Re: OpenBSD project support idea

[Jameel Akari <jakari@bithose.com>]

On Wed, 16 Apr 2003, John Valenti wrote:

> Please consider adding a "OpenBSD annual system license (voluntary)"
> option as an alternative to a donation. I would suggest $10 or $12 each.

	Well, it would conflict with the notion of free software, even if
only in words and not in spirit.  Words still carry some weight.

> think of all the bureaucracy I would need to go thru to justify a
> donation. And I don't think buying T-shirts on U funds would fly. But

	Indeed.  We don't even formally donate used hardware because of
the hassles involved.  The current method is to call it trash, and if we
so happen to take it home, whatever.  If it was worth the effort to ship
it, I'd donate it to various projects, but for the most part, it isn't.

> our bean counters are used to software licensing costs!

	But they are probably also used to reading license agreements, and
here they'll see words to the effect that OpenBSD is free for any use.
And they'll wonder why you want to charge them an extra $10 per system.
$10 times a a dozen machines is probably enough to raise eyebrows among
most IT management types, and I can't blame them.

> The only downside I can think of would be countering the "now OpenBSD is
> charging for free software" type of statements on Slashdot, etc.

	Well, the peanut gallery would have a point because that piece of
paper implies it wasn't free.

	What I'd suggest for this, if you wanted to do it at all, would be
to make it a sort of subscription service.  Yes, like Redhat.
(Or MSDN *cringes*)  You take our money and we get early access / priority
downloads or perhaps early/priority shipment when we do buy our disc
sets.  So then, the software is still free and you're charging for a
service provided.

	The real question is if the additional funds collected would
amount to a net gain when you figure in the overhead of administering a
subscription system.  My guess is that given the volumes involved, it
would be questionable.  There are very few companies who make any money
working this way.


--
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sleep 4800;
make clean && make breakfast