Re: How to make Debian more attractive for users, was: Re: The number of popcon.debian.org-submissions is falling

[Steffen Möller <steffen_moeller@gmx.de>]

> I wrote:
>> * Metaphorical speaking: we should give Debian a phone number. And I
>> mean full-time or at least half-time employees. With so many people
>> unemployed these days, I even feel we have the duty to think about
>> creating jobs.
>>     
>   
On 07/21/2010 03:46 PM, Stephen Powell wrote:
> That's an interesting idea.  But where is the money going to come from?
>   
On 07/21/2010 02:06 PM, Paul Wise wrote:
> That is probably part of the DPL's role? Could clarify what you are
> proposing here?
On 07/21/2010 04:30 PM, Lucas Nussbaum wrote:
> This idea is likely to get so much people against it that it's not worth discussing.
>   


Dear Paul, dear Stephen, dear Lucas,

I thought that we should see where the discussion about it goes. If we are
becoming serious about using Debian money to hire people, then by some
magic we'd need to find a way to circumvent the past Dunc Tank outrage.
So we would need a way to
 * keeping doing what we do now
 * do not see someone else paid for something you would want to do with
your packages

Solutions to the above that I see
 * whoever is paid should not work on packaging
 * whoever is paid shall listen and try to establish teams of
maintainers to solve issues
 * whoever is paid shall do whatever the person can to help where help
is needed
 * whoever is paid shall involve established Debian consultants as much
as possible

About where the money could come from
 * the phone number would not be free
 * donations
 * we'll see after a year if this works, so we'd need money for two
years or so and
   then see what happens
 * We could start small, maybe by collecting 3-5 students at some
university who share a single mobile, taking notes about their efforts
and a(n unpaid not in his daytime job too much disturbed) DD as their
supervisor. Such a concept might possibly scale rather nicely across
cultures and time zones, i.e. we all want to support our students
somehow. How much is that? 5000 $/€/10yuan/100yen/whatever per anno?

Is this the DPLs job? I see it more as a Dr Watson to the DPL, i.e.
someone you like
talking to with no non-technical power. I am also with Lucas, but I did
not want to
self-censor me too much. If such is not accepted in our community, then
we will
learn this very quickly :)

Steffen