Re: Debian money
Hello!
The main target of Debian Project is to produce the free and most
reliable linux distribution in the world. Developers donate their free
time to project, while users donate money. I think you should use that
money to assure that developers don't have to spent their private money
for their tasks (fixing bugs, maintaing packages, going to meetings,
confrences, flying by airplane, staying in hotels, going on dinner...).
Developers should get money for everything they need: new hardware,
transport, food, accomodation (hotels), tickets to exhibitions, internet
access. Developers should get money for ALL ACTIVITY that has to be done
by developer. Money should be used to support developers. I think some
people HAVE TIME, but they are not RICH ENOUGH TO BE A DEVELOPER.
> 1 New hardware / equipment
> 2 Fund developer gatherings:
> 3 Legal costs
You should definitely support this. Developers should not spent their
private money to develop Debian. Developers SHOULD NOT PAY for beeing
developer.
> 4 Marketing stuff:
> a box(es) of equipment to take to stands at various shows and
> b ads in the media in various places? Very expensive imho, so I'm
> not convinced. How much money do we spend?
In my opinion it is waste of money. You're not a company, you don't sell
system, you don't have to tell people to buy your product. Debian
project is made by developers and if Debian is good enough, then it will
have many, many users. So why to pay money to get more users? Ubuntu,
Mint, Xandros, Knoppix do that.
There is one thing debian should put money into. This is called
corportate identity (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_identity).
Your logo is old and not bautiful. You should make facelifting.
Developers will not do that, freelancers will not do that. This could be
done only by professionals and this will cost a lot (eg. 10 thousand
euros). Maybe companies that work for IBM, CocaCola or Macdonald's will
do the good job. You will pay once and have perfect logo (perfect face
of debian) for many years.
> c marketing to new developers: posters to put up at universities?
> T-shirts or other gifts for new people working on bug-fixes,
> translations etc.? Could be useful, but again expensive.
Normal users, who don't know much about Linux, will not become
developers. Don't spent money to convice them to become a developer.
Only linux gurus could become developers, but linux gurs surely KNOW
WHAT DEBIAN IS. So you don't have to spent money on these people either.
> 5 Pay people to do stuff we don't/can't/won't:
> a technical writing for end users (users guide and admin guide):
> b News team; person/people to work on collating the news reports
> c Press officer / Debian ambassador to go and talk to corporations,
> the press etc.
> f suggestion that we should use money to pay outsiders to do some
> existing press/news/admin/whatever work to leave the existing
Yes -- somebody has to talk to users (companies, private people,
journalists). If nobody would like to spent his time on these
activities, than you should pay for them.
> 6 Fund other related projects
> a Debian Edu. Clearly good for us to do - heavily linked with
> Debian.
> b Gnash. Petter is very keen on this, but I'm not so sure. Don't
> they have other ways to get funding? Thoughts?
If people in Debian really need these projects and these projects will
not get donations easily, then Debian should donate them. Especially if
this money would support freedom (Gnash, Gcj).
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