Re: Non-profit - was Re: "Parallel music view" - inspiration for LilyPond editors.

[David Kastrup]

Zenaan Harkness <address@hidden> writes:

> On 10/5/12, David Kastrup <address@hidden> wrote:
>> Werner LEMBERG <address@hidden> writes:
>>
>>>> Have you read
>>>>
>>>>    http://lwn.net/Articles/514964/
>>>
>>> Not yet, thanks for that!
>>>
>>>> on Bradley Kuhn's
>>>>
>>>>    http://sfconservancy.org/
>>>
>>> Actually, I've already asked for making FreeType a conservancy member
>>> some months ago, and it seems to be a quite slow process...
>>>
>>> Maybe we should do the same for LilyPond.
>>
>> They then manage the project funds (deducting a flat 10%) which are only
>> to be used for non-profit purposes.  I don't see that my personal
>> situation, working on LilyPond financed by its users, could be labelled
>> as non-profit since it is my sole source of income, and I spend it
>> almost entirely on non-LilyPond related expenses like rent, food,
>> personal insurance and other stuff.
>
> I think you misunderstand. I don't have detailed knowledge, but FWIW,
> the point of SFC is to fund libre projects. Your development of
> lilypond is exactly what SFC funds.
>
> Your work is purely non-profit, since your expenses are no more than
> your living expenses.

That is a strange definition since my living expenses most certainly
depend on my life style.  And if I don't get above my living expenses at
some point of time, I will have to quit since there is no future in
"living expenses".

> Your activity is purely non-profit, and on libre software.

Most certainly _not_ purely non-profit.  I have been on a climbing trip
for 10 days in Italy.  That's not a LilyPond-related expense, even
though it has been my only vacation this year and I kept doing the
Patchy runs each evening which nobody else did at that time.

> Consider a non-profit organisation - it funds non-profit activities.
> For example it might fund a teacher to travel to a poor/disadvantaged
> community, and that teacher's normal living expenses are either
> covered specifically (per receipts), or almost exclusively, covered by
> a salary/wage as paid to the teacher. The teacher has full discretion
> to use their wage at their discretion, and presumably they pay their
> usual bills, telecoms, food, rent, etc. How could it be any other way?

They can _employ_ the teacher, but that means every obligation and tax
associated with employment.  Their expenses are non-profit, but his
income is not.

> So dear David, our brother in spirit, please do cast aside your
> misunderstanding and embrace wholly and with pride, the work that you
> do, your conduct, your selfless contributions, and, as from the LWN
> article above, the lower "salary" that you receive.

Uh, not exactly selfless.  And I do fully embrace the salary I receive.
It's just that if I had to pass it through a non-profit channel
deducting 10%, I doubt that I would have more to embrace.  And I depend
on what I get.

> We (humans) are in a transition from focusing our lives around
> self-centered activities towards self-less "community" activities.

Again: what I am doing is far from self-less, even though it benefits a
community enough that members of this community are sustaining it
through personal monetary contributions.

People working on LilyPond in their spare time, investing their own time
and money can be considered self-less.  I am so far mostly investing my
skills and pride in technical prowess, but I am the one actually getting
paid for it.

> David you are not an opportunistic investor. Far from it. You are a
> worker. There is a vast difference.

I never claimed to be an investor.  But "paid work" is not equivalent to
"non-profit".  There would be nobody happier than I am if you were able
to convince the German equivalent of the IRS that my work is non-profit,
but exactly because that is _not_ the case, non-profit umbrellas like
the SFC are popular for "laundering" tax-deductible donations.  But
since they are accountable as well, that involves projects, plans,
whitepapers, accountability.

> Then please email this to address@hidden, bradley kuhn, and wherever you
> fancy.

I can forward you what Richard had to say on the topic of finding
funding for my work on LilyPond.  It basically amounts to "Good luck
with that.  Have you considered getting a job?".

-- 
David Kastrup