[fitsbits] start of public comment period: changes of FITS WG voting rules

[Lucio Chiappetti]

I posted this announcement on October 31st. I now realize that the 
FITSBITS archive archived it under the wrong thread (my fault since I was 
lazy to reply to an earlier message instead of composing a new one).

I repost it so that it gets correctly archived under a new thread.
Please reply to this one (and do read it, in the case it got lost because 
I sent it on Halloween :-))

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This is to announce the start of a Public Comment Period lasting until
November 18, about a proposal to change the "IAU FITS Working Group Rules
and Procedures"

Essentially the idea would be to speed up the procedure for the approval
of changes to the FITS standard by disbanding the Regional Committees and
replacing the two-step voting procedure (RCs then IAUFWG) with a single
step.

Contextually the "delay period" in case of foreseen negative votes should
be decreased from 6 to 3 months.

At same time minor editorial adjustments will be applied to the text of
the rules (like removing the mention of the NG sci.astro.fits replaced by
mailing list FITSBITS)

You will find the text of the proposal (which has been discussed at length
within the IAU FWG, its Executive and communicated to the present RCs) at
the following URL
http://sax.iasf-milano.inaf.it/~lucio/FITS/Proposal/newrules.html

It should contain enough explanatory information, together with a link to
the current rules, and a way to highlight the proposed changes.

Please post your comments here on FITSBITS within November 18.

-- 
Lucio Chiappetti - INAF/IASF - via Bassini 15 - I-20133 Milano (Italy)
Current IAU FWG chair