See also: [Talk:WhatDoesTheBoardDecide Talk Page]
Want to know what the BoardOfDirectors decides? Well take a look at the Board minutes: http://www.apache.org/foundation/board/calendar.html. Minutes of the previous board meeting are approved at every board meeting. In other words, you don't get to read the minutes of a meeting until the following meeting when they are approved by the Board.
The Board plays an active role in the management of the ApacheSoftwareFoundation, and meets on a monthly basis to discuss Apache business. The Board generally makes decisions regarding the composition of PMCs, general direction of the foundation, finances of the corporation, and legal issues. In summary, important organizational and financial questions ar usually settled by the Board.
If you want to know what the Board CAN decide, it is suggested that you read the Bylaws of the Corporation: http://www.apache.org/foundation/bylaws.html. To answer the question, "What does the Board decide?", it is best to make a list of some recent decisions the Board has made:
- Appointment of Officers
- Ratification of PMC membership
- Empowering PMC chairs to alter membership without ratification of the Board
- Creation of a PMC (New Avalon PMC, giving Ant a dedicated PMC)
- Changing the process by which Member votes are computed/recorded
- Forming a fund raising committee
- Revoking Committer status
- Altering the Bylaws
- Appointing representatives to the JCP
- Establishment of a Security Team
The important thing to note is that the Board delegates technical authority to the PMCs.
What the Board "should" decide is an entirely different question, and really that is a question that the Members of the ASF must answer when they elect members of the Board. This doesn't answer what "kind" of things the board should decide versus what should be left to members, committers, etc.
This is great!
So what should be left to the board?