Re: Idea: 'ethical hosting' [formerly mailman service (free for FOSS projects)]

[Pjotr Prins]

On Tue, Apr 18, 2017 at 06:11:41PM +0000, ng0 wrote:
> > I don't think we should offer VPS (at first). But we can offer the
> > choice of using other VPS'. The VPS marked is overcrowded and very
> > competitive - I would not want to compete with that. I want to compete
> > with companies that offer hosting, but do not provide the software
> > stack. I also want people to have access to their own VPS. That is the
> > ethical part.
> 
> Okay, then I do not understandand completely where you are going with this.
> For a hosted service you need a host first. Do you want to offer consulting
> work, so that this can be deployed at service (which furthermore would
> require some legal annoyance), as a service? In other words, some of us
> probably to cover the legal part with a contract at Guix Europe e.v. (if
> the registered association law in France works similar to the ones in Germany)
> will set up services on demand for interested people and organizations?

This is one example for hosting mailman: https://www.mailmanhost.com/.
They host it on some other VPS service.

What I want to do is provide something similar with a slick web
interface where people click on a service, say a VPS with mailman,
configure it and launch it on a VPS hoster of their choice - we can
offer multiple solutions on multiple hosting parties. Then the client
has a running and configured server. We charge a fee on top of the VPS
fee.

No consulting required unless something goes wrong. So we need to
probably factor in monitoring and minimal support for paying clients.

That is the general idea. Guix Europe is a non-profit, I don't think
that would be a suitable vehicle. Better to set up a limited liability
company when dealing with clients.

I believe in fairness, so we'd have to come up with a way of
distributing any income fairly and giving some back to Guix. But that
is a separate discussion with the people who want to do this. That
does probably not belong on the mailing list. It needs thought.

The software is all FOSS, so anyone can fork of any time and start a
business. If we make some money together or separately that is
cool because we can sustain our efforts that way. Be nice to share
knowledge, build up on that, and grow Guix.

Anyway, just an idea that may or may not work.

Pj.