[Openvds-devel] Introduction, History of FreeVSD

[Simon Burns]

Hi Paul, thanks for contributing :) You seem to be approaching this
project from a commercial angle, and while I respect this I'm not sure why
it's relevant to a development list. That's not to say GPL software is
incompatible with making money (how much is Red Hat worth now?) but I
think that, for now, we should concentrate on getting some work done.

You're free to make money from GPL software, so am I and everyone else on
this list. I'm just not sure why you think we need sponsorship, or need to
worry unduly about the financial aspects at this early stage of the game.

Some specific points:

> I have a lot to offer this project and I would like to be involved. However,
> I can't do this as a charitable project. While I believe in free and Open
> Source software, I don't believe in working for free.

So many people *do* work "for free" on Open Source software, that I think
you're contradicting yourself. A number of people have put themselves
forward to work on this, and I don't remember them asking to get paid. My
own "payback" would be a stronger product and a credit somewhere, if I'm
lucky :)

> I am not looking to get rich, but I have to make a living.

I'm a "resting" computer contractor also looking to offer a hosting
service. I have to make a living too, but not through VSD. After the end
of January, I have no idea where the money is coming from (and I have that
mortgage thing to worry about, kids to feed, etc) and maybe I pack up my
servers and start looking for a permanent job somewhere.  Free Software is
not about making a living, it's about making good software. Linus
Torvalds, Richard Stallman, etc, did not start what they do to "make a
living" -- they did it for plenty of other reasons but that wasn't one of
them.

> I need to be able to offer commercial support to anyone who needs it.

You can do that with GPL software. No problem. I will be doing precisely
the same :) Now if you're suggesting that this project puts prospects
through to you, or makes your company the official source of support, I
hope the other members on this list will agree that this is a no-no.  
They also have hosting services and would also like to offer support.

> An ISP or ISPs need to come on board to fund this project.

Why? We have the resources we need right now. We have servers, coders,
etc.

> I haven't seen any mention of any hardcore C/C++ or kernel developers

They're out there :) We can appeal for developers on COLA, we all probably
know other people who can help. AFAIK, VSD doesn't require a tweaked
kernel anyway, it would probably be more trouble than it's worth.

> We definitely need some project leads who can direct and manage the
> project, as well as maintaining focus and direction.

http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/writings/cathedral-bazaar/

I know that's not the complete story about Open Source projects, we
probably do need a stronger "steer" soon. But with CVS, good
communication, etc, I don't think we need a "leader" as such.

FWIW,


-- 
Simon Burns

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