Title: Frequently Asked Questions
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# Contents # {#contents}
[TOC]
# Answers #
## What is the Apache Software Foundation? ## {#what}
The Apache Software Foundation (ASF) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation,
incorporated in Delaware, USA, in June of 1999. The ASF is a natural
outgrowth of The Apache Group, a group of individuals that was initially
formed in 1995 to develop the Apache HTTP Server.
The [management of the Foundation](how-it-works.html#structure) is overseen
by a [board of directors](board/) , who are elected by the [ASF
membership](members.html) on an annual basis according to the corporation's
[bylaws](bylaws.html). The board appoints a set of officers to manage the
day-to-day operations of the Foundation and oversee the ASF projects. Each
project is managed by a self-selected team of technical experts who are
active contributors to the project, according to whatever guidelines for
collaborative development are best suited to that project.
## Why was the Apache Software Foundation created? ## {#why}
The Foundation was formed primarily to
1. provide a foundation for open, collaborative software development
projects by supplying hardware, communication, and business infrastructure;
1. create an independent legal entity to which companies and individuals
can donate resources and be assured that those resources will be used for
the public benefit;
1. provide a means for individual volunteers to be sheltered from legal
suits directed at the Foundation's projects; and,
1. protect the 'Apache' brand, as applied to its software products, from
being abused by other organizations.
## Why was the name 'Apache' chosen? ## {#name}
The name 'Apache' was chosen from respect for the various Native American
nations collectively referred to as
[Apache](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apache), well-known for their
superior skills in warfare strategy and their inexhaustible endurance. It
also makes a cute pun on "a patchy web server" -- a server made from a
series of patches -- but this was not its origin. The group of developers
who released this new software soon started to call themselves the "Apache
Group".
## Is the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) a Corporation? ## {#is-ASF-a-corporation}
Yes, the ASF is a membership-based corporation registered in Delaware,
United States. It is intended to be a registered non-profit charity, and in
fact was given 501(c)(3) status by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.
However, even if something happens that changes that status, the ASF is
still a not-for-profit enterprise.
## Does being a Foundation bring additional burdens in how Apache operates? ## {#foundation-burdens}
Along with being a corporation come some boring niggly details.
The people who have the responsibilities of watching over the Foundation's
activities, and keeping them on track and out of trouble, are the ASF's
Board of Directors. The board consists of nine individuals elected by the
Foundation's membership and invested by the membership with the authority
to run the Foundation and make tactical and strategic decisions concerning
it. (A lot of developers consider that boring and tedious.)
## Why are PMC Chairs officers of the corporation? ## {#why-are-PMC-chairs-officers}
An officer of the corporation is, by definition, acting on behalf of the
corporation. So the oversight that the ASF requires is occurring (oversight
is not embodied in the Board, but the ASF as a whole; the Board is just the
main driver of corporate affairs).
And since the officer is acting on behalf of the corporation, there is no
personal liability -- standard corporate assumption of liability occurs. If
the officer was *not* acting in accordance with their stated role, then
yes: they would be personally liable.
Since the ASF is assuming liability, that is where our cash hoard comes in,
in case of problems.
In addition, officers and members are further indemnified in accordance
with our bylaws (meaning we also take care of their legal expenses if sued
due to their role's actions).
In essence, PMC chairs must be officers because the board can only delegate
things to employees or officers. It is impossible to delegate authority to
someone who has no authority.
## What about legal liability for committers, PMC members, ASF members, officers and directors? ## {#legal_liability}
The last three are covered by section 12.1 of the Bylaws (but committers
and PMC members are not obviously discussed).
## Who are the members of the ASF? ## {#who}
The current list of ASF members may be found on the Web at
<[http://www.apache.org/foundation/members.html](members.html)>
.
## Who owns the Apache code? ## {#who-owns-apache-code}
All software developed within the Foundation belongs to the ASF, and
therefore the members. The members own the code and the direction of it and
the Foundation. Committers get a shot at working on the code; good
committers become members and thus get a piece of the ownership of the
software and the direction.
Commit access is a privilege, not a right, and is based on trust.
## How do I join the ASF? ## {#joining}
The Apache Software Foundation is a meritocracy, which means that in order
to become a member you must first be actively contributing to one or more
of the Foundation's collaborative projects. New candidates for membership
are nominated by an existing member and then put to vote; a majority of the
existing membership must approve a candidate in order to the candidate to
be accepted.
## Is it true that some companies are part of Apache? ## {#corporate-membership}
No.
The membership of the ASF is composed of individuals, not companies. The
members have a legal stake in the ASF.
This does not mean that individuals that work at a company cannot
contribute to Apache, quite the contrary. We have a specific extra CLA to
assure that individuals can clearly contribute to the ASF during "work
time".
It is also expected that the members are acting solely on behalf of the ASF
when wearing their ASF hats, regardless of their employer. See further
discussion about [individuals and hats](how-it-works.html#hats).
## What are the ASF projects? ## {#projects}
The current list of projects operating under the auspices of the Apache
Software Foundation can be found at
<[http://www.apache.org/foundation/projects.html](projects.html)>
.
## How does the ASF help its projects? ## {#how}
As a corporate entity, the Apache Software Foundation is able to be a party
to contracts, such as for technical services or guarantee-bonds for
conferences. It can also accept donations on behalf of its projects,
clarifying the associated tax issues, and create additional self-funded
services via community-building activities, such as Apache-related T-shirts
and user conferences.
In addition, the Foundation provides a framework for limiting the legal
exposure of individual volunteers while they work on behalf of one of the
ASF projects. In the past, these volunteers have been personally vulnerable
to lawsuits, whether legitimate or frivolous, which impaired many
activities that might have significantly improved contributions to the
projects and benefited our users.
## How can I contribute to the ASF and its projects? ## {#how-to-contribute}
There are many ways you can make a valuable [contribution to the
Foundation](contributing.html).
## How can I donate money to the ASF? ## {#how-to-donate}
Instructions for donating money can be found on our [contributing
page](contributing.html#how-to-donate).
## Are donations to the ASF tax-deductible? ## {#tax-status}
The tax status of the ASF is discussed on our [contributing
page](contributing.html#tax-status).
## I am considering starting an open-source software project, can you help? ## {#incubator}
Send proposals to the [Apache Incubator](http://incubator.apache.org/)
## We are an active open-source software project with a synergistic relationship with Apache, can you help? ## {#synergy}
Send proposals to the [Apache Incubator](http://incubator.apache.org/)
## What is Apache about? ## {#what-is-apache-about}
Transparancy, consensus, non-affiliation, respect for fellow developers,
and meritocracy, in no specific order.
## What is Apache not about? ## {#what-is-apache-NOT-about}
To flame someone to shreds, to make code decisions on IRC, to demand
someone else to fix your bugs.
## Where Can I Find ASF Releases? ## {#find-releases}
All current Apache releases are distributed from a subdirectory on the
main www.apache.org to [mirrors](/mirrors/) worldwide
for disribution to the general public. (Anyone is [welcome to become
a mirror](/info/how-to-mirror).) These releases are automatically
copied to the [archives](http://archive.apache.org/) and remain present on
archive.apache.org even after they have been removed from the current dist
directories.
So, if you are looking for an old Apache release that is no
longer on the mirrors, or need to refer to a permanent location (such as
for legal notices), then use a link to the archives.
But if you look for the latest stable releases, visit the homepage of the
Apache project you are interested in ([list of
projects](http://projects.apache.org/indexes/quick)) or [browse a mirror near
you](/dyn/closer.cgi/)
## How to contact projects and people? ## {#contact}
Go to the website for the specific [project](projects.html) that interests
you. Also see the [Contact Apache FAQ](preFAQ.html) and if all that fails
then go to the [contact](contact.html) page.
## I have a licensing question. Where do I ask it? ## {#license}
See the page on [Licensing](../licenses/) , the [Licensing
FAQ](license-faq.html) , and the information on the [Legal
Affairs](../legal/) page. Specific questions about Trademarks of The Apache
Software Foundation are answered on the [Trademark Policy page](/foundation/marks/).