[jsr-314-open-mirror] [jsr-314-open] update on Red Hat's participation in JSR-314 and JSF 2.1

Ed, Roger and other members of the JSR-314 EG, Since the JSR-314 leadership has moved to enact the JCP mandate that an EG is disbanded upon the final release of a specification, we (Red Hat) feel we have no choice but to acknowledge this dismissal. We have submitted all of our outstanding change requests for 2.0 Rev a, as itemized on the wiki page http://seamframework.org/Documentation/JSF21, and have confidence that the leads will apply these changes to the specification document and API docs, as necessary. We can only participate in a JSR Expert Group that is officially recognized and has all of the standard terms, conditions and electoral rights granted by the JCP. We cannot support continued compromise of improvements we believe are needed in JSF in order to fit changes into the restricted scope of a minor revision. And while a major revision is now being pursued, we only recognize a minor revision under the JSR-314 specification since we have no official status to vote otherwise. Our participation in the development of JSF 2.1 is contingent upon the submission of a new JSR and approval of our request to become an EG member of that specification, for which we now call. If we're going to improve JSF, it needs to be a sincere commitment to do what needs to be done within an open JCP process. Serving on the JSR-314 Expert Group has been a true honor for us. We are proud of the progress that was made in JSF 2.0 and believe that it's become a cornerstone of the Java EE 6 platform, as well as a solid web framework in its own right. Together, we have embraced defacto standards, given the community a voice and set the tone for openness in the JCP. The discussions were always amicable and enjoyable, and we have developed a strong camaraderie with the individual members that we hope lasts indefinitely. We are going to take this opportunity to develop JSF enhancements in the Seam 3 and RichFaces 4 projects and also explore/study other view layers. When the time is right again, we will contribute to next generation standard view layers, JSF 2.1 or otherwise. We eagerly await the next opportunity to work with the members of this Expert Group. Sincerely, Dan Allen, Lincoln Baxter, III and Pete Muir on behalf of Red Hat, Inc.