Hi Maurizio,

I like the idea, but I am pretty shure that a company like MS would donate a lot
of money to skip a few good options in KDE.
How would you handle such situations?

In my opinion we shouldn't let money rule.

However, I agree that *normal* users should be aware of the
*possibility* to influence the development of KDE.
Maybe this could be an important marketing instrument in 
the sense of one of earlier topics.

On the other hand: why let people without knowledge, (and maybe
enough money), decide what to do? In the case of user-options it
could work, but not at the system-level.

I am a "normal" user myself, coming from the MS-world and
still looking for a way to donate (active, not financially) to
the OS-community. That is also the reason I'm on this list.

- Boudewijn
(Excuses for my Dutch English?)


On Saturday 12 March 2005 08:37, Maurizio Colucci wrote:
> Dear friends,
> 
> I apologize in advance for the cross-post but it seems adequate here, as this 
> proposal involves users and developers.
> 
> 
> IN BRIEF
> --------
> 
> Currently, in bugs.kde.org, I can *vote* for some bugs or new features. My 
> idea is to allow KDE users and fans to put their *money* in place of abstract 
> "votes".
> 
> I mean, allowing users to donate money for implementing a *precise* feature 
> or fixing a *precise* bug.
> 
> 
> IN DETAIL
> ---------
> 
> The idea is that
> 
> 1. everyone can donate freely for any feature separately (or not donate at all).
> 
> 2. when, and if, the *overall* donation for a given feature reaches a certain 
> threshold, that feature is *guaranteed* to be implemented.
> 
> I am still not sure who should define the threshold and, once the threshold 
> is reached, who would decide which programmer is to take care of the task.
> 
> But first, please let me discuss the important reasons behind this proposal.
> 
> THE PHILOSOPHY BEHIND THIS
> --------------------------
> 
> Why am I proposing this? The recent article from Eugenia about Gnome ignoring 
> their users (http://www.osnews.com/story.php?news_id=9933) made me think it's 
> the right time to propose what I've been thinking for a while.
> 
> In the article, Eugenia correctly points out that OSS projects tend to ignore 
> the needs of *ordinary* users: currently the OSS model tends to favour the 
> needs of *corporate* customers (because corporations such as IBM or Novell 
> put the money for those features), and those of *power* users (because they 
> program the features they themselves). But the needs of *ordinary* home users 
> are not respected as much. They often tend to be ignored (although KDE is 
> surely better than Gnome in this respect).
> 
> So Eugenia is right here. But, IMHO, her error is to assume that this lack of 
> respect for the need of ordinary users _is the developers' fault_. Instead, I 
> think it is the *users* fault; I think users are still not as _responsible_ 
> and self-aware to get together and *directly* finance the features they want.
> 
> Consumers are not yet a responsible community and they have no awareness of 
> themeselves as a big power. This is exactly why the world today is dominated 
> by corporations.
> 
> Just for an example, I would pay quite a lot to have a sidebar with recent 
> folders added to konqueror. I am sure many of us have a small amount money, 
> but no time to contribute code. Some of us love KDE so much that we would 
> happily donate some, *provided*  we are guaranteed the feature to be 
> implemented if the threshold is reached.
> 
> IMPROVEMENTS AND THINGS TO CLARIFY
> ----------------------------------
> 
> As an incentive to donating, you could give an additional guarantee:
> The guarantee that, if the threshold is *not* reached within X days, his 
> money will be given back to the donator, or at least it will be reusable to 
> sponsor another wish.
> 
> ----
> 
> I would like to hear many opinions about that. I am posting a similar 
> proposal in Gnome's list.
> 
> My best wishes to you all,
> 
> Maurizio Colucci
>  
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> 
> 
 
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