Re: Donations after new releases.

["Kent R. Spillner" <kent_(_at_)_zerosphere_(_dot_)_org>]

Sorry for contributing to the noise around here, but...

This is so stupid!!!  What the hell is wrong with everyone?!
Fundraising goals?  License certificates?  Monthly fundraising games?
10% commissions?!

OpenBSD is now fully dependent on user donations (again).  Thus, the
only fundraising goal is: financially enable the project to continue.
What's so difficult to understand about this?  Why do people think
setting monthly fundraising goals would make a difference?  Who would
actually be motivated to donate just because you show them a graph
showing what the goal is and how close we are to that goal?  Who would
actually be motivated to donate more than they do already for the same
reason?

What's that you say?  "No one?"

You guys talk so much shit but you never back it up.  "In my extensive,
laudable business experience, I've learned a thing or two about
fundraising games blah blah blah" or "Of course businesses would be more
encouraged to support the project if you rip them off by selling printed
copies of the BSD license on shiny paper for $500 a pop."  Can you
actually prove any of this with cold, hard facts?

Look: just buy a CD or two every 6 months.  Make a paypal donation every
once in a while if you can afford it.  Tell a friend or coworker how
great OpenBSD is, and loan them your CD so they can play around with it
themselves.  Buy OpenBSD t-shirts and posters for others (or yourself)
as gifts.

But for the love of God: shut the fuck up already!!!  Getting a bigger
stick won't let you beat this horse more dead.

steve wrote:
> Thus I would think that if you could show someone the value of 
> OpenBSD and then remove the trouble of configuring and maintaining 
> it, you can have a best seller on your hands.

OpenBSD sells itself on it's technical merits.  If people read the
manpages and the FAQ, configuring and maintaining OpenBSD is a cakewalk.
What are you suggesting?  That the OpenBSD developers stop hardening the
system and adding support for new devices, and instead temporarily
concentrate all efforts on building a graphical installation utility
that can be launched from Windows?  That instead of adding new features
to pf, the pf people should spend all their time building a graphical
point-and-click "insta-firewall kit?"

-Kent
--
Kent R. Spillner
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little
 temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
                                       - Benjamin Franklin