase format
- Better to announce at Connect event
- **Action**: Amy will put in the session request

**Shaun's Response:**
- Can squeeze in a Connect session

### Extended SIG Reporting Discussion

**Shaun's Interest:**
- Wants to discuss reporting methods and cadence

**Neal's Observations:**
- Many SIGs guilty of not reporting this year
- Doesn't want this to become the new normal
- Proposes quarterly reporting for every SIG, offset by one month for continuous content
- Thinks low reporting might be anomalistic due to RHEL 10 release activities

**Newsletter Format Evolution:**
- **Shaun**: Newsletter used to be more "prosey," now more "bullet-pointy"
- Uses HackMD for collection
- **Amy**: Asked if format was formal
- **David Duncan**: Referenced Ansibot for Ansibull as good example
- **Troy**: Didn't realize HackMD was available (and he runs SIGs)

**Distribution Issues:**
- **Shaun**: HackMD might not be widely distributed
- **Reference**: https://hackmd.io/ZO2x9Nx9QU6xvEUY9Pgzuw
- **Shaun**: Doesn't mind collecting from multiple locations
- **Amy**: If people write blogs, could include them in newsletter

## Conference Updates (Shaun)

### CentOS Connect
- **Dates**: January 29-30, 2025
- **Location**: DoubleTree (same as last year)
- **Timing**: Immediately before FOSDEM
- **Format**: Some meetups in open space format
- **CFP Deadline**: Submit talks before Monday
- **Participation**: Don't have to commit to sitting at specific topics
- **Sponsorship**: Opportunities available, prospectus on website
- **Registration**: Open now

### FOSDEM
- Has distribution track
- CFP is closed
- Fedora has booth, CentOS Project does not

### Fedora Flock 2026
- **CFP**: Currently open at https://cfp.fedoraproject.org/flock-to-fedora-2026/
- **Main CFP Portal**: https://cfp.fedoraproject.org (Neal notes link not obvious on main page)
- **Tracks**:
- General
- CentOS & Friends
- Mentor Summit

## Additional Discussion

**Peter's Question:**
- Asked about kmods (kernel modules) and if they were being discussed

**Neal's Response:**
- Pointed nVidia folks to Peter for assistance with kmods

### Fedora CFP Issues
**Shaun's Follow-up:**
- Referenced CFP for Fedora again
- Discussion about lack of clarity on submission dates
- Also unclear on travel assistance request process

## Meeting Summary (Amy)

Amy covered her three planned topics:
1. **AI Policy** - Resolved first issue, developer guide needed for second
2. **SIG Rollup** - Neal's Hyperscale work provides solution, Troy coordinating with Fabian
3. **SIG Council Planning** - 7-8 committed SIGs, Connect announcement planned

**Amy's response:**
- Believes formal process was already included in document

**Mike M's clarification (Fedora version):**
- Uses "must" for stronger AI tool usage requirements
- Has lessened requirements for weaker/lighter AI tool usage
- Tiered approach based on AI tool usage intensity

**Troy Dawson:**
- Issue is about specific wording choice
- Board wants precise/specific language

**Amy's wiki page reference:**
- References a wiki page model
- Asking if others interpret it as "recommended methods for each type of information"
- Potential confusion about recommendations vs. requirements for different AI usage categories

### Key Issues to Resolve
- [ ] Formal vs. suggested disclosure process
- [ ] Specific wording for requirements
- [ ] Tiered approach implementation
- [ ] Wiki page model interpretation

## Next Steps
TBD

## Attendees
- Amy Marrich (Meeting host)
- Neal Gompa (Conan Kudo)
- Peter Georg
- Troy Dawson
- Steve Wanless
- Shaun McCance (Meeting host)
- Mike M
- David Duncan
- Pat Riehecky
- Jefro Osier-Mixon