Subject: Funding GPL projects or funding the GPL?
From: Federico Ferreres <fferreres@ojf.com>
To: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
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Date: 26 Jul 2002 13:09:32 -0300
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In a recent discussion about developers running out of money (arch,
perl) and what can we do for helping them I can up with an idea. I'd
like to share it with anyone in the list even though it'll probably be 
disregarded or flamed. The Kernel may well be nicely funded, because of
companies supported. But that's not always the case, and the schema just
fails in a lot of key areas of OSS.

Why post it here then? Because for it to work it must be supported by 
at least some of the grand developements of OSS. 

Here's the actual idea, which actually is a slashdot repost

Re:Isn't dual-licensing with the GPL perfect for t (Score:2)
by fferreres on Friday July 26, @11:01AM (#3958396)
(User #525414 Info | http://www.arrancar.com/) 

Yes, but that underfunds the projects. You can see this clearly when
Microsoft can sell lots of buggy software and of the best OSS developers
can't earn a decent salary.

I'd love to see a new license, that could be called the fGPL. That would
be the "Funded GPL". To be able to use fGPLd programs you'll HAVE to
contribute some small amount of money to the fGPL foundation. You'll not
be required to pay for any individual fGPL software, just a plain simple
yearly $10 or $20 charge. And you will be able to distribute exactly
where that money goes, among all the different projects. If you can't
pay $20 a year it will be no problem, just a bit penalty: all fGPL
software would be free as in beer once the year passes (old releases).

The money paid to the developers would only cover salaries and some 
expenses that are needing to continue developement. So if any proyect
gets over-funded, you'll be noticed that you must reasign some of your
credits. 

It'd always be free as in freedom. We only need to bring some beer for
that to happen. It'll also kill the anti OSS argument that the system is
for comunists or anti-american. I know that is FUD, but do your 
representatives know that? It will also kill most of the other FUD
targeted at OSS and will also bust developement to unknown levels.

What do we need for this to happen?

To have the Linux Kernel, the Red Hat distro, mplayer, X and gcc (for 
example, could be others as well) adopting the fGPL for the next
releases. After that, we'll see most every GPLd program adopting the
fGPL. After that, you'll start to see how much sense it made to pay $20
a year. And even the ones that can't pay (if any) will be able to use
the software (though 1 year old, but their hardware si severla years old
for sure).

This is my opinion. I'd gladly pay the $20, as long as EVERYONE ELSE
pays their $20. That's why we don't see many donations now: because you
have this felling everyone else is just waiting for a fool like you to 
contribute to project X in order to save it.

------------- end -------------

Thanks for everything and to everyone here!

Federico
fferreres (@) ojf com
pd: Please CC if you need my reply as I am not on the list


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