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[Axiom-developer] Re: Literate documentation
From: |
Gabriel Dos Reis |
Subject: |
[Axiom-developer] Re: Literate documentation |
Date: |
Mon, 14 May 2007 19:19:18 -0500 (CDT) |
On Mon, 14 May 2007, address@hidden wrote:
| Gaby,
|
| I've had extensive discussion with 3 different funding groups at the NSF
| and one at NIST.
|
| The problem isn't latex.
I do hope that the problem isn't latex.
However, I do believe that the problem is with *how the Axiom is presented*
to funding agencies.
That was the original point of my message.
[ don't look at my finger; I'm pointing at the moon. ]
| The problems appear to be:
|
| 1) They won't fund work being done by commercial companies
People get federal money for work on Sage.
[...]
| 2) They won't fund work that is done by individuals
|
| Funded work needs an existing funding source that can handle the
| finances. A university has a provost to take 55% or more of the
| cash as "overhead". Open source does not have the financial
| machinery in place to accept grant money or manage the required
| reporting requirements.
|
| Funding an open source project with grant money has also
| raised the question about how to distribute and use the funds.
| Do we pay individuals? How do we judge the work? How is the
| work to be reported? Who manages the money?
Federal money supports several open source projects -- just google
around.
[...]
| 3) They won't fund developers outside the country
|
| The NSF and NIST are federal agencies and are not much interested
| in funding people who live and work overseas. They might fund a
| "visiting scientist" position for someone working at a university
| but that would not apply to an individual developer.
I'm would not ask NSF or NIST to fund "developers" outside the country.
(If I were NSF or NIST, I would not give the money).
However, NSF and NIST are interested in funding *innovative research*
projects. The question is how do you get to present Axiom as a research
project that supports innovation? Don't tell me by building something like
TeX or the TeX book.
| I have not had any contact with INRIA or other European funding
| agencies but I suspect they might have the same objection. Since
| open source is worldwide there is no funding agency with the
| span of control to handle funding.
Notice that European agencies are funding open source (research) projects.
A recent example I'm aware of to some degree:
http://gcc.gnu.org/ml/gcc/2006-10/msg00676.html
and for more information:
http://www.itea-office.org/
| My conclusion is that the NSF and NIST are irrelevant to open source.
I believe your conclusions are at odd with facts.
-- Gaby
[Axiom-developer] RE: Literate documentation, Bill Page, 2007/05/15
[Axiom-developer] Literate documentation, daly, 2007/05/14
[Axiom-developer] Literate documentation, daly, 2007/05/14