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Feature: Open Source
10 ways to pay back the open source community
By Ankit Malik
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January 11, 2005 (8:00:00 AM)
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You run GNU/Linux. You play games on it, surf the Net, write documents, and edit pictures, and all for free, thanks to the multitudes around the world who contribute to the open source movement. Now it's payback time -- time to give back to the global fraternity giving you so much. Here are 10 ways you can help right now.
1. Thou shalt speak thy native language
Software worldwide is translated into a plethora of languages, yet some regions remain overlooked. Help create an indigenous version. Select a Unicode font, choose a bilingual dictionary, and translate. You can start with a small project and then move on to higher levels.
2. Thou shalt post bugs
No software is perfect. In spite of the developers' best efforts, glitches appear. Some may be specific to your distro or platform. The next time you encounter a bug, post it at the developers' Web site in the application's bug tracking system or mail it direct to the developers. Time consuming? Maybe, but it'll go a long way toward improving the software.
3. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself
Got a newbie friend who's just getting acquainted with the penguin? Help him transition to Linux. Answer his questions. Direct him to newbie sites where he can search for answers himself. Remember, you too were a newbie once.
4. Thou shalt delve into 0 and 1
Are you a programmer with time on your hands? Hook yourself to one of the numerous projects at SourceForge.net and start coding, or better still, create your own project.
5. Thou shalt document
If there's anything geeks don't like, it's writing documentation. They'd rather leave that to someone else so they can concentrate on coding. But documentation is as important as coding. If you can string words and sentences together better than the average hacker, partner with a SourceForge project to document.
6. Thou shalt thank the developer
Like the software? Can't live without it? Imagine the amount of hard work that went into it -- and you got it for free! Thank the developer; even a simple "thank you" by email encourages the developer to deliver more goodies. Want to go a step further? Donate money to the project to help ensure that the software continues to be developed.
7. Thou shalt dress up the penguin
Got a flair for graphic design? Create eye candy for the desktop and post it at sites like www.kde-look.org, www.gnome-look.org, or www.art.gnome.org. Post anything from backgrounds to icons to mouse cursors to desktop themes.
8. Thou shalt share thy wisdom
Wikipedia is the world's largest free encyclopedia, and it's open source. Browse some articles and correct typos and grammatical errors that slip past the proofreader. Expand the contents or add an article.
9. Thou shalt spread the word
Liberate your friends and colleagues who remain imprisoned in the chains of spyware and viruses. Lend them your Knoppix CDs (it's perfectly legal), awaken your institution to GNU/Linux, open source your boss.
10. Thou shalt unite
Linux user groups, or LUGs, are conglomerations of Linux lovers. Fall in love -- join a LUG, and by doing so, expand your knowledge and diminish your problems.
Ankit Malik is a 15-year-old Linux enthusiast and a freelance technical writer. This article first appeared in slightly different form in Linux For You, a monthly Indian magazine on open source.
Comments
on 10 ways to pay back the open source communityNote: Comments are owned by the poster. We are not responsible for their content.
thanks for pointing this out. People (especially newbies) always underestimate the amount of work it takes to create something usefull.
"There are plenty of half-finished alpha-quality projects out there."
True, however be careful determining that some project is dead. There a few that *appear* to be, but aren't when you look more carefully.
"Everyone working on individual overlapping projects ends up creating a million different projects that never get anything done, as opposed to putting our heads together and having one or a few well-done projects such as GNOME/KDE or window managers or vi/emacs. "
Some people take that to extremes. e.g. "Why doesn't KDE/Gnome merge?"
True, however be careful determining that some project is dead. There a few that *appear* to be, but aren't when you look more carefully.
"Everyone working on individual overlapping projects ends up creating a million different projects that never get anything done, as opposed to putting our heads together and having one or a few well-done projects such as GNOME/KDE or window managers or vi/emacs. "
Some people take that to extremes. e.g. "Why doesn't KDE/Gnome merge?"
KDE and Gnome merging wouldn't be too good, because their look and feel is completely different. Getting used to one tends to create an almost dislike of using the other.
If they merged, we would lose the freedom to be able to choose between these two desktop enviroments, and GNU/Linux is all about choice.
If they merged, we would lose the freedom to be able to choose between these two desktop enviroments, and GNU/Linux is all about choice.
So far, I've been unable to persuade my wife to switch from the world of Microsoft Windows. However, she uses a lot of free (as in freedom) software, because when she misses some functionality I can almost always find GPLed alternatives which brings a smile on her face.
Her laptop came with Microsoft Works, which consists of a word processor, spreadsheet application, a calendar, and Microsoft Outlook Express - an email application. She is annoyed by the fact that the installation is incomplete, promting her to add components all the time, and the lack of integration between the mail application and the calendar. She can't assign a follow-up date to a task sent her by email. She is considering bying the complete Microsoft Office suite with Outlook.
Now, I've tried to convince her to use the latest OpenOffice 1.9.69. However, without an email and a calendar application the features she needs is not available. Glow is not usable, Mozilla Calendar is not usable and Mozilla Sunbird is not usable. All look great, but a simple thing like attaching an email or document to an event or todo item is not possible. Really, I tried last night. One Sunbird developer says Vlad (project leader?) knows about this, and he hoped they would have this functionality by version 0.3. That would be great, but the Sunbird project has no release schedule available, so when are we to expect 0.3?
Now, this brings me to the not-invented-here-syndrom plagueing many projects. This has nothing to do with being a free software project or a proprietary project, but rather the outlook of the project. The project needs to address two questions:
- who is this project for?
- what can we to for them?
If the answer to the first question is "the general end-user", and the second answer is "an office suite" because there is a huge demand, it begs the question: if the point of free software is to give legal access to source code of other projects, then why are there so few doing it in a timely fashion? Is it the not-invented-here-syndrom doing it's dark magic again?
Her laptop came with Microsoft Works, which consists of a word processor, spreadsheet application, a calendar, and Microsoft Outlook Express - an email application. She is annoyed by the fact that the installation is incomplete, promting her to add components all the time, and the lack of integration between the mail application and the calendar. She can't assign a follow-up date to a task sent her by email. She is considering bying the complete Microsoft Office suite with Outlook.
Now, I've tried to convince her to use the latest OpenOffice 1.9.69. However, without an email and a calendar application the features she needs is not available. Glow is not usable, Mozilla Calendar is not usable and Mozilla Sunbird is not usable. All look great, but a simple thing like attaching an email or document to an event or todo item is not possible. Really, I tried last night. One Sunbird developer says Vlad (project leader?) knows about this, and he hoped they would have this functionality by version 0.3. That would be great, but the Sunbird project has no release schedule available, so when are we to expect 0.3?
Now, this brings me to the not-invented-here-syndrom plagueing many projects. This has nothing to do with being a free software project or a proprietary project, but rather the outlook of the project. The project needs to address two questions:
- who is this project for?
- what can we to for them?
If the answer to the first question is "the general end-user", and the second answer is "an office suite" because there is a huge demand, it begs the question: if the point of free software is to give legal access to source code of other projects, then why are there so few doing it in a timely fashion? Is it the not-invented-here-syndrom doing it's dark magic again?
nt
What incentive do I have to do any of this?
It helps create better open source software. When I find a bug in opensource software, I report it or fix it and it get's fixed. Sometimes I have to give more feedback to the devs, but that lets me know they are listening.
Try reporting a bug to Microsoft, Opera, Inuit, Symantec, or Roxio and see if you get any feedback on it at all.
Try reporting a bug to Microsoft, Opera, Inuit, Symantec, or Roxio and see if you get any feedback on it at all.
Yes, you have missed the point.
Perhaps you don't want to be a mooching jackass all your life? Perhaps you want to help make the stuff you're using better? Those sound like incentives to me.
Most mooching jackasses don't consider work as an incentive.
Here, we are in the wild, watching a heard of mooching jackasses graze. The male of the species makes loud whining sounds to try to attract the female. It doesn't seem to be working.
Here, we are in the wild, watching a heard of mooching jackasses graze. The male of the species makes loud whining sounds to try to attract the female. It doesn't seem to be working.
You benefit from free software, you help free software. In the end, everyone benefits. Not enough?
Ok. A bug posted is a bug probably fixed. A friend introduced to free software is a friend who might be able to help you later. Improve free software, and you have improved free software.
Ok. A bug posted is a bug probably fixed. A friend introduced to free software is a friend who might be able to help you later. Improve free software, and you have improved free software.
Whether this is regarded as a troll or not, it is a good question (a good troll?). The first pitch I most commonly hear for open source software like GNU/Linux, Apache and Firefox is not "be a part of a sharing community of geeks" but rather "stop paying $$$ to companies like Microsoft for their buggy, inflexible, self-serving products." So the natural response is what OP posted.
Part of the answer is that you get out of something what you put into it.
Part of the answer is that you get out of something what you put into it.
Because you want to. If you don't want to do it, don't. The whole point of open-source projects is that people work on them because they want to not because they are being forced to. If you love what you are doing, you will do a better job. Linus gets paid to hack the kernel now but didn't used to and I'll bet he would keep doing it even if he stopped getting paid in the future.
Absolutely none if you don't run open source software. If you use open source software, then give a little back to the community.
You remind me of the fools in my neighborhood who don't pay for snowplowing, yet benefit from its results. Worthless comes to mind, but I won't say that.
You remind me of the fools in my neighborhood who don't pay for snowplowing, yet benefit from its results. Worthless comes to mind, but I won't say that.
...add a "y".<nobr> <wbr></nobr>;-)
Thou Shalt complain to the OEMs for not offering a choice.
Here is a cute little back stab from HP.
The ad says they offer SUSEŽ Linux HP Edition 9.1
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF04a/321<nobr>9<wbr></nobr> 57-64295-89315-321838-f33.html
But when you get to the "configure and buy" it disappears.
http://h71016.www7.hp.com/dstore/ctoBases.asp?Pro<nobr>d<wbr></nobr> uctLineId=430&FamilyId=1776&jumpid=re_R2515_store<nobr>/<wbr></nobr> smProdCat/PSG/notebooks/HP_nx5000_notebook
Here is a cute little back stab from HP.
The ad says they offer SUSEŽ Linux HP Edition 9.1
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF04a/321<nobr>9<wbr></nobr> 57-64295-89315-321838-f33.html
But when you get to the "configure and buy" it disappears.
http://h71016.www7.hp.com/dstore/ctoBases.asp?Pro<nobr>d<wbr></nobr> uctLineId=430&FamilyId=1776&jumpid=re_R2515_store<nobr>/<wbr></nobr> smProdCat/PSG/notebooks/HP_nx5000_notebook
Choose the "-Configurable- HP Compaq Business Notebook nx5000"
Choosing Suse reduces the price by $50.
(Which begs the question: why does Windows XP Upgrade cost $199 at stores like Best Buy?)
Choosing Suse reduces the price by $50.
(Which begs the question: why does Windows XP Upgrade cost $199 at stores like Best Buy?)
Because there are still many who prefer to stay ignorant, what else?
Profit. This is why OEM shoppers who use Linux should ask for a Windows Refund if the computer came with M$ Windows installed.
Linux is just one operating system. If you want to support OpenSource developers than you should focus on using OpenSource software instead of closed source software. OpenSource software runs on nearly every operating system. Even on Windows you can use eg Gimp, Mozilla or OpenOffice.org
I am an OpenOffice.org volunteer, and I need help writing the user guide for OOo 2.0 comming out in March-ish.
Are you interested in helping?
If so, read this page:
http://www.oooauthors.org/groups/authors/userguid<nobr>e<wbr></nobr> 2/gettingstarted
Or you can send me an email: dcarrera{at}openoffice{dot}org
Cheers,
Daniel Carrera.
OpenOffice.org volunteer.
Are you interested in helping?
If so, read this page:
http://www.oooauthors.org/groups/authors/userguid<nobr>e<wbr></nobr> 2/gettingstarted
Or you can send me an email: dcarrera{at}openoffice{dot}org
Cheers,
Daniel Carrera.
OpenOffice.org volunteer.
If and when many start donating a small portion of what would have cost them to purchase Windows based products, or what they would have saved by using Free Open Source Software, FOSS would be far more advanced and MS couldn't stand a chance. I am sure many commercial companies, governments and organization are sponsoring FOSS developers, but nothing could do more than the donations made by the vast number of end users. Come on people, pitch in, it is for the good of all. Power to the people.
Regarding #2: In most cases I would be required to join their mailing list, get a bugzilla account on their specific server, or in some other way pretend I'm some avid fan or developer for the project. If that's what it takes, they'll get no bug reports from me. Just a simple webform or outline in the package docs and I'll be glad to comply with your report formatting requests. Don't make me pretend I have nothing better to do than spend all my days and nights obsessing over the application. I use my Linux computer for work; it's much more than a hobby.
reportbug for debian handles a lot of bugs fairly easily. If the problem is beyond the packaging of the app, it is usually forwarded to the developers list, so i t can get fixed.
yeah mandrake has a similar tool, drakbug
if you're lazy report to your distro they'll take care of it.
if you're lazy report to your distro they'll take care of it.
They can't let anonymous users create bug reports, they'd get swamped with worthless untrackable reports. That said, how hard is it to create an account? Type in your email address and a password? I have accounts with redhat and gnome and mozilla and post bugs fairly regularly. It's not hard, you feel like you're making a contribution and things actually get fixed. And you're not pretending you are an avid fan or a developer, you just a concerned user who wants the software to be as good as possible. In general, developers who own the components that I've put bugs against have been very responsive and polite.
one thing they could do though is make a bugzilla account work on any bigzilla installation.
just the way drupal does it, if I have an acccount on any drupal page I can login in anyother drupal page by using the username username@orginial.drupal.page.org and the same password.
that would make life easier
just the way drupal does it, if I have an acccount on any drupal page I can login in anyother drupal page by using the username username@orginial.drupal.page.org and the same password.
that would make life easier
Yeah. If I encounter a page that requires my to sign up for yet another account at yet another server that want my email address so they can send me yet another account confirmation email, I close my browser and forget about the bug. Internet users are swamped with accounts at various places. I think the quality of the bug reports comes at a price: fewer reports of important bugs, and longer development times.
Sounds nasty...
OpenOffice.org is one of the most important open source and free software projects out there. It is truly at the forefront of the expansion of OOo. This is where the battle for open standards is being fought.
Furthermore, OOo is a friendly and welcomming community. You'll be happy there.
Please take a look at our contributing page:
http://www.openoffice.org/contributing.html
I am involved in the OOoAuthors project, which is where most English documentation gets written. We are a very active and positive group at OOoAuthors.
http://www.oooauthors.org/contribute
authors-subscribe@user-faq.openoffice.org
authors@user-faq.openoffice.org
We're currently working on the user guide for OOo 2.0, and we need your help.
The importance of this is hard to overstate. I'll try to explain:
* The biggest thing holding open source back is vendor lock-in. Prime example, the<nobr> <wbr></nobr>.doc format.
* Hence, OOo and KOffice got together, along with OASIS (standards group) to create a new format (called OpenDocument) with the intention of replacing<nobr> <wbr></nobr>.doc as the standard format. Corel jumped in, and they helped make it better.
* OOo 2.0 and KOffice 1.4 will both use OpenDocument as their "native" format.
* The EU loved the idea, and they are thinking of making it the standard format for the European government, and anyone who does transactions with then.
* The EU "asked" Microsoft to either make freely available filters between MSXML and OpenDocument, or let someone else make them.
* IBM claims that they'll support the format in Lotus Workplace.
Is this cool or what?
OpenDocument is a format that has a real chance of overthrowing the<nobr> <wbr></nobr>.doc monopoly. And we need you to help make that possible.
OpenOffice.org 2.0 will be the very program to support the format. By contributing to the OOo 2.0 user guide you will be contributing to the spread of the OpenDocument format, and helping break the vendor lock-in produce by the<nobr> <wbr></nobr>.doc format.
If you want to help out, please give me a shout. Take a look at our getting started page:
http://www.oooauthors.org/groups/authors/userguid<nobr>e<wbr></nobr> 2/gettingstarted
Or write to me directly:
dcarrera{at}openoffice{dot}org
I hope to hear from you soon.
Cheers,
Daniel Carrera.
OpenOffice.org volunteer.
Furthermore, OOo is a friendly and welcomming community. You'll be happy there.
Please take a look at our contributing page:
http://www.openoffice.org/contributing.html
I am involved in the OOoAuthors project, which is where most English documentation gets written. We are a very active and positive group at OOoAuthors.
http://www.oooauthors.org/contribute
authors-subscribe@user-faq.openoffice.org
authors@user-faq.openoffice.org
We're currently working on the user guide for OOo 2.0, and we need your help.
The importance of this is hard to overstate. I'll try to explain:
* The biggest thing holding open source back is vendor lock-in. Prime example, the<nobr> <wbr></nobr>.doc format.
* Hence, OOo and KOffice got together, along with OASIS (standards group) to create a new format (called OpenDocument) with the intention of replacing<nobr> <wbr></nobr>.doc as the standard format. Corel jumped in, and they helped make it better.
* OOo 2.0 and KOffice 1.4 will both use OpenDocument as their "native" format.
* The EU loved the idea, and they are thinking of making it the standard format for the European government, and anyone who does transactions with then.
* The EU "asked" Microsoft to either make freely available filters between MSXML and OpenDocument, or let someone else make them.
* IBM claims that they'll support the format in Lotus Workplace.
Is this cool or what?
OpenDocument is a format that has a real chance of overthrowing the<nobr> <wbr></nobr>.doc monopoly. And we need you to help make that possible.
OpenOffice.org 2.0 will be the very program to support the format. By contributing to the OOo 2.0 user guide you will be contributing to the spread of the OpenDocument format, and helping break the vendor lock-in produce by the<nobr> <wbr></nobr>.doc format.
If you want to help out, please give me a shout. Take a look at our getting started page:
http://www.oooauthors.org/groups/authors/userguid<nobr>e<wbr></nobr> 2/gettingstarted
Or write to me directly:
dcarrera{at}openoffice{dot}org
I hope to hear from you soon.
Cheers,
Daniel Carrera.
OpenOffice.org volunteer.
You convinced me. I just joined the mailing list and will be donating some of my (somewhat questionable) writing skills to the project.
I'd say open source mouse and sound drivers that Just Work are more important.
I really have to concur, and I'm truly impressed that the author is 15 years old. Some of the older negative commentators could learn some things if they had "Open Source Minds".
Though I'm only 19 myself, I was very surprised to see that the author is 15 years old. I'm also impressed. At fifteen I had barely heard of GNU/Linux (and was still calling it plain "Linux" with no idea what "distributions" were).
My first article was published when I was 18, and I was proud of that. This makes me feel not so proud anymore.
Oh well, its good to be humbled. Great article.
My first article was published when I was 18, and I was proud of that. This makes me feel not so proud anymore.
Oh well, its good to be humbled. Great article.
Err.. Well Thanks!
Thou shalt not ignore the corporate freeloaders
Posted by: Anonymous Coward on January 12, 2005 08:02 AM
Why should individuals think about how they give back to the community when those that benefit the most--the corporations--give so little? This is not a troll--I'd love to contribute to open source efforts, but I just can't shake the feeling that I'd only be free labor for fat and happy corporations.
It's been big corporations that have contributed code to the biggest and best open-source projects. I only need mention IBM (on the Linux kernel) and Netscape (Mozilla).
So suck it up. You get what you give. So do they.
So suck it up. You get what you give. So do they.
Actually, I've given nothing so far, and have gotten quite a bit. So you don't get what you give. You get far more than you give. That's kind of my point: you don't have to give.
The GPL guarantees that any modifications you distribute have to be returned to the community. This protects against freeloaders. But it's incomplete. You can still use the code, and you can still make your modifications available over the web as many web companies do, without giving back anything. This goes right to the bottom lines of these companies. I'd rather this be poured back into the community rather than into the coffers of the CEOs. Especially before I'm going to contribute my own man-hours to these projects through the various means advocated in this article.
The GPL guarantees that any modifications you distribute have to be returned to the community. This protects against freeloaders. But it's incomplete. You can still use the code, and you can still make your modifications available over the web as many web companies do, without giving back anything. This goes right to the bottom lines of these companies. I'd rather this be poured back into the community rather than into the coffers of the CEOs. Especially before I'm going to contribute my own man-hours to these projects through the various means advocated in this article.
> That's kind of my point: you don't have to give.
But if you are a morally responsible person you'll give something. It is very difficult for us, who *are* doing work, to do all that's needed. There is much to do, and no where near enough people to do it.
If you want to contribute, send me an email including your skills and interests (dcarrera{at}openoffice{dot}org). I'll find a place where your skills will be put to good use, and which you'll enjoy.
Best,
Daniel Carrera.
OpenOffice.org volunteer.
But if you are a morally responsible person you'll give something. It is very difficult for us, who *are* doing work, to do all that's needed. There is much to do, and no where near enough people to do it.
If you want to contribute, send me an email including your skills and interests (dcarrera{at}openoffice{dot}org). I'll find a place where your skills will be put to good use, and which you'll enjoy.
Best,
Daniel Carrera.
OpenOffice.org volunteer.
Corporations are not morally responsible people. They're profit machines. They take labor and natural resources as input and give cash to rich people as output. They will take this labor from wherever it can get it, at as low a price it can find. Open source is being turned into a form of cheap labor for corporations.
The reason why OpenOffice has so much to do with nowhere near enough people to do it is because those that benefit the most from it aren't pitching in.
The reason why OpenOffice has so much to do with nowhere near enough people to do it is because those that benefit the most from it aren't pitching in.
And the people who benefit the most are users.
Are *you* going to pitch in?
Or do you just prefer to let Sun do all the work?
Companies are the ones doing the bulk of the work, and in the case of OOo, it's most Sun, followed by Novell and Red Hat.
The idea of not wanting to contribute because you don't want them to benefit from your work is plain silly. They are the ones doing most of the work, and you are the one who's downloading it for free. Besides, part of the point of open source is that several people pitch in some and everyone gets more back than they put in. And everyone benefits from everyone else's work.
You are benefitting from my work. Should I stop working on OOo because of that? Of course not. I'll keep working hard to make it the best office suite in the world.
Tell you what, why don't you help me out with the OOo user guide? That project doesn't benefit Sun (ok it still benefits Novell and Red Hat) and it benefits other users. What do you say?
dcarrera{at}openoffice{dot}org
Danie Carrera.
OpenOffice.org volunteer.
Are *you* going to pitch in?
Or do you just prefer to let Sun do all the work?
Companies are the ones doing the bulk of the work, and in the case of OOo, it's most Sun, followed by Novell and Red Hat.
The idea of not wanting to contribute because you don't want them to benefit from your work is plain silly. They are the ones doing most of the work, and you are the one who's downloading it for free. Besides, part of the point of open source is that several people pitch in some and everyone gets more back than they put in. And everyone benefits from everyone else's work.
You are benefitting from my work. Should I stop working on OOo because of that? Of course not. I'll keep working hard to make it the best office suite in the world.
Tell you what, why don't you help me out with the OOo user guide? That project doesn't benefit Sun (ok it still benefits Novell and Red Hat) and it benefits other users. What do you say?
dcarrera{at}openoffice{dot}org
Danie Carrera.
OpenOffice.org volunteer.
make a real difference and become a "card-carrying member" of the FSF:
http://agia.fsf.org/associate/
and help preserve the values which made it all possible!
http://agia.fsf.org/associate/
and help preserve the values which made it all possible!
FSF donations go right into Richard Stallman's bank account. Don't do it.
1. You're making that up.
The money goes to the FSF's work, which covers much of what you take for granted. The libraries, the compiler, startup scripts, daemons and all those things you never think about, but are crucial to make your system work is maintained by the FSF.
2. RMS *did* make all this possible. He wrote the GPL, and he made the project that made the operating system (whatever you call it) possible.
The money goes to the FSF's work, which covers much of what you take for granted. The libraries, the compiler, startup scripts, daemons and all those things you never think about, but are crucial to make your system work is maintained by the FSF.
2. RMS *did* make all this possible. He wrote the GPL, and he made the project that made the operating system (whatever you call it) possible.
Even if that was true, what does it matter? What was the last thing that RMS did that wasn't related to protecting our freedoms? I'd just as soon give money to RMS as I would the FSF. Sadly, I have very little of this "money" laying around to give.
Thats right, I don't. Right now I have $44.28 in the bank. My car insurance expires next month. I still haven't bought textbooks for half my classes. My mastercard is maxed out.
Not everyone is a working stiff. I'm still in university, and that makes for an extremely small budget.
Not everyone is a working stiff. I'm still in university, and that makes for an extremely small budget.
oops. my apologies - I did not realize that you were in such a tough spot (I have been there too, and I am still not making end meet). Sorry for the uncalled for comment.
its a freaking NGO there are laws that protect your donations and prevent this kind of abuse, their financial records are public records, if you're soo worried about your money going into RMS's bank account just follow the money yourself.
sheesh
sheesh
This article has some good suggestions and I'm not trying to spawn any well known OS flame fest here but as someone pointed out above it's not just about Linux. Open Source means OpenOffice, Apache, PostgreSQL, Mozilla/Firefox, Free|Net|Open|DragonFly BSD and the 372 Linux distributions out there. You can contribute in some way to ANY of these projects and still be contributing to Open Source.
You're going to understand that "Linux" is a widely-known brand, not a technology term here (hopefully). Same for Mozilla/OOo, well, Apache.
But *BSD is not.
Besides that, technically speaking -- contributing to BSD codebase *is* a free labour for big fat happy corps like Microsoft -- they're eager to show the support for that, go figure they don't for Some Other License.
So just "contributing to Open Source" isn't neither pragmatic nor particularly fruitful -- contributing to projects you're interested in may be fruitful but thinking of strategy while looking at licenses is pragmatic.
PS: no, I'm not going to blow the horn of any license-related flame fest -- just my EUR.02<nobr> <wbr></nobr>:-)
--
gvy
But *BSD is not.
Besides that, technically speaking -- contributing to BSD codebase *is* a free labour for big fat happy corps like Microsoft -- they're eager to show the support for that, go figure they don't for Some Other License.
So just "contributing to Open Source" isn't neither pragmatic nor particularly fruitful -- contributing to projects you're interested in may be fruitful but thinking of strategy while looking at licenses is pragmatic.
PS: no, I'm not going to blow the horn of any license-related flame fest -- just my EUR.02<nobr> <wbr></nobr>:-)
--
gvy
Ummm... maybe I missed something, but we all know it is free as in Libre, not as in beer, so a very good way to help is to pay for some of your "free" software. I pay for many things under Linux that I do not have to, because I want to encourage the development. It may seem strange to pay for something you do not have to, but that is exactly the mindset that must change. Sometimes instead of just downloading the latest BSD or Linux ISO, pay for a boxed set. I am now done talking to the wind...
Wouldn't it make more sense to give a donation instead?
That way whatever organisation you're sending money to can use 100% of that money for development, instead of wasting some of it in materials, postage, etc.
That way whatever organisation you're sending money to can use 100% of that money for development, instead of wasting some of it in materials, postage, etc.
I agree, that's why I am a member of MandrakeClub - the money goes directly to Mandrake. However, I think it is still good to purchase some items, as this emphasizes that "free software" does not mean you do not pay for it. Thus, buy a copy of some free software!
10 ways to pay back the open source community
Posted by: Anonymous Coward on January 15, 2005 12:51 PM
1. Write a manifesto.
2. Install Linux on your Mom's PC
3. Sign your Mom up to development mailing lists.
4. Nag your Mom to write a manifesto.
5. Get a dictionary and translate a program into a language you don't understand.
6. Get a dictionary and translate a program's documentation into a language you don't understand.
7. Get a dictionary and translate your manifesto into a language you don't understand.
8. Get a dictionary and translate your Mom's manifesto into a language you don't understand.
9. Put your graphic design skills to use. The world sorely needs more images of penguins. Use SailorMoon as your stylistic reference.
10. Report every bug you find. Don't bother with lowly developers, go straight to the top, report all bugs directly to torvalds@transmeta.com
2. Install Linux on your Mom's PC
3. Sign your Mom up to development mailing lists.
4. Nag your Mom to write a manifesto.
5. Get a dictionary and translate a program into a language you don't understand.
6. Get a dictionary and translate a program's documentation into a language you don't understand.
7. Get a dictionary and translate your manifesto into a language you don't understand.
8. Get a dictionary and translate your Mom's manifesto into a language you don't understand.
9. Put your graphic design skills to use. The world sorely needs more images of penguins. Use SailorMoon as your stylistic reference.
10. Report every bug you find. Don't bother with lowly developers, go straight to the top, report all bugs directly to torvalds@transmeta.com
Re:10 ways to pay back the open source community
Posted by: Anonymous Coward on January 17, 2005 11:54 PM
"10. Report every bug you find. Don't bother with lowly developers, go straight to the top, report all bugs directly to torvalds@transmeta.com "
Yes, do that. Especially when its a problem with glibc or with gcc. He'll love it.
Yes, do that. Especially when its a problem with glibc or with gcc. He'll love it.
Re:10 ways to pay back the open source community
Posted by: Anonymous Coward on January 19, 2005 06:36 AM
"10. Report every bug you find. Don't bother with lowly developers, go straight to the top, report all bugs directly to torvalds@transmeta.com"
That's a great idea. Especially since that address is probably not active anymore, these days.
That's a great idea. Especially since that address is probably not active anymore, these days.
Don't create another project
Posted by: Kyle Maxwell on January 11, 2005 10:33 PM#