Re: [Fsfe-uk] Grants programme

[Chris Croughton]

On Tue, Nov 21, 2006 at 04:10:12PM +0000, Jason Clifford wrote:

> I've been giving some more thought to this today and had an idea I'd like 
> some feedback on.
> 
> Firstly it now seems to me that the idea of a grants programme in the 
> format currently envision just isn't working for whatever reason. Maybe 
> it's because, as others have suggested, there just isn't enough money to 
> interest people.
> 
> Looking around at the more prominent people in the UK Free Software 
> communities (well the Linux communities anyway) it seems that almost all 
> became involved while at school/college/uni. Many if not all were writing 
> code for or otherwise contributing to Free Software projects.
> 
> How about the idea of part time employment for college/uni students to do 
> just that - write code or otherwise contribute to FS projects?
> 
> If I budget to pay each of them ?4,500 during the year UKFSN could do this 
> for 2 students in 2007 rising to 3 or 4 in 2008 and about 10 in 2009.

That seems to me a good idea.  Especially if it is distributed through
the year (so we can check that it isn't just spent on booze!).  It's
going back to the "sponsor a student" idea which produced some good
results in the 80s, and will favourably incline them to FOSS development
(many students see FOSS as "a good idea, but I couldn't live off it").

A related point -- could money be put into advertising of FOSS jobs?  I
know there is a website for FOSS Perl programmers, but for other areas
finding the jobs is difficult.  If someone leaves university and looks
for a job in FOSS...

Chris C