Re: Debian goes big business? [was: Re: Suggestion for RedHat (

["Harrison, Shawn" <shawn_harrison@tyndale.com>]

<<Corporations are owned by shareholders.  It is a democracy.  How do you
trade shares, money?  Who gets how many?  What happens when BillyG owns
50.1%, or pick your favorite aspiring businessman?

L8r -- Greg.>>

It's possible to have a privately-held corporation, in which the board of 
trustees and perhaps a few others hold the stock. The company I work for 
is organized this way - it gives the advantages of a corporation without 
the possibility of hostile take-overs and other nastities* of public 
trading. I would think those who are "in charge" of the project (however 
loosely that term applies) could just as well be the shareholders and 
board of trustees. There would never be any necessity that they hand over 
control to anyone at any time.

Of course, when money gets involved, harmony and brotherhood are a bit 
more fleeting.

But I think this idea of a single business corporation to represent the 
project, as with RedHat, is misguided. The beauty of the Debian project 
is that it is a volunteer organization. Let's keep it that way. I am all 
for a for-profit business forming as a value-added seller of Debian 
products. Such a business could focus on pre-installations, packaging and 
marketing, and user support. I would think a very successful business 
could be built on such a model, and there would be no necessary control 
flowing either way between said business and the Debian organization. The 
Debian community would control the software, such a business (and there 
could be many of them) would control its own marketing, packaging, 
support program, etc.
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* as opposed to "niceties".

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shawn_harrison@tyndale.com 
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