On Wed, 10 Feb 2016 10:39:23 +0100, Michal Hrusecky wrote:
I don't know that I entirely agree, Richard. If someone wants to step up and manage that collection of money, doesn't that fit into the "just do it" approach that we want the project membership to use?
Well, depends. For sure, anybody is free to create clubs, collect money and use them up on whatever they want. But making it official openSUSE foundation and pretending that sending money to it helps openSUSE is something kinda different as openSUSE doesn't need the money and so far in this discussion I haven't seen what this money could be used for that is not possible with SUSE money (except people feeling good that they spent some money on "openSUSE").
Some people perhaps want to not feel beholden to SUSE for the community project. I'm perfectly fine with it myself, but I can also see that some people feel that if SUSE can make financial contributions to the project, why can't others?
Technical contributions are certainly important, but there are many ways to support the project that don't involve technical contribution. Visibility for the project is important to getting people involved and interested in supporting it with technical contributions.
So, for example, if an openSUSE fan club wanted to pull something like this together, collect funds itself, and then use those funds to make T- shirts to sell through an online store - getting the openSUSE name out there in front of people, that is something that helps the project.
Something like http://shop.opensuse.org/ or http://openshop.spreadshirt.com/
Sure. As I explained to Richard, I wanted a simple example, not necessarily an example that was "oh, here's something we don't have".
I live 15 minutes from Microsoft's main campus in Redmond (for the next 20 days, anyways, before I move to the other side of Puget Sound). The building I live in has Microsoft employees in it, and one of their main sales offices is walking distance.
I get looks when I wear my SUSE jacket - and not because Microsoft employees/fans hate Linux. Many seem to be thinking "I didn't know SUSE was still around" (and one person actually said that to me).
Microsoft is still around? :-)
Allegedly. ;)
If I had thought to, I might've made myself an openSUSE t-shirt with a QR code and link on it to promote the cause here. If a group like the one being proposed did something like that, and the link/QR code went to a site that talked about the project and how to contribute to it, that certainly would help recruit talent to participate.
Cool idea! There is plenty of services online where you can just submit your design and get a T-Shirt. There are even some that will allow to upload your design and let other people buy it. Nice idea for a nice project, but I still fail to see a need for legal entity collecting money and some relation between money being collected somewhere and somebody designing a cool T-shirt and people buying it online.
Sure, but my point wasn't to get people hung on T-shirts, but to use that as an example. Richard's talked at length about how developers want to scratch an itch, and that's how they decide what to work on. Not all itches are development-related. That was my point. So if jdd wants to scratch the itch of managing some sort of non-profit organization that *can* help the openSUSE Project, he should be encouraged to scratch that itch and see what can be done within the construct of the project and how that can help without setting an expectation that donation = influence. And it seems that nobody is saying "we should let people buy their way into providing direction for the project" - quite the opposite, in fact. I think we should, as a project, let people scratch their respective itches and find ways to enable them to do so, rather than saying "no, not *that* itch". That's all I'm saying. Jim -- Jim Henderson Please keep on-topic replies on the list so everyone benefits -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-project+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, email: opensuse-project+owner@opensuse.org